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Breaking the Rules of Business: Leadership, Risk & Bold Decisions | Richard Blank

Hina Siddiqui

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In this episode of The Corporate Life, host Hina Siddiqui sits down with CEO Richard Blank, a visionary entrepreneur who traded his life in the States at 27 to build a call center empire in Costa Rica. Richard shares his story of breaking business rules and challenging the status quo by infusing human connection and play into a traditionally sterile industry. Learn how he used bold decisions and non-conformist leadership to "shine like the sun," creating a vibrant culture for over 10,000 employees.


Key Takeaways

Richard explains how thinking differently in business involves using empathy and active listening to de-escalate conflict and build self-reliance. 

He emphasizes that playing bigger means taking "scary" risks to move out of your comfort zone and achieve true personal freedom. 

Finally, he discusses why modern leaders must prioritize making others happy to ensure a "happy circle" that fuels long-term success.


Episode Highlights

Richard describes his journey of challenging the status quo by replacing gray cubicles with a neon-lit sanctuary of vintage pinball machines and jukeboxes. 

He opens up about the resilience required when nearly losing his business and how bold decisions guided his leadership through the chaos of COVID-19.


Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction to The Corporate Life 

01:10 - Moving to Costa Rica and the "Shine Like The Sun" anthem 

03:30 - Breaking business rules with arcade machines and jukeboxes 

09:40 - Training 10,000 voices and claiming your own 

12:30 - Thinking differently in business to overcome family pressure 

18:20 - Weathering the storm after losing a major client 

22:52 - This or That: Rapid fire game 

33:00 - Final message on non-conformist leadership and making people happy


Connect with Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/costaricascallcenter/

Website: costaricascallcenter.com 


Connect with Hina

WEBSITE I https://thehinasiddiqui.com/ 

LINKEDIN I / hinasiddiqui 

INSTAGRAM I @hinawithwings 

YOUTUBE I / @thehinasiddiqui 

Email I hina@thehinasiddiqui.com

Check out Hina's books: https://amzn.to/3B65Wz7


Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/