S01E21 - Following His Heart’s Compass: Richard Blank’s Journey to Costa Rica

Hello and welcome to Carry On with Criselda. I am so grateful that you have stopped by to join us. Today for you, I have an interview with Richard Blank. Richard's journey, which is in the call center space, was filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational, public speaking style, backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers. He has been the chief executive officer for Costa Rica's Call Center since 2008. And just for fun, Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American pinball machines and antique jukeboxes in Central America, making gamification a strong part of Costa Rica call center culture. I asked Richard to come on as a guest because I was intrigued by his story. Richard was gracious as a guest to share his experiences on moving thousands of miles away from his family and friends to the more low-key, easygoing, beautiful setting in Costa Rica to build a life there and a company from scratch with the call center. He followed his heart's compass. He met his wife in Costa Rica, and he couldn't be happier there. So, without further ado, Richard Blank.

Richard Blank 00:01:42

So happy to be here, Criselda. I'm so excited to share some stories with you and your amazing audience and maybe crack some codes on how to carry on in this crazy life.

Criselda 00:01:53

Oh, that's great. I love it. I love it. So, for anybody who has never heard of Mr. Richard Blank, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Richard Blank 00:02:03

Well, first born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia as a proud graduate of Abington High School in 91. And I decided to double down on my favorite class, which was Spanish. And it took me all the way here to Costa Rica, and I've been here for the past 23 years and living a beautiful life.

Criselda 00:02:19

Wow. How did you...what made you decide to go to Costa Rica?

Richard Blank 00:02:26

Kind of build up the momentum to that, Criselda. I decided to be a Spanish communication major. So, I doubled down on humanities instead of going into law or medicine and following my family's footsteps in Ivy League. And so, at 27 years old, I was given a one in a million opportunity to work at my friend's call center for just a couple of months. And when that barn door was open and if you can get past your parent's guilt, I decided to move abroad. And little did I know that I learned this industry from the inside out, not sea level. I sat with the people, with the proletariat. I broke bread, and I saw the good and the bad and the happy and the sad. And the one thing I did learn is that no matter what job you're in and career you choose, every individual deserves their dignity. And anybody that has leverage should extend empathy. And that's the sort of thing that gives someone, I guess, the ability to be loyal and to stay with you a long time. And I was treated so well, and being a guest in this country, there was such positive reinforcement that I decided to stay and have my vision quest and have my spiritual life journey.

Criselda 00:03:36

Wow, that's really beautiful. How long did it take for you to be in Costa Rica before you decided, yeah, this is the place for me?

Richard Blank 00:03:44

This wasn't even a dipping the toe. I dove straight in, not even testing the waters, you know, but I knew that there was momentum and the fact that I was bilingual in Spanish, and I had lived abroad prior to that. I spent my junior year abroad in Spain. I was in Madrid, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sevilla. But then over Christmas break, the winter of 93 and 94, I did not come home. I also didn't have a phone. So, I traveled in Europe for a few months and read books and went to museums and churches and just really experienced one of the greatest transformations of my life, Criselda. I became...I shed some skin during that year, and I realized that you can always go out and party, but if you can go visit some museums and see some ruins and speak to some people prior to those parties, you can have both. And so, I guess I grew up a little bit, and I took my life experiences a little bit more seriously then.

Criselda 00:04:45

So, what was that like with your family? How did it go when you told them, I'm moving to Costa Rica?

Richard Blank 00:04:56

Well, they're going to miss me terribly. And here's the skinny. A lot of the times, people fear things they don't understand. And one of the smartest things I could do is to give them rational arguments, because I just couldn't walk in my brother's footsteps. He was brilliant in mathematics and economics, and my father went to Columbia, so it was impossible to compete. But then I said, wait a second. Great grandpa came at the turn of the century from Romania and Russia, and they moved to New York, and we're in the garment industry. They learned English. You just skip two generations. So, I'm just going south, right? Your grandpa did it. I closed them. So, my friend had bought me some time. I mean, naturally, if I was doing something destructive and I was getting in trouble and it just wasn't working out, that's one thing. Then click your heels and come home. But it turned into weeks to months and then years. And as I mentioned, besides the proximity of missing somebody and missing out on certain family events, they did realize that I was living an incredibly true life, and that's something that any parent should be proud of. They prepared the child to not only leave the nest but to fly distances, and I think that's just a wonderful thing.

Criselda 00:06:16

So do they come visit you? Do they see, oh, I see what you're talking about now.

Richard Blank 00:06:22

Absolutely. They come and visit. But still, you got to think about it like this. They're in my wheelhouse. They're not bilingual. I mean, a lot of things are new to them. They're getting used to it after 23 years. But it was novelty in the beginning, especially with my wife, when they were meeting and learning their family. And so, what it's done is it's opened their minds to a certain sort of lifestyle that we were used to in Northeast Philadelphia, the things that were the priorities and expectations. And so, my thing got put completely upside down. And that's the beauty of life, because if you can live it that way, where you don't have those sort of constraints, then you make much better decisions and you can sleep better at night. And so, I almost had to do it through the Tortoise philosophy. I couldn't rush this sort of long-term foundation with my family, with quickies. It had to be a track record, Criselda. I had to show them over and over again, Richard's happy equals happy life. And so, and it seemed to have worked that way.

Criselda 00:07:33

And so now, so you decided to move to Costa Rica. You told your family, this is where I'm living. So, once you got there, so you said you had already helped, you were helping a friend out. And so, is that how you, eventually, how the call center came to be?

Richard Blank 00:07:51

It was a great way for me to learn the business, and it was really a master study. And if anybody really wants to learn something, they really should start from the beginning. And it wasn't bad for me because it's the art of speech. It was something stimulating. I got to see retention, customer support, sales, appointment setting, human resources onboarding, you name it. And for me, since English is the second language, and seeing these very talented individuals grasping this and this is back in 2000, so we're working off of old Cisco phones and Excel sheets. This is not like today. And so, it was like the boiler room environments that you see in the movies. But we weren't selling stock, and it was young, average age, 24. I was 27. So, I said, Listen, this is my one last shot at it. It's almost like the six-year college student. I was the super senior. And I loved it. And the fact that for me, all I needed to learn in the industry is how to use a phone, how to use a CRM, learning metrics, learning QA and all the terminology for the industry. But here's the thing. I was great on the phone. I showed active listening. I loved these conversations. And so instead of seeing it as a grind, my calls lasted a little longer, but my conversions were better, and I was earning enough money with my friend where I could live here and live well. And so, the stars were aligned, Criselda. It's one in a million-shot hit. How many times does somebody have to do a Curly three stooges smack me in the face to say, Richie, wake up. This is it, this is it. And so, I took it, and it hasn't stopped. And when I had my maturity in my mid-thirties and my impulse control and thankfully some capital, I was capable of taking a year off and, and and throwing my hat in the ring and and I created my website in October of 2007. And then in February 6 of 2008, I landed my first account. It was one seat for one week. Doesn't matter as long as you take one slice of pizza. I sold something, and so, even if it ended then, and I never got a single account after that. The fact that I created something from nothing, like magic, metaphysics, I could have lived with myself for the rest of my life. The last, the rest is just chance, you know, and, and and seeing if the, you know, the dice roll in your favor.

Criselda 00:10:28

Wow. How many employees do you have under you?

Richard Blank 00:10:35

150. Can you believe it?

Criselda 00:10:38

I bet your employees just absolutely love you. You sound like the kind of boss that I wish I could have had when I was still in the corporate world. It was very well, it was just business and that's all it was. And it's always about, who you know. It's like the dog-eat-dog world. It sounds like. The type of environment that you created, however, is just, hey, I'm like you and I'm here to help build you up. Tell me a bit about your overall management style.

Richard Blank 00:11:26

I can't hit the ball and drag Johnny, and I really need to make sure that somebody does their own work in order to be stable, I need to coach you.

Criselda 00:11:37

So, do you still have, the majority of your employees, are they still just in their 20 somethings?

Richard Blank 00:11:45

On average.  But guess what? What about the 40-year-olds or even the 50-year-olds that don't have good computer skills? What do we do? Well, someone told me before that the greatest thing you can do is hire gray hairs. They got the experience. I can always teach someone a computer. I just can't teach them life. And these are some of the greatest telemarketers ever heard. And they're mentors. They can pay it forward. There's no way that I would pass on somebody because he doesn't understand to use the computer. I will cheat sheet and sit with you till you learn how to do cut and paste. You will learn it. Okay. And then from there, we take it from there. Because if you really want to choose, what would you rather have, the marathon runner or some guy that's really good on computers? I want the marathon runner. It shows something. I can always teach you that. The other thing is very difficult to learn. That comes from the heart.

Criselda 00:12:40

So what else is next for you? I mean, do you foresee yourself retiring in Costa Rica?

Richard Blank 00:12:50

My next stage in life will be writing children's books. Oh, yeah. Now check this out. I want to do mini golf and Rube Goldberg experiments. You know, the non-electrical machines and stuff so people can like build things and do things at home too. And so, I want it to be interactive. I want something where people can hold something, and things can move and and it's fun. I want old school 70s play and I got to figure it out. But I will crack that code.

Criselda 00:13:20

You sound like you were just meant to be where you are. And I'm just so glad to hear that you stuck with your guns and just you decided, this is the place for me. Costa Rica is where I belong, and you're doing exactly what you were meant to do.

Richard Blank 00:13:44

It wasn't easy. Family guilt is heavy and there's expectations and people love and miss you. I wasn't irresponsible. You just have to be responsible on both.

Criselda 00:13:56

And is there still that guilt that you're working through?

Richard Blank 00:14:01

It's a personal thing because I always felt like I missed out on certain things. And I, just turning 50 years old this past year, I think about what my life would have been like in the United States and my family real estate business, or if I sold stock in New York, decided to be an attorney, stayed in Philly. Who knows what would have happened? I would have been up in the Poconos every winter skiing. I don't know. But I tell you what, this has been a crazy journey of twists and turns, and it's a great cocktail story. But when I go back to Philly every five years for my reunions, and we all talk and share stories and my friends are exceptionally successful and happy now and I love them to death. Each one of them did kind of want their adventure, and even if it was for a year and some people backpack and stuff and that's one thing. But a lot of them kind of had a true passion. I don't know what it was, but I know that they wanted to do it. And so, they all kind of look at me and go, man, you had the guts to do it. I'm so proud of you, Richie. And I go, hey, I'm from Philly. What do you expect? It's not that I saw life differently. It was a gift. It was a dream.

Criselda 00:15:10

I want to come back to that, definitely, because that's a big part of what this podcast is about. But before I do, I must touch on, tell me about your pinball machines.

Richard Blank 00:15:25

You and I are Generation X. Remember the show, Silver Spoons with Ricky Schroder?

Criselda 00:15:29

Yeah.

Richard Blank 00:15:30

I wanted that arcade. We all wanted that arcade.

Criselda 00:15:33

Okay.

Richard Blank 00:15:34

And so just like Tom Hanks in the movie, Big. If you get some money but you still think like a kid, what's the first thing you want to buy? Trampolines and pinball machines.

Criselda 00:15:41

Oh yeah, I wanted a huge trampoline like on Big.

Richard Blank 00:15:44

Right? You better go buy one for yourself. And one man's trash is another man's treasure. And in Costa Rica, I go treasure hunting. And for a couple of $100 I'll pick up a beauty, I'll order some stuff from the States, get an electrician to fix it, and for a couple of $100 I'm sitting on like a $4,000 Last Action Hero pinball machine. And so, it's not really the money that I'm saving, it's the fact that the restoration and playing it and the fact that these machines are older than most of my agents and we can bond through them in a neutral environment where they can let off steam and recharge batteries, hang out with me and make best friends. But I chose one battle to fight with my wife, and it's these machines who can win 99.999. But she knows that I love them. And as long as I have the room and as long as it's not hurting anybody, I believe that I have my permission for my wife to keep buying. And don't kid yourself, I'm going to continue.

Criselda 00:16:46

Why, was she not on board with it at first?

Richard Blank 00:16:49

It's excessive, like Imelda Marcos's shoes, but my thing is it takes up a lot of space. But she grew up where she never played them before. And so, my obsession with the lights and the bumpers and the marquee and the cabinet and the play field, she just doesn't get it. She goes, you just spent fifty cents. I go, Honey, you have no idea. And so, she says also, in a sense, it's almost like a childhood thing. It brings me back to the arcades in the eighties and I used to love them, and they were very expensive, and I always wanted one of my own. And I guess what I'm doing once again is being true to myself. I really love those things and it's nice for me to have that. But now I own 13 machines and six jukeboxes. And my oldest machine is a 1976 Williams Freedom Machine and the newer one is like an NBA fast break. They're all from like the 90s back to the 70s, but they're incredible. And I've even learned how to fix them a little bit. But it's really me about polishing them up and playing them. I tell you, my Sunday marathons, it really puts me in a certain groove to start my work week.

Criselda 00:18:07

Well, I love that. Today it's all about gaming, right? A lot of kids are gaming, but I love the old school stuff. You with the pinball machines, that's refreshing.

Richard Blank 00:18:21

I think it's cool still. I might as well be driving an IROC-Z. With the pinball machines, yeah, I mean, it's really good.

Criselda 00:18:29

And you share that with your employees you said.

Richard Blank 00:18:30

No, I'm only kidding. It's all free play. Of course, I do. But I have a bunch back in my house, my own man cave. But then I also have here at the office, and I spread them out through the floors.

Criselda 00:18:41

That's great. Yeah.

Richard Blank 00:18:44

I cannot explain. So, if anybody Googles, you'll see all the machines and it's so much fun. And my suggestion is they're still quite affordable. If you're looking at the brand-new ones, you're looking like 20 grand. But if you're looking for an old machine from the seventies and eighties, you can pick them up for well under $1,000. Get them fixed up and the next thing you know you have a treasure in your living room for the rest of your life.

Criselda 00:19:04

But get the okay from your significant other first, right?

Richard Blank 00:19:08

Absolutely. That's my only advice.

Criselda 00:19:12

This has been such a great talk. I've had such a nice time. Before we go, one final question. So is there any last words of advice for our audience that you can give about, you talked earlier about finding balance and I love that. See my, at the age I'm at now, all I want is just peace and balance, and that's, again with this podcast. That is why I'm doing this. Because I remember what it was like to be in my twenties and even in my thirties and trying to learn how to conquer myself and, you know, with all the all the, you know, thoughts that I had and all, all the emotions that I, that I was dealing with. And, and now I don't know if, if a part of it is just age or after just so many years, just finally realizing, there's things that don't matter as much as what I thought they did. And all I want now is just to be in a peaceful, balanced state. How have you accomplished that?

Richard Blank 00:20:32

That fortune favors the brave. You have to be brave to at least start by looking in the mirror because a lot of people can't even look at themselves. And I mentioned earlier, making a bed, well, that's self-respect and there's something symbolic to that. I'm not going to lecture people, but I always believe in physiological. So maybe exercise and a proper diet and rest. But I don't want to sound like a television commercial, but if you're hungover, if you're tired, if you haven't eaten, you're eating bad food. These things can affect a day. And I'm getting older. I got to be very sensitive what I'm eating these days. I can't put down a whole pizza. I'll try, but you know you're going to pay for it. But you brought up a good point too. You should be shedding some skin and you should be separating piles and putting things away. And we only have so much time now and a lot of the time you waste time. You might have bit your nails, but then at the end of the day, something bad didn't happen. Fear is a morbid anticipation of something that hasn't happened yet. And there were so many times in the past you might have been apprehensive, or you did not do something because of that fear. And then you realize you were way off. And so, for me, I'm almost willing to, if you've ever had your tarot cards read, there's a special card called, The Fool. And this is an individual that is smelling a rose and walking off a cliff with the sun in its face. It's not really a fool. It's just someone that's living life beautifully that way. Remember, we only get 100 years. Regardless, you're going to die one day. And this fool is willing to live such a beautiful life of roses and sunshine and his head in the clouds of happiness that he's not worried about some of these pitfalls. Now, mind you, the fool could always look down and realize to step to the right, to the left, or stop walking. But the card only shows the moment prior to either falling off the cliff, still being in that ecstasy, or being in the now. And so, I'm trying to live that powerful wave in balance of on top of the wave, or as some people even say, lucid dreaming, where you're consciously aware of being in the dream and the conscious state. And so, living in the now is still a dream. And so as long as you are there and you're breathing and you're listening and you're putting the phone down and you're asking additional questions, don't be surprised if you don't feel more fulfilled and then you just keep doing that. And as I say, it's much more interesting to know what you know. And being an extrovert, which you are now in abundance, the more that you learn about other people, you will know. And that only enriches life. And that's my only suggestion, is just to keep an open mind, open ears and embrace somebody else's beautiful life journey.

Criselda 00:23:34

Oh, wow. That's beautifully said. I really appreciate that. It's very inspiring.

Richard Blank 00:23:37

That's why you brought me on today, Criselda. Look what you did. You brought the best out of me.

Criselda 00:23:46

Well, thank you so much, Richard, for joining us. I really appreciate it. Where can our audience find you if they want to get to know more about you?

Richard Blank 00:23:56

You can get a ticket and come fly to Costa Rica and visit me. But if they're not doing that today, they can go to my huge Facebook fan page, close to 110,000 people on it. And when this goes live, my audience can't wait to meet you and it will give them a chance to learn the business process outsourcing in Central America, get to see me and what I do. But I can't thank you enough. Carrying on, it's really continuing on. And as I say, I'm not really into second wins. I believe in certain chapters of lives, it's still the same story of someone's development. It's a beautiful thing. Same character, different script. And so, I really enjoyed myself today, and you really did, once again, bring the best out of me.

Criselda 00:24:39

Oh, I'm so glad to hear it. Thank you so much, Richard. It's been a pleasure.

Criselda 00:24:45

Hey, thanks for listening. I appreciate every single person who supports us with downloads and listens and five-star ratings. If you know of anyone who could benefit from these episodes, please share with them. The more listens I can get, the better this podcast fares. In other words, it helps to keep this podcast alive. This episode wraps up Season One. I know, if you were paying attention, you might be thinking, wait, this was Season One? And that's because it wasn't until only a couple of weeks ago when I went back and relabeled all the episodes as Season One so that we can have a small hiatus lasting about four weeks. But we'll still be working during that time to put together some more awesome episodes for your mind, your heart, and your well-being to include interesting, exciting and inspiring interviews for Season Two, so stay tuned to that. Also, I am going to work on setting up an email list so that I can send out periodic newsletters, keep you up to date on when new episodes come out, or keep you posted on any other noteworthy topics. So, if you're interested in keeping up to date on what's going on in Criselda-land, please visit carryonwithcriselda.com to sign up. There might even be a freebie in it for you. I said might. If I can get it going, it'll be there. Lastly, do visit me on Twitter at c-o-w-c underscore podcast (cowc_podcast) and say hello. As of right now, that is my only social handle, but I will soon be expanding on that front too. I'm thinking Facebook and/or Instagram. We'll see. Do take care of yourself. Journal, meditate, practice deep breathing. Don't give up on anything you're working toward. Remember, you are not alone, and you are worth it. And be sure to laugh today. Until Season Two, carry on.