Beyond Business: Richard Blank on Creating Community and Connections

Rich Bennett 0:00
Thanks for joining the conversation where we explore the stories and experiences that shape our world. I'm your host, Rich Bennett. And today we're joined by Richard Blank, CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center. Richard's notable background includes a degree in communication in Spanish and a proficiency certificate from the University of Seville, Spain. He made a significant career move at 27, relocating to Costa Rica to train over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers known for his unique motivational techniques and collection of American pinball machines and antique jukeboxes. Richard integrates gamification into his business culture. He's a respected keynote speaker, a 2023 Business Hall of Fame inductee and actively supports education through scholarships. A 2023 Business Hall of Fame inductee. So you're in now right. 

Richard Blank 1:00
For my alma mater in Northeast Philadelphia. Abington High School. Yes, I am in there. 

Rich Bennett 1:06
So you're in the Business Hall of Fame. Congratulations. That is awesome. 

Richard Blank 1:11
Thank you. Anyone that knows Philadelphia knows old school calls the greatest thing ever. The fact that I got that sort of respect is incredible, but I have a second language scholarship for graduating senior that wants to study languages at university level, and I pay it forward. I mean, if it weren't for that school and my best friends in the world and just growing up with the greatest people, I don't know if I'd be here today. They write in me and got me where I need to be. 

Rich Bennett 1:39
All right. So before we get to why you moved to Costa Rica, you're you're Philly. Philly born and raised. Right. So growing up in Philly. Mm hmm. When you went when you were going to high school, what was it that you actually wanted to do when you when you finished high school or college or whatever? Because I know a lot of people end up they don't do what they wanted to do. 

Richard Blank 2:02
That's an excellent question. That's why you have the best conversations, Rich. 

Rich Bennett 2:07
Well, thanks to. 

Richard Blank 2:08
All of my friends who are either going to college to get into the NFL. I had a few, but most of them were going Ivy League. They were going to be doctors. They were going to be attorneys, architects, engineers. And for me, I didn't have the structure, discipline, maturity, nor the grades. But my favorite class was Spanish. So I decided just to follow my passion so it didn't feel like such a forced march. The last four years of my education, I can't be in this box. It would almost feel like a Sunday night pressure brownies that I'm going to college. Yeah. And so I found out that the university of Arizona had a wonderful language program that also included a year in Spain. And so I got recommendations from my Spanish teacher and my principal, which offset my grades. But it was tough to compare notes. And my my family gave me some pressure. There's career expectations. Scholastic 

expectations. And so what do you do? And you're so young. So how do you make such a decision when there are so many paths that are in front of you for you to choose and you getting pushed everywhere? Right. It's got to start touching me. Let me let me breathe for a second. And so I decided to die with my boots on. I knew that if I was going to have a hero's journey and leave a castle, I got to do it on my terms because if not, I wouldn't have the leverage nor the advantage, because you can have the education, you can have the cash behind you. But if you don't have the passion, the fidelity towards something, you're not going to go the distance. That's not the long play. And so at least at the end of the day, my friend Rich, I knew I could live with myself if I decided to double, triple and quadruple down on a second language and just see where that would go. Little did I know that he opened so many doors. 

Rich Bennett 4:02
Wow. You know what? You're you're 100% correct there, too, because now you may not know it looking at me now because I don't have the beard. But yeah, I play Santa in December. A friend of mine does it professionally at the malls, and I found out through him if he spoke another language, Spanish or whatever he would get paid even more. 

When I say more, I'm talking about like a jukebox more. But it's amazing. And I remember when I was back in high school, I didn't take language. I kicked myself in the ass for that. Now, like, God, if I would have learned Spanish, French or anything, Oh my God, the differences it would have made, especially when I was in the I.T. field or even so in cars. 

It's like, now I understand in Y in high school, that's one of the things they always told you to do. You should take another or, you know, learn a second language. And we're seeing that now, especially here in the United States, you know, because a lot of the places you go to, some of the languages you're hearing are either Spanish or not necessarily Chinese, I want to say probably more 

Korean or Japanese than anything. 

But if you if you know, of course, you need to lead, I guess I could always learn it, you know. 

Richard Blank 5:39
Of course. So, yeah, I believe that. It's just a concentrated practice in basic grammar for about six months, and then the rest is just vocabulary. But let's be realistic here, okay? This. This is why I decided to do this first and foremost. Mm hmm. When I was growing up, I was very fortunate. I parents that like to travel, and so I got a chance to go to Mexico a few times and, oh, enjoying the vacation? I'd come back with about 20 vocabulary words. Now, it wasn't the parlor trick for my parents or it's kind of cute kind of thing. When I had the opportunity to meet someone from the Latino community and even though I didn't have advanced grammar but they saw such passion, I got reinforcement. I got this sort. Of hotline. Tap on the head, okay, now go play kind of thing. They're like, Hey, kid, I see that you got balance and you enjoy this. And so they would give me an extra word or they would teach me something that would assist. And so it didn't hurt. And it didn't go away. And I could move at a pace and all the world was a stage. And so I just didn't have to devote a Sunday to something or four nights a week or drive a half an hour. I mean, this is the kind of thing where if I wanted to drink it, it's there. And then right to certain levels. By interning for Telemundo during college, I worked for free. I did promotions in public relations. Check this out. There were so nice to me. Jay Carney hooked me up big time. I got a chance to work with Miguel Quintana, and during the nineties he was the head news guy at Telemundo in Los Angeles and a gentleman by the name of Pedro Sevcik, which had a talk show out of Florida. And when they would come to to saw in our small little Tucson and I. Have my Telemundo shirt on. I'm in college. At the time, so I'm all buff and I had hair and everything. With my intermediate Spanish. They loved me as was hanging around. I was like a sidekick. I was his ace. He was carried his tennis racket at the one event, you know. But I saw. I saw how there was such sincere love that not only the audience had because it's his culture and the language. But the appreciation. On and off camera and taking his time and remembering things. And so I learned that if you ever have a position of of leverage or of importance, so where people gravitate towards you, that might be one. And, you know, it could be your 100th time doing it that day, but that's the one in a million for. Them to really. Take that experience. So you could then plant that seed and they can say. Hey, Pedro is the nicest guy ever. You don't get a hundred new fans. And so the guy had a both of them, all of them. That worked at Telemundo and Tucson had such class and respect and courtesy. And I, I also learned about second place. Oh, yeah, you're supposed to accept a second plate of food. And they're definitely. Going to be like, Oh, okay. So because yo, Richard, if you're ever in the Latino market and you're invited to eat, you better. Eat and you better accept their food. And so I might have been a little late or rushing to a second appointment or I had to make these future appointments a little flexible with some buffer room because there might. Be a buffet in that buffer room, might get fed. And so that was one of the. Greatest things ever that happened to me. Post-grad. When I was making sales in Southwest Phoenix, I was always getting hired, which I think is the most form of respect between people. Oh yeah, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 9:21
Yeah. And I love to eat. I 

say, Are Ivy. 

Oh, my God, you were in Mexico eatin good old, you know, that cuisine down there, which is a lot different than what you get up here, isn't it? 

Richard Blank 9:38
Of course it is. And you know, Costa Rica once again. I mean, every country has flair and fit and flavor, but here we have exotic fruit and it's incredible how tasty the fresh seafood is. 

And, you know, it's rainforest, so everything's just growing. And so when I go to these farmers market, if you think about it, there is no transportation. It's just an hour away to get there. It's not like right on ship and frozen. And so if you want to, my friend, live an exceptionally healthy lifestyle that's really within your budget, you can eat very well here and decrease any sort of ailments that you have because it is a Pura vida lifestyle, it is pure life. It is shedding skin of the old and trying to do the new. You can't bring your baggage here. It's just not going to work. And just by default you won't fit in. Yeah. And so you need to sometimes let go of that weight rich. In order to rise. You know. 

Rich Bennett 10:46
Actually, what was it that made you decide to especially at 27, which is still pretty young What was it that made you decide that to, you know, pack up and move to Costa Rica? 

Richard Blank 11:00
Parents guilt. 

Really, if you can get past your parents guilt, you can live. Anywhere in the world. You know that expression about the barn door being open? Yeah. How many songs and poems and movies have been written about that? Once in a lifetime. Eminem sings about it. Raps about it. Mm. I mean, how many times do you need someone to smack you in the face? Six times, Like a stooge movie. Yo, yo, yo, Richard Riches. And so I. Realized that stars can become aligned and this wasn't on a whim. I was building up the momentum to this of dedicating my career for this. And I said, All right, champ, let's see if you can swim with the big boys. Let's go Division one. Go abroad and see if you can really do this. Now, I did when I was a junior in college. I lived in Spain for a year, which was excellent, and now we do a whole different podcast on that experience. But man, I was prepared, I was ready. I was in my late twenties, I was bold, I was brave. And fortune favors the brave, you know that. Yeah. And so I wanted to slay a dragon to save the princess and become a frickin prince. And I knew that I didn't take this. I would regret it for the rest of my life. And so sometimes you have to make selfish decisions, But it's not selfish where you take more pizza. I was being selfish in regards to expectations. I was turning. The pyramid around. It wasn't the case. It was the point to the back. Allow me to. Start this thing and then we'll see where the balance is and where we go. And so I had to make a lot of those hero journey decisions of going one and doing it myself. And little by little I shaved some fat, I got some steam behind me. And that's one of the greatest reasons why I was inducted into this Hall of Fame, because it's not from a large donation. Or. Being in the NFL, which I do think is incredible. I was this really interesting Zig and Zag story that was a second language that was not an honor student and just went to the University of Arizona and obviously had the best time for five years. So what do you want from me? I really be. Straight up and transparent and let you know it wasn't easy. You got to go 15 rounds and there's a lot of grind to it. And you have to be responsible, mature and have impulse control and stop acting like a child. Yeah. And that maybe that was the second answer on why it was 27, because I wasn't ready at 18. It needed percentage of my life to do to take this in a different stage. Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 13:46
Book. Why Costa Rica? Why not somewhere else? What was it that about Costa Rica that just drew you to it? 

Richard Blank 13:54
My cousin was here and one of my. 

Rich Bennett 13:56
Got a real college. 

Richard Blank 13:57
Had a call center here, and they said, Richie, come down for a couple of months and teach English at my center. So I was in between jobs and I, you know, put my stuff in storage and came here. And I mentioned shedding skin earlier. This is this you mentioned coming of age moments. It's not beating up the bully behind the gym in seventh grade. You can have a coming of age moments at any stage of your life. Yeah. And this one, to me, everything seemed brighter and tasted better. And I was in love. I was in love with life. I married the girl of my dreams. Here I'm out of Costa Rica. We've been together. I met her six months in. So think about. That. Wow. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Tropical girl. Rock on. You got to love it. And so it had to be done. It needed painting, rich. It couldn't be a print. I just couldn't go through that life of just looking like a brick in the wall. I wanted my own painting and I was willing to go for it. And it's kind of gutsy, but, you know, that's what life's all. 

Rich Bennett 14:58
You got to take risk. 

Richard Blank 14:59
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 15:00
You know, because, you know, one of the things you don't want to do is in the future, just look and say, Wow, maybe I could have done that. No, do it. If it doesn't work out. It's like in the book, Move on to the next chapter, you know? 

Richard Blank 15:19
That's right. 

Rich Bennett 15:20
And here You been there, would you say 20 years? 

Richard Blank 15:23
I've been in Costa Rica for almost 24 years. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 15:28
24 to 24 years. Still don't look a day over 27. And here it is. You, you you're the CEO of the Costa Rica's call center, right? It's something we talked about before we even started recorded. 

Probably one of the most amazing guest I have had on yet because of the things you collect, which just blows me the hell away. Yeah, we were told before you start record, everybody that knows me knows I love music and I've always wanted an old jukebox. What made you decide to start collecting jukeboxes? 

Richard Blank 16:12
Why wouldn't you? And at least some of the most beautiful art that could be created. It's furniture. It's an art. Yeah. It represents eras. And think about the thousands of people that danced and fell in love in front of them and the records that were played. It's really history. 

Rich Bennett 16:28
Stories. 

Richard Blank 16:29
The fact that they're preserved. This beauty behind me is a classic 1961 recall of Regis. I know your favorite. You love Wurlitzer as I have a 1964. I love those both 20. I mean these here's the skinny. You can buy them in mint condition minus a functioning motor. Now, if you get the motor, the price just goes through the roof. But if you want. But. You can find a beautiful marquee glass keys, the shebang, and just put in a Bluetooth or an amp three. And next thing you know, you'll both eventually you can fix it. But during that time you could turn around and it looks beautiful in the middle of your living room hair and one man's trash is another man's treasure. And once I started growing, my business had the space. You know, my discretionary income is my income. And so I would go to treasure hunting. I would collect pinball machines, jukeboxes, retro arcade machines, air hockey tables. And so gamification is important for me. I like this happy medium. We can let off steam, recharge batteries, make friends and I've seen it really reduce attrition and allow the people to see me in a different light. I might be your boss, but I'm also the coolest boss. I have a cool game room here with classic machines as old as 1970. They're playing on some old Bally's pinball machines, and it's an experience that virtually does not match and it's just a great place to hang out. Instead of having a cigarette or on their phone looking at Instagram. 

Rich Bennett 18:02
Do they even make pinball machines anymore? 

Richard Blank 18:04
Sure. Do they? Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 18:07
Oh, they do. Okay. Oh, no. I haven't even seen an arcade in God Knows how long. But I mean, pinball was always my favorite game. I love playing. 

Richard Blank 18:15
Pinball. Everyone's in Arizona. They're star fighters. They have over 100 pinball machines there. And so the machines today can, if they're so custom made, 20 grand if you want. And a lot of them that are known like KISS for an example, or Evel Knievel or or something. Oh, my. Fans and stuff like that, they go for top dollar. But if you're looking for a no name machine from a certain decade of, let's say, the seventies and eighties, they're exceptionally easy to fix compared to the newer ones which have more. More. Computer, more plaque as you know, more of the tablets. And for some crazy reason, the old school wiring from the seventies just does not give out. Yeah, but you also have the beauty. 

Rich Bennett 18:59
Because it's not all those damn computer chips and everything. 

Richard Blank 19:02
Correct. And they last and they're easier to fix and they really are works of art and they're fun to play and yeah, such open play fields. And if you get the older ones where they painted the wood compared to the laminate. Or the. Or the stickers, you really get a choice part of history. But I love them, I love restoring them. And there are certain places you can buy parts for less than a dollar, and there are professional electricians that can follow manuals. And even though they've never worked on a machine before, can figure it out. And then you just looking over your shoulder, figure that out. So when Billy's not with us, I can lift the machine and twist it. Now she's working again. So it's always like a free class on how to fix a flipper, how to fix a bumper, how to change a light when, when, when, when a wire becomes loose. I mean, duct tape goes a long way. I mean. I can almost here. 

Rich Bennett 19:54
It'll hold a nice car together. 

Richard Blank 19:56
But these machines. Can be repaired on the fly. About 70% of be work you call the guy. But most of the time you guys can can fix the parts there. Oh, but what a passion. And if you are going to go get a machine, you'll be the most popular cat in the neighborhood. 

Rich Bennett 20:11
I think I'm going to have to ask you, what's your favorite one to play now? 

Richard Blank 20:16
That's terrible to say because I love them all. I know. At the moment it's my 1971 Bally's Expressway. Because that involved. An incredible game. With the weather. Yeah. But then again, you know, my newest game is a 1994 daddy is Arnold Schwarzenegger, our last action hero, sitting right next to a Williams NBA fast break, which is a 95 or 89 mouse around Bally's machine. You know, these things are incredible. I mean, 

it just all depends and it depends on your taste. For me, I like a slower play and I like open play fields and easier targets. And I love the artwork from the seventies, but 

yeah, man, I got them and I preserve them. And there's a product called Wild Cat 125 that you put on the surface as well, which preserves it unless the balls run fast, so you're not going to ruin them. And that's what they need. They need a better home that they're currently in. So go on. eBay and go buy one of. Them. 

Rich Bennett 21:24
So is there I have to ask you this now, Richard. I mean, with the jukeboxes, how many total do you have? 

Richard Blank 21:31
I have six jukeboxes. Six. 

Rich Bennett 21:34
And as far as the arcade, I'm just going to say arcade games because it's pinball and everything else. How many of those do you have? 

Richard Blank 21:41
I've converted. I had an Ultimate Fighter and and killer instinct machine that I put these Mame machines in to give them 10,000 games each. But I do have an Alpine racer two ski machine, which is ironic because we're. 

Rich Bennett 21:56
Oh, come. 

Richard Blank 21:57
On, man. It's pretty cool. Yeah. And I bought a second monitor and a CPU off eBay to back it up just in case because it's a beautiful machine. I bought an original in. Wow. Which is wonderful market there. And so I converted her as well. And so more games for people. You know they. Just don't want to just play one Pac-Man they Yeah so you got to give them the games and and I've given out so many I also bought a dynamo air hockey table in 96 or that I painted flyers colors. So that's in the training room, which actually I was able to sell my wife on because we don't have furniture there to put the papers, you know, when there's classes and stuff. Yeah, it's just for the time that, well, Verizon's the whatever. All I know is I needed. To find a place in the call center to put a huge air hockey table that wouldn't disturb. The second or third floor. So the training room is perfect. That's what you do. 

Rich Bennett 22:56
So is there any particular jukebox or game that you want to give that you haven't gotten yet? 

Richard Blank 23:03
Oh, 

that would be a tough call. I guess. To me it would be an original Asteroids machine if I could get one of those. Oh, wow. Huh. So I've beat you, I, I would probably go super old school like that. Why Asteroids? I mean, there's so many that I love. I mean, you love your missile command and paper boy and tempest and trumpet. 

Rich Bennett 23:26
It was one of the first. Yeah. 

Richard Blank 23:28
I mean, what do you how do you choose? You're insulting the rest. 

Rich Bennett 23:30
But yeah. 

Richard Blank 23:32
I do know that Ricky Schroeder had a game room in Silver Spoons, and I was pretty upset that I said, Yeah, I want one of those. And so I had to get it. 

Rich Bennett 23:40
And his father came around on the train and read the train. 

Richard Blank 23:43
Just give me a pinball on a few machines. But. But I tell you, they're showing up less and less. 

Rich Bennett 23:52
Because you're buying them all. 

Richard Blank 23:54
Yeah, but now that you do. Fine or in such bad condition, they're eaten up by termites. Or they're just so destroyed. That if I leave the. Whole market off and the rest just has to go. But yeah, it is a small market here in Costa Rica and there's a few collectors and we all know each other and respect one another. 

Rich Bennett 24:11
But so all the ones that you had there, you actually found increased? 

Richard Blank 24:16
That is 100% correct. I mean this one 1958 Seaburg. I mean, I mean, she's a beauty. What do you do? And when you find them. In the back of a bodega with boxes on top of them, you want to scream at the guy, but you know, he'll probably charge you more. So you keep finding faults in them. No faults you can fix. Each light bulb. Yeah, that's two bucks. But I'm going to charge on 20. Come on, man. I'm only kidding. But the point of the matter is they're going to better homes. I believe in electromagnetic energy from people, from energy, from things. And I think that these machines give me energy, and they're happy, and I love it. 

Rich Bennett 24:57
You said you had what you said, the air hockey table, but are any other 

jukeboxes or games at the call center as well? 

Richard Blank 25:06
I had to give away a few. All right. Okay. I gave away an area 51, you know, maximum hazard game, which is, wow. 

Rich Bennett 25:16
You know, the. 

Richard Blank 25:17
Shooting game. And then I had a police trainer game and that was fun. Another shooting game. And then I also had a Capcom versus Marvel game now. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I also have to be realistic. I'll take a machine, but I bought this from an arcade, so the guy got an actual stand, which is great. It's almost like an. Enterprise in a thing. And it. Had the largest screen with extra speaker doors if you just had one rock. On, dude, I had four huge machines. And so where do you do? What do you do? Yeah, cable. And you keep trying to find spaces for them. And so little by. Little, you know, I just kept giving them to people and hoping to have a good home. But what do you do? 

Rich Bennett 26:07
But I bet the people at the call center loved you, man. Yeah. Hey, we're going to take a break and play air hockey. You know, go do this. I think it would keep morale up. 

Richard Blank 26:16
Well, that's the guarantee. But what it does like Willy Wonka, when you walk into the grave, the grey building, and it looks like it's another job of of rowing the slave ship, you walk through an arcade before you go upstairs and make phone calls. You see bells and whistles and happy. You see recess and you see someone that loves me, loves you and loves this environment. And so through natural selection, when we're bringing people in because I'm 150 strong, I want to bring in thousand kids. It's those that like the games. It's someone that can turn a piece of paper over etch and give me that coming of age moment in their lives when they beat up a bully or saved a cat. I'm going to hire them. And I love hiring people without experience because they're a squire to a knight. They have no bad habits. We can mold them. Come on. You know all about those big brother sort of movies. And so it's very easy for me to build an army of just incredibly cool cats that like to hang out together, work well together, feed off of the synergy. This is the greatest filter for me. If you don't think that's cool, you don't belong here. Sorry. Yeah, that's just part of our culture and our environment here. You got a boogie woogie from time to time. 

Rich Bennett 27:30
Well, I mean, with 

God, some of the places I worked that I guarantee if they had stuff like that in the break room or whatever, 

I think, number one, it would improve improved work work ethic, especially the way people were working. 

I think people would look forward to going to work. 

Richard Blank 27:55
Sure. 

Rich Bennett 27:57
It could be fortunate, it could be unfortunate, but some people may not want to leave work as well, But I think they can, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think with the games there and especially being a call center, they could learn a lot from it. Am I correct? 

Richard Blank 28:14
You are so smart. Absolutely. And that's why I really respect the painter, the guitarist, the mechanic, somebody that can do things and work their brain differently because it's everything's art. And so by having that hand-eye coordination and naturally the enjoyment of the of the lights and the bells and the box and bumpers and things. Yes. Instead of going cold, instead of icing a kicker, someone is in that game room for 15 minutes working different parts of their brain to work on their hand-eye coordination and especially their timing just takes one second to win or lose a battle. And so then they take those not only fresh but advanced skills and go upstairs with the five people they were hanging out with cheering each other on. And now they got bodies. Now they're back on the phone and now they're really winning rounds. And so to answer your question, sure, it reduces stress that people have outside of the office that they bring here that we don't know about and they need a release. And instead of that cigarette or going to eat for hot dogs, someone could do this. And it allows them to lower temperatures and bring in distract. 

Rich Bennett 29:33
Right. 

Richard Blank 29:34
Because it's not me pulling that answer. All of you are standing next to you, breathing down your neck, saying you like playing games with your boss, right? I've had people come to me go, Yo, ma'am, just like you say, I've stayed an extra bit of time or I reduce my lunch time to play an extra game, or I've realized that I'm having a great time. And I met a few people from other accounts because I was here and I get it. And I go, Finally someone gets out of my madness and I don't care. I'm still willing on the dance in the rain and I'm right. And to do my circles and I get one shot at this. You and I spoke about the 100 years we're going to have this run. And if I'm going to do it, I'm not going to be offensive. But by all means, I'm going to create something. I want to put something out there that hopefully people can receive and elevate themselves and 

I've been very fortunate to have this journey. Yeah. And it's very humbling because I'm a guest in this country 3000 miles away from you and my mother. And by showing good faith and exposing vulnerability, which makes you powerful, I show people my true essence. And I was accepted and someone fell in love with me and married me. And I've had people work with me over a decade and I've 

by excessive amount of games that a lot of people don't understand why I have to. Make money or. Whatever. But guess what? I don't worry about it. And I'm willing to click my heels and have just another wonderful day, my friend. And that's what life's all about. And I don't want people to be too hard on themselves. I think a lot of your focus is natural. It has to be with weight. It's got to come not from the heart where you have that sort of rocky in you. It's behind you, in you and forward of you. It's all in one. And that's that's the most important thing. And for me, my friend, I saw the signs that tells. 

Rich Bennett 31:36
Yes. 

Richard Blank 31:37
At such an early age that I decided to hold on to the tale of that and see where it took me. And this is why we're here today. 

Rich Bennett 31:45
Yeah, people love going to work there, don't they? 

Richard Blank 31:49
You're talking about a call center. Absolutely not. What do. 

Rich Bennett 31:52
You do? I would. I would think. 

Richard Blank 31:55
No, I'm not going to lie. They love it. Oh, no. 

Rich Bennett 31:59
I was going to say I would think so. But from my time in the I.T. field work and help desk, 

if you were there and you were, I would love going to work every day. 

Richard Blank 32:10
Let's say. Let's call it as it is. Let's let's let's have black and white balls and strikes. This vacation pays more than most. I'm willing to do something, stand on my feet compared to sit down if I can earn triple. And for individuals that are getting a return on investment from their university education and I think that's incredible. Do they have a slight accent? Sure they do. But it bears the mark of higher education. It's a beauty mark. Look, I'm Ricardo Montalban from Fantasy Island. That was the man. And so do they like it? Did I like it when someone is calling frustrated and you're trying to retain a client because they're shipping didn't come on time for someone's trying to hammer you down on the commission or they're rushing you on the phone, or just inadvertently, they just say f you because they're having a bad Wednesday. I mean, it's just Yeah. So these people from time to time take a hard one in the chin. It's not like you're working at a chocolate store. It smells good and tastes good. It's it's not like Disney. A call center environment if you have the soft skills, can elevate you with such incredible 

conversation, interpersonal skills where you will make more money, have more friends, have better conflict management skills that people are coming at, you would be much more diplomatic and strategic, kind of like generals of armies and and marine raiders and individuals that know the right thing to say at the right time to defuse situations, reset tone. So I'm working among linguists and specialists that expand on their vocabulary to prolong conversations and reduce any sort of rabbit holes. And, you know, like the word help will replace it with guide, assist, lend a hand. Not excuse my clarification. We use military alphabet, things like that. Simple things to reduce conflict. But do they like it? Well. Kind of like me. I did it. And not only did I not get destroyed, I thrived like Gladiator. And then I became my own, you know, warrior king of call center when I should have been burnt out or just hated it. And Glengarry Glen Ross did. But I said. Oh, wow, I'm going to do. This differently If I ever get a chance of leverage in being a leader, I'm going to have the structure and discipline to get you there. But instead of salt, I'm going to use sugar, but also recess, because that was the best until sixth grade. And I'm definitely going to put game fun, play, laugh, reducing barriers, showing certain sides of you. When you see a puppy, people change their voices. Well, let me see how you laugh when you're when you're playing a game. Let me see a giggle. So we can tease each other and they make super good friends. And then and then everybody. Is really cool. Like it was back in the day. And 

wow, that's why it works. 

Rich Bennett 35:11
I love it. I love it with with the call center. 

Richard Blank 35:14
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 35:15
Because this just this just fascinates me. And I will never talk to somebody that is collector like you never talked to anybody from a call center. 

Richard Blank 35:26
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 35:27
But like I said, I've worked to help desk before in the I.T. field. And I know and it seems like I even had Beth when I went in for the interview. They told me the reason they want to me, one of the reasons they wanted me was to diffuse a lot of the problems because I just had a way of, I guess, talking to people without threatening them. I don't know. Does. Yeah, yeah, I agree with that because yeah, you're going to get yelled at, but you got to figure out how to 

do. I give my wife credit because she still does it. She works for the state and she gets calls all the time. 

Richard Blank 36:05
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 36:06
You got to learn how to diffuse the problem. Yes. Because we it some money for those of you that call call centers. I want you to listen to this very carefully. When you call it you're yelling at somebody trying to get something resolved. Chances are you're not going to get it resolved if you talk to them like a human being and explain it to them, you're going to get it. And correct me if I'm wrong, Richard, but you're going to get it resolved a lot quicker because you're talking to them like a human being, not like somebody that, you know, lowered it. Yeah, I've always said this. There's only two people that I only allowed to yell at me. Well, three people, my mother and my father. I can't them as well. My parents and and my drill instructor when I was in basic training. That's it. Nobody else. No. Never tried to yell at me. So yeah. When I worked at. Yeah I would you know, you learn to diffuse the problem and if you're quick at it, you're going to resolve it a lot faster. 

Richard Blank 37:16
Well, semper fi. My. And I've also realized that there's three different types of fighting I can punch, I can block or I can sway. Mm. I'm going to sway. I'm going to do the Ali, I'm going to let you gas out because if you hang up, it's done. I'm not going to let you cross certain lines where you're saying F-you to my mother. That's a warning and a hang up and lets that come out. No one needs that. But let's just say someone is yelling and they're interrupting. We hold on because you're thinking you're losing and they're not getting something. Let's let me tell you how a CEO of a call center thinks about this. Depending on the situation, if it's a brand new client, existing client referral, who knows? But let's say it's somebody 

if they don't cross the line, they gas out. You're down 1 to 3 spaces. Okay, whatever. And that's when you're going to gain back 20 because they're going to feel so ashamed of how they spoke to you because you kept your composure. Okay. You're not going to get her from the minus five to a zero to a plus five. That's going to take some time. Right. But let's let's stop, drop and roll for a second. Richard. Let you gas out. No more ammo. You're tired. You've been running up hills. Like you do You buy me? Do me just sweat? Yeah. Sway, sway, sway. And take note. 

Rich Bennett 38:45
I like that. 

Richard Blank 38:46
Sway And take down sway and take notes. Then they calm down. In my experience, six out of ten, though. Apologize. Then they'll usually do it later. You probably get about 2%. That just will never do it. But you'll get you. Get something there. So now you're at zero again. You take that they just evened out. They have no points with you yet. They evened out. They got. It. They got a mulligan. Hmm. So then you knowing this, because they showed that you first. Say. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I understand your position. Rettew Allow me a moment to make right now. I just I'm taking you and then I get the confirmation from you. You might get the apology. They're still got a 30% holding out on you. Well, that's good. They'll calm down in a minute. And the next thing you know, kind of like a parent that you expect the smack or the scolding actually cleans the milk or like your buddy in the bar, you pay the bill. You clean. His spill and you get the hell out of there so you can go back. Again. And you don't lose face. So now, if you can accomplish this of not letting them lose face, establishing, putting boundaries and your tone and we don't have the time to go over everything now. But I think that there are transitional sentences about saying so you said one, two, three. Is that correct? Yes. Thank you, Richard. Now, the next question is you can you can you can confirm the rest, because I don't want to hear one, two, three anymore. We're done with one, two, three. Richer because you've acknowledged it. Now we bridge to the next island. There are checkpoints you can use. I believe that using people's names are the checkpoints of the end of islands. Does that make sense, Richard Sounds good, right, Richard And then in the middle of sentences, I like to say your are so I can spike and trigger word the personal pronoun to get your attention. And for the shot, that's what you do sight unseen with people. And this was to reduce any sort of repetition. Your checkpoint, and you're slicing and dicing and looking at your clicks and you think, well, Richard, what about a ten minute conversation? That's a great question, Rich Bennett, but I don't see it as 10 minutes. I see there's 20, 32nd conversations. You and I got it over here. That ain't. And one jump. And, you know, well, you've gone at a snail's pace sometimes when you've had to cross grounds and look for double check things and make sure you're all right. You you have such a system and such a structure that it needs to be repeated not only for you to survive, but for you to win because it's been considered superior and I'm not saying that we're manipulating conversations, but my goodness gracious, a lighter bag to bring to the front door is much better than bulking it. And I'd rather take a breath, a bite, a sip and rather not exhaust my entire magazine on you. And I think if I can bob and weave and get a reception from you, I can keep readjusting and move things forward. And so scream at me all day long. And then you're going to wonder why at the end of the month, my friend, that I have 44 cells and you only have 12 because I will take those calls, because those are the ones that are then at the end of the day are going to call their friends that they play and go. I yelled at this young man and he didn't hang up and I felt bad. And then all of a sudden, next thing you know, Betty, Judy and Sal, I go, I heard you were on with Carol. And instead of you saying she yelled at me, go, Carol's the nicest ever. Oh, yeah. You're giving her a positive escalation. You know, everyone really loves you. And the next thing you know, you're getting a cake at Christmas and. And. And you saw that as a negative. While Richard Blank would be the first one to volunteer to take that call out, push you out of the way to get on that call. Hey, young bucks, sit next to me for a second. I'm going to show you my wheelhouse and take you to school. Yeah, but we're only supposed to be on the call for 6 minutes. This one might take ten, but I'm going to show you. I'm going to get five more people out of it. I'm going to retain this client, and she's going to call my manager later today and tell Johnny. Tell Johnny that Richard, save the account is the greatest person you ever have. Next thing you know, I'm getting Peter. And so 

you do this on every call because she's frustrated and. Something happened and. You didn't do it. But you're the one that can give a smile and a hug and make things right. And then you wonder why you get promoted to supervisor manager and trainer. But be careful on those things. My friend and I learned that from the movie Starship Troopers. You don't. Oh, golly, the sergeant should have. Always been a private. Not that he wasn't an incredible individual, but obviously an incredible warrior. And so you kept him on the sidelines. He needed to be there. To capture the monster. You're better off by having this individual with a group so they can see the light of the candle and then expand from. That the flame and move to our right. Compared to one person trying to train. Thousands. That will never work. And you will take the fight out of that lion. Terrible. They got to where they were because they were. They're like chesty. With. Their people. You can't take them away. They need to be with their people. And my way is not sitting on the phone with them. My way is when they're downstairs having chat with them or being in the game room with my wife to serve them upstairs, except a compliment them on on ripping the phone right? You see, my wow brother, this is what got me to where I am today. Come on. And this is the gas in my go go car. 

Rich Bennett 44:32
I have to ask you because I know you well, of course you train everybody there, but do you actually go to other call centers and train people or has other businesses called you to come and train their call center to people in their call centers? 

Richard Blank 44:46
I've had a few times, you know, people are very delicate with their own environments. They think that they have Chinese secrets or something or or they have their top guy, their starting quarterback, big man on campus. And I can't go into that call center and disrupt Billy. I mean, all right. I look up to him. The next thing you know, I'm teaching him certain things that he's quoting from Glengarry Glen Ross and Boiler Room. I can talk about the buffer boomerang technique and phonetic microexpression reading. You really break down how to do these calls. And so I'm not here to flash or to put somebody down. I see people as colleagues and that like to collaborate, and if anybody's willing to pick up a phone and make a call with good intentions, I'm cool with that. I do not respect the environment that does a scam, like a sweepstakes scam or things like that. And so it's interesting. It's like the villain, you know, they as they say in Dr. No, the villain needs to be twice as smart. Well, then you can use that power for good. And I know that you're intelligent and you and you're the mastermind and you're a criminal, and people think that's cool. And that I guess in some certain genres. But you're talking about a skill set and if people are getting on the phone, they could really be making a difference in people's lives in a positive way, but they're enticed by money and I can't hold somebody back, if they work in a certain shop that can pay them 

$10,000 a month in Costa Rica, it's a king's ransom. Right. And what what disappoints me, I can always earn a dollar, but where people will sell their soul for that and you see their and they're really nice kids from a good family or just just really good, you know, little skippy's nice kid. But you see, they're rotten with the bad crowd and they compromise their ethics. And that's not a long term play. You have to look at yourself in the mirror one day. And what happens if you make millions and something else? How are you going to look back on your life during that period of time and realize that you swindle? It's just so the money that you make in the future, you'll never make it right. And that's why we're very selective of the campaigns that come in here. So any calls that I get, some people say, well, if you're the greatest, how come you just don't work straight commission? I don't know, Bob, because you only have 100 leads, and that's not enough to make phone calls. For a whole month. I make money off of it, isn't I? It got to give me something to get to the beach, you know. But you're supposed to be the greatest. Just like you, Bob. 

And so I don't. Take it personal. I think that being a consultant is great where I can talk about their script, their infrastructure's, their resources, the metrics. Maybe I might have a vertical that's similar so I can give advice. I don't like forcing hands. People must feel comfortable doing this. And it's it's not too complicated. It's just virtual mean. They really need someone to sit next to in an office if and that's why that's why I'm okay with the competition. I know that the Philippines and India are a fraction of my cost. And I'll tell you, I lose the majority of my potential accounts on price, not on merit. But when there are certain metrics, for an example, if it's inbound support and you need to be on the phone for a certain amount, I can't double the amount of calls there. But if you're talking about an outbound prospecting lead gen or converting call or retention, maybe a certain soft skill, I am able to do double, triple or quadruple. Then that individual there, that's just carpet bombing. So I try to give certain metrics on what I can produce and maybe just a certain skill set can get you in the cave a little bit further. But that's not the point. The point is if somebody can make a phone call better than my people, they're more glib, they can retain them, they can convert them by all means they earn the account. You can't spin this. These these artists of speech. And it's my favorite art. I respect these these public speakers. And so that's why when you go to these centers, you do see their guy and you see him wielding his sword and his training and his scripts and are they fantastic 

sometimes. But I also it's it's not the trainer that's giving. Sometimes the soldier needs to receive to give the 100%. There might be some things you got to take out of that backpack I don't need on this. Seriously. It's only going to slow me down and so I think that you sometimes need to reduce a script in order to allow to anchoring. You need to have that that marine admiration. Right. And I need to talk about the dog in the background and ask you the breed and how old is your puppy and its name. And then you wonder why you put the dog outside, come back and it's another time we we bond. So if you want to stretch me on on 10 minutes, it might go 12 minutes. I just look at the end of the day results and even if it's not the best day for you, but you work, Sparrow mentoring that day. 

Rich Bennett 50:21
Right? 

Richard Blank 50:21
By asking an additional question, by bringing the wife in to have two people there to try to talk about the dog. I'm more than cool with that. And so this is an individual that is really willing to take in coaching and can be that squire and not just go through the motion. And. Be more lucid, my friend, more observant on these calls. And if you do, I think they find it much more fulfilling and, and they might. Enjoy. Coming to work more. Why right. Is a stretch. Unless you're a rock star something super. Cool man and start telling you that these live are literally are pushing. 

Rich Bennett 51:10
All right Richard when is the book coming out. 

Richard Blank 51:14
It's a challenge. 

Rich Bennett 51:14
You got or you have to write a. 

Richard Blank 51:16
Book. I'm going to write children's books. 

Rich Bennett 51:21
Whoa. Hello? 

Richard Blank 51:23
Yup. And it's going to revolve around Rube Goldberg experiments and many of 

you remember, like, mousetrap, the game, you know, not electric. 

Rich Bennett 51:33
Yeah. 

Richard Blank 51:34
I want things to do on rainy days or where you can't, you know, get a cold crack of code on a computer. I like when things are literally physical in front of you, in your houses are plethora of things to build a mini golf course. And yeah, I'm going to help people do this. And we're going to have an online environment where people are just going to show you what to do. And little by little you can have the greatest Saturday ever. And so we were going to. 

Rich Bennett 52:00
Play mini golf 

and I, I could go for a game of golf. 

You, you just for me there was like, oh, yeah, when I write children's books. 

Richard Blank 52:13
Oh, yeah, what am I going to be writing books. About law firms and. Things? You got to be kidding me. Oh. 

Rich Bennett 52:20
No. I'll be all your all your knowledge because you're also a keynote speaker, right? 

Richard Blank 52:26
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 52:28
So all your knowledge there's so much ingrained in what you've be doing is helping with the call center. Right? But just your I guess you're I don't want to say your philosophy on life, but everything that you're, that you're doing, everything that you have talked about could actually help people in other types of business and not just business either. I want to say self-improvement as well. 

Richard Blank 53:01
It might save a marriage or a Thanksgiving dinner if people calm down for a second and give people, you think, a little space to vent, 

as I mentioned, about vulnerability, if somebody is emotional with you, I think that's a wonderful thing because they care enough to express the worst thing is to be ignored, not loved and even stranger that's calling you. It's still a connection between two people. And as I mentioned before, some of the greatest clients you could ever have and some of the greatest drill instructors you could ever have are the ones that shouted the loudest, maybe curse the most. But they also prepared you to take it and to grow from that where those where you could choose your battles wisely. And I'm not willing to fall on that sword if you're just yelling, of course you're pissed off. The package didn't show up yet. I'd be angry to. Your mom's at the house, I hear in the background. I mean, these are certain things you can use later in the call to anger and and to show respect. And my mother would be upset, too. You heard my mom in the background. I did, Joann, in the beginning, but I just wanted to let you tell me your ideas first before we. Yeah. Your mother. That's so sweet of you, Richard. Would you like to bring your mother on the course? You would like to come on the. Absolute only get your mother on the call right now. And so you wonder why Bill is behind you with coffee. BIRDSONG Here you're on the call for 8 minutes if he ever. Tries to interrupt your groove when you're speaking to the mother of a client on a call, and then you tell the mother how sweet their daughter is, just it's a wonderful. 

Rich Bennett 54:44
Yeah. 

Richard Blank 54:44
You don't kid yourself. I mean, go to that board and ring that bell after that call. And they said, what happened, Richard? To go listen to that call. I had people tell me I'm the greatest ever and apologized like 50 times. And so negatives can always be turned into positives because my bubbles always positive. And if I had more fire than you have your eyes, it will win. Eventually. It will win. I'm not saying it's not a good opponent and I'm not saying they're not going to crack me a couple of times on the chin, but I'm not going to drop there is that sort of thing that once your legs give out and your arms do drop. I don't know what the hell is in people, but they get off of these mountains and cross the deserts and oceans. There is a certain thing that is in you that is not even physical anymore that somehow pushes you forward. And for me, that's never stopped. And it's a nice thing to have that sort of 

anticipation of the beauty of life and good things to come. Even if I don't make $100 today. I had a wonderful day. And that's and that's the most important thing for people. You shouldn't judge yourself on how much money you make on a single day. The most important thing is that you paid it forward in a certain aspect and that you ate well and that you did some sort of exercise. So you can continue to feel good with your body and do something there and and just find your balance, man. And if you can do that, you know, we work out. 

Rich Bennett 56:17
Speaking of paying it forward, and when I read your introduction, there was something in there about scholarships. You offer scholarships. 

Richard Blank 56:27
Just for my own time. I never thought just for a graduate senior Junior college. Yes, I'll pay for their freshman. 

Rich Bennett 56:32
Really? 

For when you're talking about University of Arizona. 

Richard Blank 56:39
Oh, no. Having to in senior high school. Since I graduated there and I was a Spanish major, I went back and I said, if any kids willing to learn a second language and really know it, I'm definitely going to pay for their books. And so I do that. 

Rich Bennett 56:52
So you're still giving back to your to your local community, to your community where you grew up every year. Yeah, I love that. I love that because not everybody doesn't. 

Richard Blank 57:02
Yeah, these are like people in the world. I loved my youth. Now, listen, I'm not wearing my letterman's jacket and pretending like I'm 17, but I'm also realistic. I believe in nature and nurture. I was born there, but I had the chance to grow up there with these individuals and some of the best people I've ever met my entire life. 

Rich Bennett 57:26
How often do you get back home? 

Richard Blank 57:27
I try to get back at least once a year. Okay. And and I stay in the suburbs and I go around Jenkintown where they film The Goldbergs. I grew up around there, too. Oh, I grew up in Rydal. And. And I walk around the town and I go to the Willow Grove Mall and I go, I go on. Why? Because I like the sights and the smells and I like the feel, and I like to dip in and dip out because it it feels great because back in the day when we used to go on vacation to places exotic, and then we'd fly back to Philadelphia and it was cold and rainy. You know, And you looking at. You know, the tank is on the water, you're like, Oh, man. But now, since I live in paradise, when I go back to Philadelphia, I'll go any time of the year. The best, you know. Yeah, that. But I have pride. I love being proud of where I come from and I love being humble and I love letting people know that if it weren't for you, kind of things and I don't know, it's just something where the circle becomes complete and child anymore, but it gives me a chance as an adult to show ambition, to show a certain sort of respect to my grandparents, parents and community that raised me. And so, yeah, man, that is something that I do that that makes me. Very that's awesome. 

Rich Bennett 58:49
That is awesome. It's a I love it when people give back, you know, to especially where they grew up from and even go back and visit. Oh, yeah. I think in all honesty, if you haven't thought about doing this, I think it could be a good idea. 

Starting a podcast for the call center about, you know, just telling stories, because I think there are there's a lot of good stories. Well, you know, there are there's a lot of good stories to tell from the calls coming in at a call center. It's like watching the old dragnet. 

Richard Blank 59:32
We try to keep it family friendly. You know. I don't really share some of those X-rated calls on. Those are the ones that concern me. I know the agents are professional, but I've seen that random bullet that that random weird call that breaks them. I don't know where it comes from, but wow. And so, you know, these calls, you have to be very careful about whom you put where I. I believe in right bust right seat. No certain individuals that can take it a little bit harder than others and others that are able to do things that are non voiced or omnichannel compared to doing that more assertive sort of phone calls and interactions. And so I don't want to force a fit because that also increases attrition. People will quit on something like that. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:26
Right? So what type of business 

is your ideal client for your call center? 

Richard Blank 1:00:37
Someone that is exceptionally open minded. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:42
So it doesn't matter whether it's small business, big business. 

Richard Blank 1:00:46
I like communication. And no surprise because if someone is responding to me in a late manner, then it's difficult to make certain decisions. I don't like overzealous supervisors that like to write you and capital letters and curse or just try to bring some silly chuckle. Go near your culture thinking that it works here and right. It's a delicate combination and I want to make sure that I can win. It's more about fulfilling your needs. Listen, here's the beauty of it. As much as I want the business rich, I don't need to beg, borrow or steal to get it. And I don't need your five seeds, 20 seeds or 100 seeds to pay my lights. So I don't want to make that clear with people. But I also stand my ground firm, right? So in the beginning, it's really about raking just to see if there's things that come up. And not only when things come up, I always judge and you know this as well as appropriateness character during chaos. And this is the first test to see if I push back or if I question something or I ask for clarification, because your list is only 300 numbers. How the hell are we going to work for six months? And so I try to do certain things diplomatically and strategically, to not offend, but to show that once again, this is my wheelhouse and I'd love to share our million dollar bit of advice with you today. Just allow me to talk to me. Stop hiding the script. That's not working for you and blaming the seven other call centers that you don't work with anymore. So how do I how am I going to be lucky? Number eight And you're right with you know, it's tough and angry and so that's when I that I asked certain questions about metrics. Did you have quality assurance? Did you grade the calls? Do you have access to the calls? Did you have access to the dealer who did the training, who did the onboarding? Who did the monitoring? What? You're angry six months later. Nicely done. Well, listen, it's not hitting the ball and dragging Johnny. You got to pace it with me. And if this thing's going to work, it's not about me and you. It's about the ten people we just hired. We don't show them that we are proper leaders. You'll get a mutiny on the bounty, and that's not what we're looking for. I want news that are going to be a band of brothers and go the distance. Not only go to distance, be future leaders. So the next time I see them, they're promoted, right? That's the sort of thing I look for on the trunk. I want branches and routes. I want to delegate. And it's as simple as getting water on time, waking up on time, shining shoes got at the ready, eating your chow. I don't know. But these are the first downs to get your touchdowns. And don't kid yourself. Not only do your your sergeants look at this, put your fellow soldiers and Marines are looking at this. If you're keeping pace and if you're taking the serious and respecting the circle and the sanctity of what we're doing right now, because this is my castle, this is my future and I want to build you up. And we have cancers, we have jumpers. And as much as you respect the mercenary for their skill set, they're also exceptionally dangerous and they're not loyal. And you have to be careful not to. And so these are the sort of things that come and go and me, I have to choose accordingly. And there are wounded warriors. There are people out there that repent or they realize that they'd rather do something good or they all of a sudden have children and their wife is making them go to church and they have daughters and they have to look at them in the eyes. And so they're willing to earn a lot less than what they were doing before, to do the right thing and to pay their taxes and to start trying to build a life. And you hear these stories from time to time and you have to be empathetic for the people. And if you show that sort of sincerity, what happens is like the call that you had mentioned earlier, you might think we go back to steps, but now not only nine steps forward, but this man just cried in my office for 20 minutes. He's not going anywhere. I didn't disrespect him at all. And this is this is a guy that's going to be with me for the next five years because I was real with you. And you get tested and hopefully you make the right decisions. Just just extend empathy to the people. Please do not reduce their dignity. And if you do that, you'll have some of the greatest people working with you. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:24
So if people need your services or just want to, you know, get in contact with you about find out more about jukeboxes or pinball machines, how did they get in touch with you? 

Richard Blank 1:05:37
They need to buy a ticket and fly down to the central America paradise, Costa Rica. Oh, yeah. And also, I have. A very large Facebook fan page. So when this goes live, we have 126,000 people there. You're going to get a ton of new fans in Central America. And real quick for your audience, we are in north of Panama and south of Nicaragua. Costa Rica is the only democratic society in Central America, so there's no standing army here. They put all of that money back into education. So we have a 95% literacy rate. You want to hear my competition? Wow. Listen to this. You got Amazon, HP, Intel and Oracle. They're here. Okay. And so we have the best infrastructure and people come here for eco and medical tourism. But I can't thank you enough. I had the best time and I hope I was able to share some ideas with your audience. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:33
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, God, I, I, I need to come to Costa Rica now. 

Richard Blank 1:06:42
We can do the second podcast here. Richie boy, get down here. Well, I would love read you. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:48
You know, I went a heartbeat. I'll let you know after February. I'm flying in February for the first time since 95 or 96. So. 

Richard Blank 1:06:56
Well, I tell you what, my friend. I have so many suggestions to make that instead of going footloose, fancy free and like a drunken soldier or your accountant, handy is on the corner. Right? We can make this exceptionally economical and I can custom make it for you. So you let me know what sort of side projects you like. Ziplining. You know, the quads or sea clothes, horseback riding, the waterfalls, surfing, Massage is on the beach. I don't know what you want to do. Let me know what you want to do. And I'll definitely give you a VIP trip. I'll definitely make this thing perfect for you. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:35
You're on. I will definitely get in touch with you. 

Richard Blank 1:07:38
My man. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:39
One one last question for you. I love to ask everybody this, and I don't even know if you've have you been on a lot of interviews. 

Richard Blank 1:07:48
Pushing about 200 so far? 

Rich Bennett 1:07:50
Really? Oh, good. Then this question, this question is perfect. Out of all the interviews you've had, is there anything that a host has never asked you that you wish they would have asked you? And if so, what would be that question? What would be your answer? 

Richard Blank 1:08:07
What my favorite food is. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:10
I can't believe I didn't. Is that holy crap. 

Richard Blank 1:08:12
That you want to ask. My as I ask my favorite color, But no one's ever asked on a single podcast yet. My favorite food. They talk about the food in Costa Rica and other things. But just in regards to my own bio, they've never asked. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:27
What is your favorite. 

Richard Blank 1:08:28
Food? Never going to guess Philly cheesesteak. That's in the top five. But calm down, my friend. I'm going to give you a hint. First, let you guess. And then do you eat sushi? Oh, yeah. All right, ma'am. What do you think's one of the most exotic things on that menu? 

Rich Bennett 1:08:48
On a sushi menu? 

Oh, God, 

Pufferfish. 

Richard Blank 1:09:02
Very close. And I. That's a great answer. By the way. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:06
I have heard that in Japan, as I said, that that's. 

Richard Blank 1:09:09
And you know what? That's actually probably the most correct answer. I like uni with quails Egg. Yeah, the sea urchin. They're really wicked good. Oh, man. Wow. It's so tough to find. And if I can find it, I'm pretty much eating it the whole night. I love it. I'll take it any way they want to. Give it to me. It is. And especially if it's super fresh. If it's super fresh right out of that bamboo box. Now it is. Delicious things you could over eat my friend, and eat it slowly. You can go. Oh, yeah, I mean, that's fine. But the texture and the. Flavor. Is so unique and delicious. Is that like a whole, let's say, role that you have? You know, you could do it. In certain bites and still get the same sort of effect because it just blasts you. It's like pop rocks. Remember back in the day when you tried. That, Oh God, I'm not just. Like Pop rocks, but you know, you're on to something. When you try ooni with Quails Egg. You're on to something. Devon and Neil. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:18
I'm. Wow, 

I've never heard of that. They see now we're going to have to go. I'm got to figure out where I can find this. Probably only in Costa Rica, right? 

Richard Blank 1:10:30
I can't get it down here. Last time I got it in Dallas, Texas, I go to every sushi bar. Really ever got it. Very rare. I always ask. Very rare. Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:42
Well, now. Now I'm on. 

Richard Blank 1:10:44
That. When you get it, you will always order it. Like I do when I go to Dim song, I get like, chicken feet pot. This they pour now. I did it as a joke like a year ago with my favorite client when he was in town. I love this one. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:00
And then I was going to say, I heard there, I heard That's very good. 

Richard Blank 1:11:03
Is is tasty as the day is long. And so from time to time, I'll have something that's every time I'm going to hit it up now. Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:11
Richard, thanks a lot. Bad. It's been a true pleasure. 

Richard Blank 1:11:13
The pleasure's mine.