Latest / Glovisor Podcast / He Left Philly at 27 and Built a Call Center Business in Costa Rica | Richard Blank [Ep 70]

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He Left Philly at 27 and Built a Call Center Business in Costa Rica | Richard Blank [Ep 70] · Glovisor Podcast

• Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Nobody tells you what it really takes to leave everything behind and start over in another country. Welcome to the Globisor Podcast, where we explore business growth, communication, and personal development through real conversations with people that make an impact. Our guest took a long shot at 27, leaving Philadelphia to start a company from scratch in Costa Rica. Since 2008, he has grown that company to 150 employees and trained more than 10,000. thousand telemarketers proving that old school grit and people skills can accomplish anything. And he's a classic pinball collector. Glovisor welcomes Richard Blank. Hey Rich. Richard Blank: How you doing, Joe? Great to be with you and your audience. Can't wait to share some ideas and my journey of twists and turns that got me here today. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Well, okay, so let's start right away. I want to find out what makes a twenty seven year old pick up and leave Philly and go to Costa Rica. Richard Blank: Joe, everyone wants their hero's journey. You gotta leave a castle to slay a dragon, save a princess, and become a prince. But it just wasn't the thing that was on a dime. I was building on momentum. I was a Spanish major in college. It's my favorite class in high school. And ever since I was a little boy, the greatest thing I did outside the classroom was learn Spanish. It was dedicated practice. And so getting that reinforcement when I was like eight or nine years old and just building on it when that opportunity came, the one in a million opportunity, one of the best ages you could be at your life, 27. It was a perfect time to shed some skin, have a coming-of-age moment, and live. And so I took it. And it was only supposed to be for 60 days. I was supposed to just teach English at my friend's center, have a little bit of fun, come home. Now I anchored. Planted some roots, fell in love, and learned the business from the inside out. And then in my mid 30s, I had some time and a little bit of capital, and then decided to throw my hat in the ring. I had maturity in bulk control. And at that stage, it was the perfect time for me to then begin to where I am now, you know, on my 18th year. It's pretty incredible to run. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: once you moved there and you s you kind of infused yourself into this business and started learning about it, whi Richard Blank: Yes. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: which role were you at that moment that sort of got you into this business that you're in today? Richard Blank: Great podcast, my man. That's a wonderful question. I had luxury. I was friends with the owner of the call center. It's my buddy. And he allowed me in the course of four years to learn his business from the inside out. So initially I was teaching English, and then I just hung out in the retention department, customer support. He had a lead generation department, human resources, accounting. Learn the labor laws. But the department that I gravitated towards most was the SEO online promotion. I felt that was kind of cool back in 2000. And secondly, the training. I look at it like this. Most people just run plays, but you always got to put the wild card and the zig and the zag in life. And my training it had its structure. These are English second language Costa Ricans, but I added them a little bit of flair. attitude, the Philly style, and some vocabulary that would allow them to bridge and connect with people. Plus my classes were fun. And so after training, as you say, 10,000 people, you see patterns and you do it purely from fidelity. You're not forced to do it. And that was the best part of me when I started my company, I knew I was able to do that. But that was my graduate school, Joe. I got to learn things, but here's the most valuable thing that I got. It was almost like undercover boss. For those four years, I got to listen to that good, the bad, and the happy and the sad. I got to hear the gripes and when people were excited. And so I took that knowledge to the when I became a CEO and used that for strategy and for reinforcement and for a good foundation of just caring about people. Most people felt like numbers inexpendable. These are real people making and receiving phone calls. It's one of the most challenging jobs you could have if you're a professional. So if you extend a little bit of something to Take a breather like a boxer every now and again, you earn their respect and and they stick along with you. But it's extremely lucrative and you could grow a company very fast if you're capable. my challenge, my friend, is that I compete with some of the larger centers here, such as Amazon, HP, Intel, Oracle, you name it. And so we we all fight for that talent. So if you can have something a little bit different, a spring in your step, you can naturally filter the labor pool and the dirty dozen and that kid with all that potential and the one person that needs a mentor, they'll come to you and they'll they'll be some of the best coworkers you could ever have. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Now, will you be able to share maybe an example of what type of telemarketing your company conducts today? Richard Blank: Sure. I know what you're thinking. The Wolf of Wall Street, ABC, Glengarry, Glenn Ross, the prime gig. We don't do those. And that's Hollywood glamorizing Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Ha ha Richard Blank: it. What do we do? A lot of our campaigns are inbound customer support. One of my clients does movies and music. We do outbound touching base in regards to a travel company. And so these are things that A, we can fulfill the client's needs. It's something that I can find the right profile for it. But most phone calls, if you think about it, what a great old school way to touch base with somebody, kind of like what you and I are doing face to face. I know we're not sitting next to each other, but this isn't through non-voice. We're not chatting or emailing or sending a text. And so these artists of speech that can reach out to clients to get a referral to Retain them, get an upsell. And worst case scenario, an exit interview to find out what we need to do to improve. That's priceless. And a lot more companies are automated or they're using AI, and I get it. AI is excellent for gathering. Let them do the heavy lifting. But it's guys like you and I, Joe, that need to be all on the phone with our clients holding their hands and walking that ball into the end zone. I believe that that's the highest class service you can provide somebody and there's still value in my industry. It's just changing. And so when you're asking me this simple question, I got you, pal, everyone's received phone calls before and sometimes you've had to make them. What would you do in that situation? Rhetoric, we look at your tone, we look at your pacing, we look at your pausing, we look at tie-down and confirmation clarifying questions. There's strategy as a transitional sentence to move to the next checkpoint. And if you take a 10-minute conversation as 30, you know, 30-second, 20-30-second checkpoints. You can easily control a conversation so you get the conversion or you get the understanding and some sort of at least a fair play. And when you've mastered these skills, which you have, you're a wonderful speaker. It's amazing how you can build relationships and listen to people and Make such an impression, Joe, that ten years from now they still remember you. That's one of the greatest compliments you could ever do. And so that's what I'm trying to do is just pay it forward, my friend, and assist this next generation. Those are the sort of calls we make and receive, if that makes any sort of sense. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: That's great. Now, with all of these elements that you just mentioned, I felt like I got a little lost and I felt that I was talking to the CIA psychological department because it I feel that there's a lot more psychology to what you're doing than just making a phone call. Richard Blank: No. Say Joe. I'm using a name drop. ABC. Does that make sense? I just want to make sure that it's crystal clear Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Yeah. Richard Blank: and you get it. But then you go, Richard, what is ABC? Okay, Joe, I'm glad you brought that up. ABC is one, two, three. May we move forward, or do you have any more time? These are just very simple ways to ensure that it's there's a rhythm there, there's an understanding, and there's a checkpoint. A lot of the times I suggest to repeat what you're saying so you don't have to repeat it again. And you get it that I get it, and let's just answer it five different ways if I have to until you get it. And then you maybe move forward. Or I'm glad you brought that up. And you know what? These are transitions to keep the rhythm going. And with any, as I mentioned, tie-down questions. Just could you see using this with your company? Can you see the savings? Can you see the difference? You're comparing apples to people, and you're doing it a lot of the times non-visually. So my suggestion for individuals is to remove your taste, touch, and smell, to take your hearing and expand it by two. And using the strategy of image streaming to make your vocabulary more colorful, descriptive. Don't just say, How can I help you? No, Joe Ma Man, how may I lend a hand? Well, I just double score some visual of lending a hand. And so when people are in the now and they're tapping into these advanced speaking skills, which is just clarity and delight. Use a thesaurus, find additional descriptive assimiles to certain words that don't sound juicy or could produce an ego defense. What a beautiful thing to do. You complimented how I dressed to hear, well, this is how I speak. When you are speaking with somebody, you don't need profanity to make your point or slang if you want to. But if you use choice vocabulary, that's appropriate for the moment, not offensive, but Compliment somebody or diffuse some sort of situation, then you are an incredible speaker. And don't be ashamed of that dance. And most people will be envious of it because they weren't prepared at that moment like you were. And it doesn't need to be rehearsed. Some of the greatest speakers speak from the heart, they have sincerity. So what comes out is right at the moment, it's telling you that I love you. And you know that I mean it. And so My friend, if I can make these breakthroughs to people that work with me or your amazing audience at your company, then I've done my job. That's why I'm here. And it's not any sort of rocket science, it's a little bit of mentalism and just some lucidity and just being in the now and seeing patterns. That's all you gotta do, brother. And if you do that, there'll definitely be some more fun times in your life. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: who is the ideal client that you work with currently? And then once those clients come in, are you the person who writes these scripts? Richard Blank: I love clients that have no surprises. I'm willing to take something if it's above my weight class. Everyone's got a wrestle shoot one day, but you you gotta at least put me on a level playing field and give me certain resources. If I need to write a script, then we can do like Lennon and McCartney. I'll just go back and forth. I'll use things that have worked in other verticals. I'll make certain suggestions so we won't seem too aggressive. Or Joe, I won't compromise the ethics, values, and morals of the agents working here. I'm not the fall guy. This isn't the Multis Falcon. And so there's certain things that I gotta make sure there's a really good, healthy balance with all the parties involved. But then I also have some clients that have unrealistic expectations. Either it's a pilot campaign and they think that they're gonna make a million dollars in the first day. And I've also had clients tell me that there's a person named Jasmine at the corporate office that can do 15 in an hour. But it doesn't make sense when you look at the metrics. The average talk time is five minutes. So I I'm always there entertaining ideas and propositions. And we're very selective what we take. It's not that I don't want to do business with you. I gotta make sure these kids can do it. And that ethically I feel okay offering it to the Costa Ricans here. To work on your projects. And so, but I enjoyed the script writing. I always believe in a simple composition, the introduction and a body and a conclusion. I gotcha. And the ending could be great. The bulk in the middle could be perfect, juicy. Guess what? If you don't land the intro, none of that stuff even matters. So instead of carrying so much weight mentally that most of these agents do on new projects, worrying about the middle, worrying about the end, the confirmation of the email and the appointment. And don't do that. Just focus on the first 30 seconds of the call. Because if you can land the introduction by maybe doing a company name spike, getting all excited about the name of your company and your podcast or Using a positive escalation, complimenting Judy before she transfers me to you, Joe. I'll do it verbally and I'll also do it in writing. So when I call you back next week as it gets a hero's welcome, I do it Judy. You make nice, you make friends, And you reduce their defense 'cause they're black and blue from so many terrible phone calls, people that are disrespectful. And have no idea that this most loyal employee of yours is the one answering the phone. And so once I put that into perspective, I put all my juice into that first 30 seconds. Because once we do that, then I don't have to worry about the rest of the call, because you're not gonna hang And so I just, it's very nice for someone to walk across a dance floor and ask someone to dance. That's where all these legends are made from, and movies are done. And so if I can teach somebody to have enough guts to handle that pressure to walk across the floor and do this, then you have the greatest life. In my generation, we used to have to call people's homes and ask their parents permission to speak to you. And so imagine that's what a butterflies when you're in fifth grade asking someone to the roller party. You know, but does that build And confidence because your intentions are honorable. So that is the sort of psychology mindset that I give people when they're working with me, making calls, is just a snapshot focus on the introduction, Joe. Because if not you're gonna get lost in what's ahead. You know, it just doesn't work that way. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Now how does it compare starting a business in US and starting a company in Costa Rica? Richard Blank: Well, I was very realistic. I couldn't go to school for all these degrees or put in ten years for the expertise. And so through certain recommendations and contacts, I was able to build a team with attorneys, accountants, chief technical officers, human resource directors, security, things like that, individuals that could represent my company and deal with the local Costa Rican government, because I'll not do it. And I had two corporations, one in the United States, one in Costa Rica, both paid taxes and both just did their business. Was it complicated? There was a couple more things I had to set up. Was it advantageous? Of course. Our price was much better than the United States. And so I could compete. Our proximity to the United States made it realistic. I'm on mountain time zone. And somebody in Miami could be here in a couple hours. There's tons of direct flights. There's a very large expatriate population here in Costa Rica. So it made it very easy for us to become accustomed to the North American culture from all the tourist and just local interactions that we've had. So for me, the labor pool was at the right place at the right time. You know, we are the most expensive in Central America, but we also have the best infrastructure in a democratic. society here and so I felt safe and it was as you say the temperature was just right and so for starting it here I as I mentioned I learned it from the inside out and when I started at 35 I just had to hire the C level to assist me. and also I didn't overextend. Since I'm in a call center I started renting turnkey stations at a blended center like an internet cafe. After having stable clients for a couple years and some capital, I rented space. And in my industry, there's a lot of turnover of call centers. There's nothing wrong with buying a Dell computer that's only been used for a week. So I was avoiding import tax and high cost at certain stores and just picking up row after row computers, chairs, monitors at a fraction of the cost. So being conservative, I was able to scale. Accordingly, and then after six years of that, and almost busting out of the seams of this one place I was renting, we purchased a building and put on a third floor. And here's the best part, Joe. I always wanted art and deco, neon lights, and marquees. So I made it look like a 1920s theater on the outside. Yeah, you know, why Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Ha ha ha Richard Blank: not? And so I said, if you're ever gonna do it once. And so, What an interesting journey of the game of life. You start in a tent, you end up in a mansion. And so I'm very happy with my responsibility in regards to the finances. And I never took out a mortgage or had an overaggressive or desperate business partner. I acted my wage. And I think if somebody does that and has savings for rainy days, they can. you know, withstand the setbacks which any company has to go through and so wasn't glamorous the whole time, but boxers get back up and so I had to get back up twice in this eighteen years and I did. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: makes you who you are today. Richard Blank: I have less hair, but yes. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Now could you share a case study that shows the measurable results that your work creates? Richard Blank: absolutely. Let's just say for an example, it's the inbound customer support movies and music campaign. It's almost like the Columbia House where you could get ten CDs for a penny. the average demographic is fifty five plus female and they get these big books and they call us up with their accounts and just start ordering. We're on our fifteenth year with this client and he's one of my best friends as well. It's also a client that comes to visit once a year, which in all of my years here, only 20% of clients come to Costa Rica. So imagine that sort of bonding and relationship and respect that individual gets with his crew that he's seen for over a decade. Why is this a good campaign? Because the attrition on this project is the lowest. We mostly lose people, Joe, through natural attrition. Let's just say they have to move to the United States or a family emergency, or their boyfriend or girlfriend works at Amazon, they have to go. Or let's just say the schedule is is better for their university. And sometimes even if they have skills, they can find positions that pay more money. It's just the name of the game. But as I mentioned, my two female supervisors have been there since day one. We have people on that campaign that are well over ten years on it. And it's amazing where the market speaks. If someone is happy, like a bird with an open cage, comes and goes as it pleases, but it loves you, so it's definitely coming back. And so that's the most humbling thing, Joe. That they just don't leave you after the next payroll. They're with you year after year. And there's at a certain point Sure, I'm their boss and I cut the checks, but you look at somebody differently, and I'm not gonna say the word family, but it's the kind of thing where if I may share, if they s ask me for something, they can have anything. They wanted a new desk, a new chair, which they never asked for, but I always offered and did. And Let's say for their training classes. They want candy. Man, I'm just not bringing one bag. You know, we're going to Sam's Club. I'm gonna get you that fifty dollar bag of goodies. And whatever they want, they get extra. No immediately. They don't have to ask twice. Then they realize that any sort of time they need a vacation or a special day off or something, guaranteed. And so you know what it does, my man. There's no fear there that some people have of business owners. You've been through so many years together and so many good times. There's a certain point you're not afraid of each other. You wave high and you wish well and you say, What more can I do for you? And they know it. And so I hope your audience can build that sort of rapport and synergy with their crew. Because there is a certain point when you're at Nirvana, you can't get any higher. It's you realize that they got your back. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Yeah, sounds like a great relationship. Now, Richard, if I am a small business and I've never done any outbound calling, but I want to scale and I think it's time for me to do that. Is that someone that you would like to talk to and that you would be able to assist them in the process? And if so, what would be the step by step process of setting that up? Richard Blank: The most important thing is the ammunition. Where are you getting your list? I I don't supply the list for the clients. So I gotta make sure it's scrubbed to the DNC that it's qualified. At least we get certain categories like a name, an email, address, phone number, position, website, something. And so just to make it easier for the agent to be able to relate. We start as small as one seat. Why not? Of course, you have to see the setbacks of something like that. There's no Apple's comparison. What happens if Billy gets hit by a bus? We don't, it's not a blended center. My suggestion for people: if they're gonna do the minimum, try three agents for three months. Why? Because you have odd man outs. Because you have one person you don't know two, it's the apples. But a third, you see the pattern. Same thing with the third month from a onboarding ramp up list, revising time. So it's a slight investment in a process for those that have some sort of a budget, then reduce the sort of stuff so you can have more time to fix it. But if you have a lot, then do three agents to be able to really get out there quick and give you some feedback. But I prefer customer support because there's a larger labor pool and less stress. When it comes to outbound lead generation, your leads better be very good. And it's the kind of thing where that's a smaller group of people. And if I may be forthright with you, it's almost like a mercenary, really. I mean, their their skills are so incredible. They know they're marketable, they have tons of options. So they look around. And if they can find a place where the fish is plenty and it's easy to get, they'll stay there. But if it's stretched to make that kind of money compared to another place, they'll just leave. And they'll get hired immediately. And so I'm always weary of someone like that. I might put one of them in a crew, but I'm afraid he might take some people if he leaves. You gotta be careful of people like that. I'd rather have this, Joe. The kid that comes, let's say, from private school with perfect English. He's 18, 19 years old, never had a job before. But I can teach you the CRM and the headset. But I can mold you like a squire to a night. So you don't have bad habits. You're not gonna be a cancer. And I've seen some of those people that might take a little bit longer to get accustomed to it because it's they're not used to working and the sort of structure and consistency. Give them couple weeks. Once they get the hang of it, they come from behind, match, and then exceed and stay. And when you start giving them additional responsibilities or have them sit in within certain meetings to understand why decisions are made, that's a real mentorship. I get knock on doors all the time and they go, I remember four years ago when you sat me in this meeting, you explained why something happened. Man, that changed my life when you said that. So that's the sort of feedback I get from the agents, realizing that those little side dishes are the ones that they remember most. And no one ever took the time to do that. And so that's how you earn the respect of the people when you're not expecting it and you don't need anything in return. They see that's real and that's raw. And so that's how I set up accounts for people. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Yeah, that's a lot more than just the regular education. Richard Blank: Because if I I if I can't get people to be excited to make the calls for you or to believe in what you're doing, we're nowhere. So the beginning is so essential, Joe, that everyone is on the same page. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: going back to that, you you mentioned that it is ideal and I can see why, because you can train a young person who just graduated, who's ready, and now because they haven't really been, I guess, jaded for lack of better word, it's you you can mold them in that way and make the ideal individual an employee. How long does that take though to make that happen? Richard Blank: You ever see those basketball players like Kevin Garnett that go straight from high school into the pros? I love seeing those things. They are so advanced in their skills. All they need is just a little bit of structure and some guidance from a coach and understanding the plays. But I've seen people with such skills or their personality is so incredible. It's it's shining. They're beautiful people. They just are just the nicest people. So you take that flower child sort of feel, and you just it's a little rough around the edges, you just put it into another mold. And so you you take all these different personalities that you do not want to remove, and you adjust them accordingly so they fit. Like the Justice League, each one has their own superpowers. I'm not gonna take that away. But I have to teach you how to move forward in this sort of structure to look left and right and and bring the sheep home. And so but how fun to see, as I mentioned before in the call, breakthroughs and shedding of skin of people. How long does it take? It's it's all depends on you, brother. And I can't hit the ball and drag you all day long, Joe. There's gotta be Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Yeah. Richard Blank: a certain time where you stop saying I'm getting stressed or I'm not paying attention. The scripts in front of you, they can't see you. Read with conviction. Take breaths. Speak to Joe naturally. You know, just don't say Joe. Go Joe, like I do, you know. And I go, just Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Ha ha ha. Richard Blank: enjoy yourself. And then you want to hear the best advice. This is this is where I I circle everything into how I make these calls. I believe in a romantic death. I stressed the introduction. So let's just say hypothetically you do hang up on me in the first thirty seconds. Well how did I sound? Was I cowering in the corner and begging and trying to scratch you? Might have my chest out there and go, my man, Joe, Glovisor how are you doing today? You know, let's just say. So if anything of nothing, you jump clouds, you you gave it your all. Even if it was that's thirty seconds is a lot of time in life. So if you do it a hundred times a day. So por lo Menos, at least, what are you gonna get out of it? I didn't say I'm getting an appointment making money or anything. Me. But if I'm the soldier that's out there and I'm touching base with 200 Joes a day, that are in the midst of their day, or possibly having a secretary filtering those calls, how do you how do you have that long march mindset? Where does that endurance come from for the later rounds? Well, breath by breath, punch by punch, round by round. And so for me, I realized in the beginning that it was almost like a long bow. My calls weren't 30 seconds. Sometimes they lasted about two minutes. Still got hung up. But I rode the wave. And so I go, what is Richard Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Yeah. Richard Blank: doing to extend my average talk time compared to the 50 other people making calls in the same room? I realized that soft skills in bedside manner go a long way. And so Glovisor of course. It's the name of your podcast. It should be the first thing said. How are you today? It's anonymity. You don't know who I am yet, but I know you. And I said the name of your podcast better than you did. And so most of the time the secretaries or the owners will give me a positive reinforcement instead of saying, How'd you get my name? Take me off your list. I'm not buying anything, don't call her again. Am I favorite? F you, Joe. No. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Yeah. Richard Blank: They usually say from a ten to a six in defense, who is this? So I I'm gauging this reinforcement. And then I'll save Richard Blank. So I haven't mentioned my company yet. And it's the double dip. And the six turns to a four. And they go, Who is Richard Blank? Gotcha. So now I can properly introduce myself and do a fair play. I'm not saying good afternoon. I speak to the owner. Hi, sir. Say the name of Joe's company first. Snap him out of it. He's gonna ask who you are. And Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Ha ha ha. Richard Blank: that's just where you begin. And and I realized that it was such a better first step. I had better positioning from the jump start like a runner. I positioned myself better, like a three-point shooter or a hockey goalie. I believe in balance. Joe. And a lot of telemarketers are looking left and right or whatever. And when the phone picks up, they're they're Jagged. But for me, I had a plan. It was a reaction. I could easily say the name of your company as the first thing just to get it out there and to reset myself and go. And so it helped me, my brother. And so it made the calls much nicer. compliment was you know usually don't take these calls six minutes later well you just did it's a great compliment anyway does that make any sort of sense it's not just Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Ha ha ha. Richard Blank: as easy as give me a script and a list you there's a lot of spirituality and energy that's put into these things Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: it sure does. Wow. But I have the most important question. Let's w forget about everything we've talked about thus far. Let's talk about the important stuff. How did you start collecting pinball machines? Richard Blank: Well, I grew up in the seventies and eighties and the arcades were the greatest place to be. And Pinball Machine I always felt was out of my league. If you didn't know how to play it, that that twenty-five cents went like this while asteroids lasted an hour. Arcades are going out of business. These kids are preferring their PC gaming with their friends or just the handhelds, which I completely understand. And even the games that I Don't really know because I'm a retro gamer like these fighting games today. People just aren't even playing them. And so here I'd look at the marketplace and Craigslist and I'd see these places going out of business with some guy in a bodega have some machines. And me, my buddies, Tommy, Billy, and Joey, grab that truck with a wad full of 20s, drive a couple hours, and buy these machines. And I know what you're thinking, yeah, but they're 40 years old. Do they work? Sometimes. But a lot of the stuff was corroded or just wasn't working. And so for me, I would just replace some of the CPUs and the boards that were behind the marquee. They weren't expensive. A hundred bucks, up to three hundred bucks. But if you replace all of the machine usually turns on. And the only thing you're changing are a few wires that you might need to solder in and a couple of light bulbs, but The restoration of these gorgeous machines. And if Joey, if you ask me, my favorite decades, the nineteen seventy electromechanical machines, with the wheel and the bells and the contacts. I love the marquee art. I love the play field which was still painted, so you sometimes see cracks. It's not a laminate. side art of the machine. What beautiful, beautiful, beautiful treasurers. And so I currently own thirteen. Four of them are from the seventies. But man, when I'm watching old movies and they're showing a bar, or like let's say the Warriors when they're down in the subway, I'm looking at these machines, I'm pausing it. You know, I'm in love with that stuff. But my pure passion, my man, that's makes me happy and You know, at least I'm giving the agents an experience they've never seen before or at least something to talk about. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: So you're displaying these at the office? Richard Blank: I have two. I have a at the office we have a game room where we had an air hockey table, a couple fighting machines, a ski machine, alpine racer, and a bunch of pitball. And I got my private collection at home. And so you know what's cool, Joe, when you see somebody laugh, you see a different side of them. Not that I'm teasing you, you're laughing because you're having fun playing a game. And also not just being their boss, there's a chance for them to interact with me through a happy medium. Or they can even compete against me and talk to me where I'm they're not in office intimidated. And sometimes people fall in love in the game room because it's a chance for them to play together and hang out. And so for me I felt like that was the icing of my call center cake. I could always pay you and put you on a project and have you make and receive phone calls. But the fact that we have a really cool game room and machines that you might never see in your whole life and you know, filtering out for the people that like to play. So you're just not sitting in a corner looking at Instagram by yourself or having a cigarette outside. I tried to create an environment where people from different departments got to know each other and it worked. So yes, it was very important for me to build that arcade at the call center. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: what would you say is the most important takeaway that you want listeners to remember from today's conversation? Richard Blank: First that I'm a happy guest. Not a great time, and they all should submit the application to spend some time with Joe. Besides that, of course. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Love it. Richard Blank: And you know, how hard it was for me to get on this podcast. It wasn't easy to make this cut, but I did. I'm very happy to be here. My main I say this on every podcast. I just don't want you or your audience to be hard on yourself. There's some weight that you just do not need to carry. And you should look at yourself in the mirror a certain way. I'm not gonna sound like your mother, but make your bed. There's some sort of spirituality behind that, and people are proud of that. It's a great way to start the day and show self-respect. If you're capable of working out, I highly recommend that because it reduces stress, makes you feel great. And try to eat well. 'Cause you're talking about major players that are watching your podcast right now with tons of responsibility and and need to go the distance. Well, you're not any good if you get sick. You don't feel good. You you need a release. And I'm not proud of people that are always busy and don't have time. You should have that balance, man. But just being hard on yourself. w when you put your head on your pillow, you should have clean thoughts. You should be able to rest. It's much easier said than done. But these were the sort of things that was part of my long-term plan, Joe, that regardless of the chaos that was around me, that I always stuck with. And it seemed to, besides the bruises and the scars, I made it through. And so but there's a lot of people along the way that I have to thank. From the teachers and principals that wrote me a college recommendation letter, to the hockey coaches that, you know, told me to toughen up when you're a kid and getting slapshots hit at you. good family members that believed in you but also challenged you, your ideas and made you back it up. And just my friends that were just really inspirational. When they were on their own journeys, but I could see the vigor. Very nice to surround yourself with people that have direction. Even if it's completely opposite of what you're doing, the best thing you can say is, Go, Joe, go. You're my man. Me today, you tomorrow. And so these are the sort of selfless ways that I encourage people to live beautiful lives. And it's very nice for me to have that sort of energy that I try to share. And so I can't thank you enough. I I hope that through some of my expanded rhetoric and storytelling that I was able to make a couple points. But it's Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Mm-hmm. Richard Blank: sincere, man. I wasn't scripted today. You said we weren't scripted. And so everything I say was sincere because I feel very comfortable with you, Joe. You're my friend. And I think you always get the best out of your guests. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: thank you. And likewise, you're definitely made it to the list of my favorite guests, for sure. And great advice, by the way. Richard Blank: Yeah. Thanks, brother. I appreciate that. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: So where can people connect with you and and continue this conversation? Richard Blank: Well, it's becoming the fall, so when it gets too cold wherever some people are, they should buy a plane ticket and fly to Costa Rica. That's number one. But if they want to they wanna find me, just go to Costa Rica's Callcenter dot com. Today I'm not selling a book. I wanna have a seminar, and most people are afraid of telemarketers. But if you call me up and you go, Hey, I heard you're friends with Joe. I want to share an idea with you, I'd love to hear it. And if any advice I can give it'd be wonderful, but That's how you find me, Joe. That's where I'm at. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Excellent. Now Richard, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate your time and the value you shared today. Richard Blank: The pleasure was all mine. Joe Abreu - GLOVISOR.com: Thanks everyone for listening. If this episode inspired you, make sure you share it with someone who needs it. And don't forget to follow the Glovisor Podcast for more conversations that make an impact. Till the next time.