Building a Business: Depth Over Illusion.

Better Business Better Life Podcast. Episode #61. The Costa Rica success story with Richard Blank Welcome to another episode of Better Business Better Life. I’m your host, Deborah Chantry Taylor. I’m passionate about helping entrepreneurs and their leadership teams get what they want out of business and life. So good morning, and welcome to another episode of Better Business better life. Today I’m joined by the delightful Richard Blank, who is a CEO of the Costa Rica’s call center. And we’ve just been having a wee chat before we came on live today. And just hearing a bit about Rich’s background, it’s absolutely fascinating. So I can’t wait for him to share his stories with you. Richard, welcome. On the show, I invite successful business owners and expert speakers to share their successes. They are open and honest about the highs and lows of business and also life as a business owner. We want to share those learnings with you to inspire you, but also to help you avoid some of the common mistakes. My hope is that you take something from each of these short episodes that you can put into action to help you get what you want, not only out of your business, but also your life. Quite a story with many twists and turns...At the beginning of the new millennium, a 27 year old Mr. Blank relocated to Costa Rica to train over 5000 employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. After 4 years, he decided to stay in Central America and dared himself to keep the faith in starting a call center company with the new skills acquired while living abroad. CCC celebrated its 14th year on February 6th, 2022. Building a Business: Depth Over Illusion Nothing's ever a smooth ride. Maybe one single business that starts in fifth gear on cruise control. But I knew that I had the foundation ethically, morally, and with the experience that at least the odds were in my favor. Now, when I first started, I launched my website October 4th of 2007. February 6th of 2008, I landed my first account. It was one seat for 50 hours. I could have overextended myself, rented some space, did the whole bells and whistles to make that impression, but it didn't make much sense to me. That wasn't the sort of image that I was trying to do. It was like the old Western towns. If you walk behind the front of the building, you see it's just a stand. There's nothing behind there. I didn't want to be a billboard cutout. I wanted to have depth. https://youtu.be/5CiL0N8wnmg https://youtu.be/nuTEPsCFWbY Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008. Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, entered into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business along side other famous alumni. Paying it forward to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level. https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/ #DeborahChantryTaylor #BetterBusinessBetterLifePodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO

Finding Strength in Setbacks But, you know, no one ever wants a setback. But here's the positive that came out of it. First is I got to judge myself during chaos. And I really liked my composure and how I handled myself. I'm a real person. You have emotions, but I didn't lose it. I was able to stand tall with that. Secondly, it was almost like seeing if I was a one trick pony. But no, lightning did strike twice. True to Oneself and Setting Realistic Goals I was dipping my toe in the water a lot before 27 choosing to come here. So it just really wasn't on a whim. The opportunity was, but the preparation was always in momentum since I was 18 years old. So that's number one. And number two, I always believe about being true to oneself. The worst thing you could ever do is not look in your own eyes in the mirror. Now, I won't be a professional golfer. There are certain things that you have to be realistic with. I can't be a rock star. But if you set out certain small goals and you can accomplish those, then you can easily master other levels. And even though some people might have not taken your path, it doesn't mean it's a wrong path. It's just, it's not their path. And as long as your intentions are honorable and you're not hurting anybody, you're being responsible with your family and finances. Hiring Philosophy: Fresh Talent vs. Experience That's a great question. Well, first is I like to address their second language capacities. Anybody that speaks a second language to me bears the mark of higher education. Secondly, I don't need someone, Deborah, that has call center experience. I can always teach them a CRM and a phone system. That could be done in like 20 minutes. But how about someone that has never worked at a center before with skills? You and I can mold them. They can be our squire to the night. And they're not coming in with bad habits. They're not a jumper. They're not a cancer. Because if you bring in someone that is exceptionally talented, it's almost like a mercenary. They're not loyal to a single flag. They will just go to the next place that will pay them more. The Power of Human Interaction I think we should put our phones down, Deborah, and look at each other for having lunch and talk. Like people used to do and enjoy those sort of experiences. You might be here, but your mind is elsewhere. And these are the sort of, I guess, muscle memory and skillsets that once again, if people have, they could be the incredible individuals that are bridging groups of people together and resolving issues and not letting things get escalated or out of hand in regards to emotional situations with family or friends. And really just once again, finding their composure. So when they do give a delivery and they make their case that it's representing themselves in the best light. And we try to do the same here, ma'am, at this call center. Building a Unique Company Culture Yeah, that's fantastic. And I know that you were saying before, you've got about 150 staff at the moment in the call centre, it can grow up to 300. And you actually know most of them by name, you spend time with them. And tell us a little bit about the special room that you've got there. I know everybody's by name. It's like a car wash. They have to go through my section if they're working at the ball center. And it usually happens on the first day, Deborah, before they take a single phone call or even go into the training room for soft skills and product training. I bring them into my free play arcade. I'm an avid collector of American pinball machines, jukeboxes, and retro arcade machines. And gamification is very important for my environment. It reduces attrition. It builds friendships. People can let off steam, recharge batteries and hang out with me, Deborah, in a neutral environment where they can beat the boss in pinball one day. We're having fun instead of just absorbing. Now they're contributing because they really are bonding. And so for me, yes, ma'am, I know everybody's name. And when they come here, I try to break bread with them. Besides what COVID did, which caused a lot of the agents to work from home, and we can talk about that later, while they are here, when I am with them, I will make sure to walk the road stop and not just say, Deborah, you're doing a great job. I literally have listened to a call or I'm there at the moment and give you that sort of positive feedback about your rebuttals, a positive escalation, your tone are just sounding amazing on the phone. And I'll do it in front of everybody. And you might say to me, well, Richard, you're the only boss who does it. And I go first, that's a shame. And second ever, the reality is I might be the last one that ever does it unless I'm the last boss you ever have. And you start doing it as your company culture and tradition. Empathy and Self-Discovery Perfect. We're going to hear a little bit more about that in a moment. Just in terms of, I always like to ask my guests around their professional and personal bests, just so that listeners can get a bit of a sense of who you are. So what would you say are your personal and professional bests? Well, my professional best is showing empathy towards those that work with me. When I was at my friend's center, I understood dignity and how people felt about themselves and Sometimes people, not just in call centers, Debra, but any industry could feel like a number expendable, just grinding out their time. And I believe that the way to get the best out of somebody is to motivate them and to invest in those individuals and find ways to promote and to delegate. So it was very easy for me to start this company in regards to compassion. I hired professionals in IT, HR, accounting and law But I was really more focused on the soft skills, the onboarding, the training and building relationships with people. That's my professional side. Now, on my personal side, I'm almost 50 years old. So I'm really looking back at my 18 year old self. I made that commitment to take that forced march and sometimes alone because as a dreamer Deborah you might not be able to compare notes with your friends and family and the last thing I wanted was a Debbie Downer in my life telling me I couldn't do it and it's the sort of thing that people may love you and support you but they may not understand you and you and I were on vision quests We had spiritual life journeys. I was being responsible. I had good intentions and good faith. But I also realized that there were certain things that I needed to do to have a fulfilled life. My good friend, I really didn't want to live somebody else's life. I was really looking to live my own life. And so those are the sort of two accomplishments that I could share today. Pursuing Passion with Preparation And I just wanted to continue being a nomad and this sort of passion that we have in our blood to go somewhere that might be calling us. I was responsible about it. I did my due diligence. I was dipping my toe in the water a lot before 27 choosing to come here. So it just really wasn't on a whim. The opportunity was, but the preparation was always in momentum since I was 18 years old. So that's number one. And number two, I always believe about being true to oneself. The worst thing you could ever do is not look in your own eyes in the mirror.