00:00First question, why did you decide to open a call center in Costa Rica?
00:06That's one of my favorite questions, Michael, and I appreciate you asking it.
00:10I have to go back a couple of years and tell you where it all began.
00:13When I was growing up in Northeast Philadelphia, a lot of opinions were provided for you,
00:19and sometimes your destiny and careers were pre-decided for you.
00:22So a lot of my friends were going to Ivy Leagues to study medicine and law, engineering and
00:27architecture, and I myself, I wasn't really sure what to do, but I knew my favorite class
00:33was Spanish.
00:34So as a dreamer that felt a little bit alone because no one else could relate to it, I decided
00:39to double down and go to the University of Arizona and be a bi-major.
00:43I majored in Spanish and communication.
00:47And like yourself, Michael, as a teacher and a really effective public speaker, I decided
00:52to study that.
00:53In addition to that, I concentrated on rhetoric.
00:56So your message and delivery was more effective and everyone needs a special sauce.
01:02So my special sauce was phonetic micro-expression reading.
01:07I used to like to study body language.
01:09And then here at the call center, I was able to do it where we're more voice micro-expression
01:14reading, which we'll get to later in the show.
01:17And when I had the opportunity post-grad to move here at 27, a friend of mine owned a call
01:22center and said, Richie, why don't you come down for a couple of months and teach some
01:25English?
01:26And naturally, a 27-year-old kid, you fall in love with Central America tropical beauty.
01:31And when I was at the call center, I kind of shed some skin.
01:35I realized that I had a calling.
01:37This was an environment where people were using the art of speech.
01:40They were converting phone calls and giving positive customer experiences.
01:46And actually, since English was their second language, they were fulfilling their studies.
01:51I took to that.
01:52I embraced it.
01:54I decided to stay and work there for four years.
01:56So obviously, I learned the business.
01:58But the one thing I did learn, Michael, was I learned how to enrich the experience.
02:05Being politically correct, I saw certain things, the gripes and the tough times of working the
02:10phones or working in a certain structured environment.
02:13And I realized that if people are given their dignity, if they're not treated as robots or
02:19as numbers, besides the productivity, you'll get a much more fulfilled person working with
02:26you that will work longer with you.
02:29And in my opinion, in my goal, will grow with you and be some of your future supervisors.
02:36Oh, it's a great story and a great philosophy all wrapped into that answer.
02:40And it happened in 2008.
02:43I mean, I worked at the center for a while.
02:45And my thing came later in life.
02:48Everyone has a coming of age moment.
02:50I had certain stages that gave me an experience or a vision quest to complete certain goals.
02:55But at 35, I started my company.
02:57The fact that I've lasted 14 years, a Philly boy here in another country, it says something.
03:05So I let my record speak for itself.
03:07But I'm very proud of the people that work with me.
03:10And my favorite thing is walking the rose, Michael.
03:13I love to stop on the occasion and listen to somebody speaking with a client and smile
03:17and give a thumbs up.
03:19And that's the essence of what I do.
