Entrepreneurial Minds arrives in Costa Rica with its fifteenth episode, where we speak with Rich Burnam, who is the CEO of Surfing Nosara and who is behind the e-newspaper NosaraTimes. He is an entrepreneur who owns multiple businesses and is deeply involved in Nosara, specifically with a podcast focused on the community here. Rich shares with us all about finding success in a business, tackling various projects at once, and the ability to face the problems that come your way. Join us for conversations about choosing your journey, pushing yourself further, and sharing stories from around the world.
Entrepreneurial Minds arrives in Costa Rica with its fifteenth episode, where we speak with Rich Burnam, who is the CEO of Surfing Nosara and who is behind the e-newspaper NosaraTimes. He is an entrepreneur who owns multiple businesses and is deeply involved in Nosara, specifically with a podcast focused on the community here. Rich shares with us all about finding success in a business, tackling various projects at once, and the ability to face the problems that come your way. Join us for conversations about choosing your journey, pushing yourself further, and sharing stories from around the world.
spk_1: 0:02
welcome to entrepreneurial mines. I'm Valerie Donahue and on this podcast will travel around the world to learn everything that we can about individuals, which was too greedy. Businesses from scratch. We'll dive into what drives them, what stops them and wouldn't spy or something in order to identify. Are there common factors that unite us as entrepreneurs across continents? Here's your next episode really, really Rich Burnham, who is the CEO of Surfing Massara. He also recently launched in the newspaper Massara Times if he's an entrepreneur, owns multiple businesses and is deeply involved in the community. Here. In the sorrow, Rich also hosts a podcast specific to the community here, and it's such a treat for me to be able to meet you.
spk_0: 0:53
Hey, thanks for having me and I really appreciate it.
spk_1: 0:55
Yeah, it's like I'm feeling lucky. I found an expert on everything on all the things. No, Sarah and I can ask all the questions to one person. You're the representative.
spk_0: 1:04
I would say some things, but Astra, ask away. I'll do my best to
spk_1: 1:09
get started. I want to learn about all of your businesses. But before we do that, can you paint a picture for our listeners of what Massara is like. What is it like to be living here? What's the population for those of us who don't know much about it?
spk_0: 1:23
I guess you I'll tryto I'll be brief because it's a strange place, a CZ. You will know now that you're here. I'm the best way to describe Sarita is that it's kind of where the jungle meets the sea and this town really doesn't make sense. It was actually supposed to be a golf course way back in the day. Some guy came through here, bought a bunch of land, promised he was gonna build a golf course. The people bought lots for super team and the golf course obviously never happened. It was a huge gale project. This is that this is the over simple. But point being a lot of the people who bought those lots, they said, Well, what are we gonna do? This was gonna be a golf course. Now, a lot of those locations they turn into green areas. People think they're nature preserves mandated by the government. They're not The old golf course Project created this very unique place that we're sitting right now. So the best wayto explain it is that we literally have teacher preserves, technically green areas, interrupting the entire community, so there's no spot for wet seal development. That's why you see very, very few chain anything they haven't made it in yet. It's a little town with horrible roads surrounding it, very bumpy roads. It's more expensive than other places in Costa Rica, But for someone who isn't sticking, people come here. They keep coming back, and it's went from back in the day, traveling surfers and yogis into now it's feeling created in the private schools popping up, so it's went from very organic granola. Call it whatever you be turning life. It's transition kind of into the mainstream. And that's surprising to me because I was here when this place was not so popular and you didn't just find it on the Internet and come through the only way he used to come to the sorrows. If someone told you, you're like a go there you brought asking why it's what it looks like. The access stocks were not right by the media here, for the roads are absolutely atrocious. Cars come here to die, something I say all the time and there's no big anything. So your standard Orlando traveler are Las Vegas? Are big city resort type person. They might not fit in here, so that's kind of What about SARS? It's really not forever. This is for someone who's Maur. Maybe health granted likes nature. If a lizard ones across the inside of your ruby don't flip out way, have animals and we are in the middle of jumble and it's weird watching it come to life in a see what's happening to date is again in just the past. I don't know it. See the star get discovered media wise around 2013 2014 when the first New York Times article coming out the top three places to get from the Outside magazine. And in such a noon, the media wheel spends the next thing you know, people are coming in out for a mask and then had Toronto in all these different areas used to be your Florida. Are you from California? Maybe a little bit of Carolina's couple Canadians and a smattering of Europeans, but it's no longer the G place to go. It's actually the expensive list.
spk_1: 4:25
I was going to say because I was looking through your website and I was looking at the property values and I was thinking like, Is this in U. S dollars? This is really expensive.
spk_0: 4:35
It is. It is for people interested in real estate. They couldn't go basically anywhere else in the country almost then find cheaper prices. And also, this here is not something shopping online makes any sense because you just pull up a website and that could be a good deal to be a bad deal. You really don't know? So this is one of the few places where realtors are still highly, Probably because a one street difference between another location from pointing what? We could have $200,000 changing value. And it's literally just a street away on. And also our area isn't streets and avenues like most most surf towns and tore It sounds kind of followed this along the beach. You get a mean everywhere. Commerce starts going, you have streets it out just in the suburbs feeling around it, right, And then you kind of come in and buy. It won't be commercial. You get where the condoms go. Where all the shops and buildings, and that's kind of one thing. And then you have the outside areas. What we have in us are the most popular area today is Eunice. That's where most of the bars, shops, restaurants. And that's where the most consistent surgery kiss, which we haven't mentioned, served too much. But that's a big appeal in this. Also, more worthy yoga in the healing centers in that office located and you play a lot, which is cough a lot less money. But there's not as many bars restaurants. It's not as expensive as active, but it is off the charts. Beautiful and very few beaches in the world hold a handle to it, but that's not that it plays to beat sort Eunice's cost more. But L. A is now seeing your resurgence and value in interest. It's Joni's got so expensive
spk_1: 6:06
as the community is seeing a rise and tourism and before nurse coming in, possibly locals as well. In terms of buying up property, what is the local attitude like about this kind of growth?
spk_0: 6:19
That's a really good question. What's weird about Massara is the main popular areas. There were locals thes were Calkins like a set. Some guy came through here. Tow bill. Look off course. Essentially. And that then this whole place has already been decimated for agriculture. Now what happens with a lot of well intentioned travelers? Little come through. Okay? He has a terrace. Where? Stop. It's all going to have a little something kicked out. No, not really. Here. It's kind of different. It's really weird. That is the keys. Most everyone here tourism, ironically, brought that most is back. Is that a wig? Oh, it's so everything I've told you. Everything about sounds backwards. It just it shouldn't make sense. You know, our negatives are kind of crying Parson Electronics in that order. And in the early days, access just bones and supplies. You had to come through rivers. You had horrible roads. There's the horrible to this day. Um, it's just it shouldn't work. It shouldn't be so popular. It's still trips me out. I've sold the same properties 3456 times in the past 10 years, and every day I just looked over my shoulders like how this is happening, you know? And I guess the answer is the demographics change. So it's not your porter for pouring. Okay, coming in. It's moved into Europe fluent surfer, and you're fluent. And now it's even past that. Now it's people who think surfing or yoga's interesting, but they might not do it. So I don't know if he answered your question in there, but I'm trying to explain this anomaly of the strange
spk_1: 7:46
time. Yes, that's the feeling that for me, it's like stepping into something really surreal. I actually like you're saying I didn't expect this kind of place to exist that I didn't expect that Selina to be here, and
spk_0: 8:00
that's a subject in itself. Like Selena didn't have a very warm introgen. So it's a chain they have in their history areas where people complain about their environmental situation and and I'm not throwing them under the bus. This is This is just how it works. If you're coming into no, sorry, you're gonna take some lumps. People don't like big anything here. Even a small, tiny real estate company's gonna catch black. Just do you work in real estate? Um, Selina's this big name common in taking over property that's not really been abandoned that has a devotion for a very long period of time, and people were worried that Selina would come through and be an environmental nightmare and bring a party type vibe to the town. And we're not a party. People come here to get away from that type of stuff, so now that means it. I'm not. I'm not saying anything bad towards the ceiling of people. They have every right to open business wherever it's legal to do so. So that being said, they have participated in some good community events, that hasn't been as bad as people had suspected. So I guess the the jury anti only time will tell what people feel about Selena. But anyone coming in and those are, just be prepared to have a thick skin because you're you're gonna hear about it
spk_1: 9:15
telling about how you started all these businesses, like you mentioned your super plugged into this community, where you from? What brought you here in Western Story of starting all this?
spk_0: 9:24
It's years. Here's short story. I'm from Florida and there's no surf in Florida. I really like to serve its It's what I like to do, and I grew up is like a typical jock kind of football baseball. And then I supposed to go play baseball in college or video throws. And after that a creature that was like that was like What I supposed to do it? I have none of those things are completely different. So I go off to college baseball. I break my hand. I realized I really like baseball. That much is just do. It was good. Oh, I really disturbing. So I'm gonna go have cell because I'll always have a job for yourself and then I'm gonna try to surface things. Everyone was really silly. And then fast board August in 1999 Keen because Rico so much like yourself. I didn't I didn't really know what respect. And I woke up the next day and I just hit me like a ton of bricks, just like we There's places like this, like you could live here with this much beauty, like you can wear shorts and talk to high level people. It's okay not to be all dressed up, working in an office environment like I just didn't know that people really live like this. It's that is that unique, even existence here, and I guess the entrepreneur side of me in the standard business side of the all combined into I gotta find a way to get here. And I worked every day for 10 years to get here. So I did from 1999 2000 miles here, spray the details. But I woke up every day with focus. How? Juanita, Costa Rica. How am I gonna start feeling Costa Rica and I'm going to make it? It is very hard and very, very few people really make it. And then I think that's where your entrepreneurial skills have to shine. Because the person who started the business I've been associated with for over a decade now serving us are. And that's what I'm CEO now on the individual started it names Eric Antonsson shot here he is Steve Jobs. He would kill me if I say this in front of Steve Jobs. Type off mindset, that type of ability of flying being a founder early. He's not like a manager down the road. Once the creations created and managing it all that B s. He doesn't want to do that. That's where I kind of come in. So he started it. I was too scared to start. But since I watched him start this and in transition of it back to the state to start multiple other things, he's one will taught me the podcast. I actually feel like he's got a mind mentor when it comes to very early game stuff, and when he did was he helped me build a bridge from. I need to be a good boy and working traditional job into being a true entrepreneur, and it's okay to take that. And it's not for everyone, but it is for some people. And maybe that's who your audience and you're targeting right now, I would assume, is people who were trying to find a way to make it and to make you for a country. That meeting, I would say, is it's not some brilliant idea. It's literally just making your mind up. You're gonna do it. You're gonna do whatever you gotta d'oh! And you're my favorite fried about what she was talking about. It's true like I got here. No, I was just like, be hinting around instantly what I gotta do to never leave, and I just woke up every single day and I'm adjusted a 1,000,000 times along the way. I could answer any questions you want about that. But the short version is I think the secret to making it is just deciding you're going to and, you know, have any pride of whatever Someone comes in town and they're kind of like, Well, and they start calling the shots. It's like, um Oh, sorry, isn't here you are. I don't care if you're from whoever you are. Much money, Have you? Just You can't get away out of certain bumps or bruises. They're gonna happen here. And a lot of people move here to try to get with problems. And I surely advise against that. And I'd advise any entrepreneur Don't go somewhere just to solve the problem. Your problems with falling you will just change. So this is what excellent people now they're like me in your life. Looks great if you just look at my instagram or if you look at any of my company's website, so yeah, it's pretty amazing here. Pictures. It's hard to take a picture. There's beautiful people. There's nature out the wazoo. The waves break constantly. I mean, it's a pretty nice place, but there's a lot of challenges. So if you're gonna be an entrepreneur about this, you have to be realistic about facing those challenges and having us can amicable words stick to any activity on this or some sort of. You have to just not give up because this place the first year, your life here, so I could be the hardest year. What
spk_1: 13:40
are the unique set of challenges to this particular place?
spk_0: 13:45
If you could live down where we are, we're pretty close to the equator. Costa Rica has a lot of different climates, but here we have to mean season. So I'll start with weather. So we have a drug season and then we have a rainy season. Colin Greens using Lucy's nice is what everyone say. Point being is from November to April. It's so clear skies almost everyday Clearwater Smaller type waves and we have called for a hostage wins our fall guy wins Long story short, there's a big wake up in the garage, and that leak helps bring offshore winds to hear which causes deserve condition to be very clean. So that's why so many surfers become your during that time of year because wherever you're from spot cold, um, the water spilling everywhere, wet suit or whatever it may be in here. It's our Norway are being with Young's breaks almost every day, so that's very unique to surfing. Normally, it's type specific, our location specific, arguing when to generate the leaves, like where I'm from in Florida, only time the waves really good, as if that hurricane are if there's really cold weather and both of those are kind of unpleasant here is not like that. Um, so the weather. I just said the good about a servant stuff, but here's the bad. When it's hot, it's hot, it's really dry. So by March or April, we're all waiting for the palace of him in the skies. That one's rank of it, then may talkto over it. Rains and September. I couldn't read a lot, so if you're here for any of that that you might be in a torrential down here. It's a pure knocked over for a day or two or three. Um, blood areas flood a lot of issues, so not everyone's used to driving through, like really needing four wheel drives in the States. We all have a dressmaker who needed here you actually needed. So that's not very like just yesterday I was in a I was driving down a public road that I had to put in for a little drive just to get through. So some people would kind of forget about that for me and my kids and my wife and everyone. We're just so used to it that doesn't basis. I'd rather have the problems of here and the problems there. So they started Entrepreneur. That's that's part of my quote of the day for them. Figure out what your problems are gonna be there. And if you're willing to face this head on and not give up, maybe it's for you. If if the if the essential problems of where you're going or the business you're gonna do with location, you're gonna be. If those problems out, like if you might not have, When you're not the right mood, you can still deal with it, then maybe look, maybe don't pursue that. That's kind of home advising my kids and people who haven't.
spk_1: 16:16
I think that's that's really good insight. And, you know, that goes to like old parts of life, right? like, not just like starting a business, but anything right like you. Like you said, like your problems like they're coming with you because they're in your head in terms of how you're dealing with them, let me ask you because the roads keep coming up. It's something that I'm dealing with while I'm here and you've mentioned it a few times. How come the rules or so back to the O.
spk_0: 16:41
I've actually done a couple podcasts on this. So if anybody wanted chickens up again, But we have a main road out front, a route to 1 60 that's the road right there. They've been talking about paving. It's it's 19 to a lot of this around here. Don't think we're going to see it our lifetimes. But the government promises constantly. Hey, we're gonna hook you up, and then what they do is they never d'oh! So we've been through this cycle off. I mean, you name it. There's all kinds of speculation about corruption, just mismanagement, and we've had so many different administrations make false promises that haven't happened, that everyone's pretty bitter about the road. So that's why it's such a hot topic around here now. The dry season was starting right now. So what's gonna happen? This is gonna get real hot in here. We'll drive that road. They've started the destruction on it. So everyone was like, Oh, my medium is gonna happen like that. Then they stop right before it's time to actually put asshole on time. So now it's gonna be more dusty than it. Waas. So not only did we not get the road's finished, it's actually worse. Then it wasa as bad as it is is worse now. So they're promising to me thine it to kind of get the bombs out to keep the peace. But what we really need is, uh, we need we need a big stroke of luck, and we need people to follow through on what they're supposed to do. So this is a bigger issue than I can. It's her mind right now. Um, the interior roads people are actually starting to get together. This is a cool thing about this community in places like that, other people have businesses were all linking up and trying to get the interior rose work most ourselves like if you're gonna make a rob where The roads are phenomenal, Their main highways are amazing. The inside they have favors, like Rick. It's really cool the way they do it here. We could do that same thing if we all unified. Now that's on the subject for entrepreneurship. Is getting people to unify in a small town because small town big Hell's a very common statement. That's true. Like there's a lot of truth that if there's someone you, Peter, really just like they're really just like you, you're still seeing them tomorrow. So you're still driving by each other. Worlds are gonna collide in for me, I guess, Like if I was making kind of my skill as an entrepreneur, I'm gonna face these challenges. What's the one I hate the most? For me, it's gossip. I heat the backstabbing. The small nature of he said that she said that They said that that's actually another big inspiration for the podcast. I live in a tiny small town, and I just heard so much so from on community boards to just the real estate industry are just, he said. She said this. I mean, around here there's a level of competition, so everything just pick a subject even in the gentle world of yoga. It's cut through around here because I'm trying to survive. If you're blocking me from surviving, that we gotta do war. But I may love you. Heat, peace, love and enchanting in and such somebody's somebody's going to get the client. Someone's not so filter that no two circles filter that down to everything. I don't like that in a small town. If I win, I see someone else lose in a big town. There's a lot of an enemy. You don't see who missed that sale so, ironically, un pretty decent friends with a lot of my competition. I sincerely like. So if a client comes my way instead of there's part of me is just like, Oh, I don't need to do that to you, man. I'm sorry, Um, in my in my business, which is how I've been able to survive here. Is this realistic because I want to do real estate because it lets me live where I want to live and provide for my family? Do what I want to do, but I'm trying to use real estate is a what kind of a propulsion method to get into the podcast into media's Something's other companies have been opening. All are ridiculous that but I don't want anyone else to suffer from from my success. And you also don't want me to a small town in being white materialists. We're seeing that way, which is a kind of alluded to pushing us a little back. There were really locals right here where we're sitting right now, but the real locals are behind. The trees are there north and south and the actual time of stars like Inland. This five will tell you about the road spare 5 to 15 minute drive away. So that's where the real locals are, just Esperanza Phylicia's cards and mostly in all those are way below in the various little towns inside of the Pueblo. So here you have Tourette's to came and filled up feelings and plot, and then you have the actual tico surrounding it. Each side kind of needs the other, but what I'd like to do is help merge those two societies because there's some white people who are scared to talk. Tickles because a link of a language barrier in that street goes both ways and people can't communicate. That's where Lotte resistance and Edges can kind of come No go to Timor, Endo, Hakka or any of these other big towns in Costa Rica for that around the world, when you have a bunch of tourists coming to take the land all around, people's homes says, there's a lot more. So I think that didn't really happen here at the level that it did in other places. That's why there's not as much resistance. The gringos and Ticos get along in this area quite well compared to most of them. I think this is awful for
spk_1: 21:52
no, it's super helpful, really interesting, and I think from the perspective of, well, tell me I'm wrong. It just seems like this, the community that the town is so small, it's so out of the way. And compared to the other mainstream places you go to in Costa Rica and by being here and talking to people, what I'm finding is it almost feels like to me such an exciting thing for an entrepreneur, because you're really starting from the ground up like, and the tone of the way that you do business. The tone of the way that you could communicate with others that even the types of businesses that you're bringing here that sets the tone for the future. So when I was looking at, you know what is No, sorrow was all well, it's wellness and it's yoga. And you could buy a really nice real estate and like that's all I knew and the surf on. Then you come here and you see it's almost like a branding thing. Like, Why did they choose the yoga? To put them right here? It's almost like could be anywhere. But it's here, and it's like and then that attracts more like minded businesses. So it's just like such like an exciting like cradle of beginnings here. And I wonder if, like for you, it feels like that, like versus and in a big city where you're kind of like a like a drop in the bucket of people here, it's like, really, you're making like something that you're doing well have, like a butter, like a bigger butterfly effect, possibly into the future.
spk_0: 23:13
It's interesting that you picked up on that so and you haven't been here too long? No, just a That's a trip so it's either someone told you that, or you're very astute. But that is in fact, pretty much what happened here. So let's give a shot to the bazaar. Yogi is, too. Um, the recently sold and they moved on. But here's there's their story, encapsulated quickly, and you're gonna laugh because it's exactly just what they did was they basically came down here, got started. Even a couple notable people Robin Williams even tell them out at some point time and Amber on her husband. Real loving people, real kind people. They came here with the best of intentions, in my opinion, and I think they made a great difference on the planet. A SZ cheesy is that sounds. I'll go help every now and that's me. That's my brother, and I have too much too much work with you right now to be him, begging me back to the August. So they came in and created basically teaching system, and they brought people down each year, so they created levels to it. So I'm oversimplifying it, I'm sure, but he's a surgeon. You came down this year's alone one since you came out this year, your love to next year. Bring back some people. They're getting a little one. And then it's like this beautiful, almost multi level marketing cops system. This cannibalistic system that they created just churned out all the yogis who started coming here because it got hip. It's cool, and I don't know if it's I'm joking. Leading hippie. I don't know people. Let's talk about the magnetism of this place in the energy of this place, and I get lectured about that constantly. I can't do any of that test, too, but I'm not claiming to. But maybe there's something to it, because people, for whatever reason they displace is sticky. So at the Yoga Institute, they just started pumping out the yogis and they got higher levels of current levels. This just became a mecca for yoga, like on the planet. And then you have places like Blue Spirit opening, which is huge. I mean the difference that they're that they're making, and those are getting really popular because of yoga because of serving. Those were the two like foundational things. But the entrepreneurial spirit of the Yoga Institute to come here when there was nothing here, start this and that just layered out exactly as you earlier described. That's where it was very interesting to me. So at the time I got here, I showed a full time all the time earlier tonight. And by the time I got here, there was already a foundation of people who were deeply committed to know, sir, like, deeply committed. Their roots were in people who travel all around the world to come here. It's like a ton of bricks, and they just stopped traveling the commune. It happens all the time. So the yoga's I did that. The surfing's I did that. And in the surf school's kind of did the same thing as the youngest. You have a couple surf schools that started early. I mean, yet like this a party, sir. School. And then what ended up turning into service simply today, which is being featured and I don't even know. I think it was featured in what magazine was it? I forgot. I'm sorry, but we've been on The New York Times, they've been all over the place, and they were this ultra high level system. That's the same thing. You have levels one through five, and next year you want to come back to you. Thanks for hire, but here's a beautiful thing of the service employees in the safaris. Those were like the big guys around T go own searchable announcer servicing. And it's beautiful Agua titty, which is harvested. Taken together. Those Arctic Oh, there's so many that are opening, and it's nice to see that the people who started those big ones have spun off actual t go on businesses so people worry about gentrification is been changing around. Sorry, I'm really proud to say the highway people would have quote the people who could be seen as the enemy generally have a loving spirit. They like to get back like people really support and love seeing. When a tico business thrives here, people live like I hire, have to fire people and do all these things and running a business. I love hiring people from here. The real issue is the labor pool is very shallow because it's a small town and you don't have high level education system super nearby. So if you have a town like this, that's what from agricultural to tourism and not just be two tours of now, it's chi in tourism. This is a big capital. So if you don't have the education system, you can't give the opportunities to the local populace. There. Dad might have been a farmer, but the opportunities that they're from them, there's only there's only so many jobs as Sir Constructors are a CZ cutting lots and basic jobs. The Why can't those people who were born here succeed? And the only thing blocking that it's people like me not helping them get the education opportunity. So my biggest goal is I want to run a community like I want to greet me center where if someone wants to succeed, they can go to a place and get a skill set to speak. They could get a job. One of my companies air one of the higher in places like the harmonies with service impolite, but it's really hard to get a job hiding places if you don't have the skill sets to do it there. So on one hand you could just say, Well, I'm from your auntie. Go give me the job. Well, we want to give you the job anyway. We want we want entrepreneurs way have organizations like the veal swing your cranking out entrepreneurs teaching them how to run their business. But they sure obvious when you're is really, really cool program that's been going on for years where it's I'll tell you the short version before you again. They basically collect the local town and people who drive you want to trade your business idea today and they teach them. Hey, there's financials involved. Hey, there's this involved. There's that involved. Then, ironically, the shut up. The Kristina who helped bring it down here she is. But she went back to work in the States. But, um, when Rebecca's hearing it on to this day, I believe the whole program came out of How do you How do you help people in geo recovering? Get back in society? And that's a pretty good question, especially in the US We have the largest about quick rant on the prison system in the U. S. We have so many people incarcerated without fixing, the other just heard in there just numbers going through for It's not good, but some of the people come out better, and normally it's people who got involved in this feel, so they got passionate about something you have to learn so they will swing. You know, now from the roots of that back in the day, crafted out a system that how can you go to even rural areas? In some cases, what are the key things that people need to succeed and businesses need certain things? And they basically helped skill sets from opening a restaurant. Serving whatever in the area is really, really freaking cool. So I kind of want to piggyback on what they were doing and what the people who are coming through now. The general tourist they won't work with me goes as well. They do that. They just d'oh a lot. You don't know this, US white folks. We want to support the local populace. Like when you travel somewhere, you're never like hail. Exclude the locals. It's just the opposite. It's like I want to work with them. So what I'm trying to do is a big message of encouragement to the local populace. It's like, Hey, you can have the Iron Job's the only the only reason I have a job here right now is because somebody else isn't doing it. If somebody, if somebody from here could do it as well as I could. I wouldn't exist here. So if your problem is other people from the country's coming and taking job, all you gotta do is be better than that. That's it. But that's his work. And you can't make people want to work. You can't make people want to strive to succeed. They do that themselves so that the community center initiative that I'm going towards which I think is like my grand opus of entrepreneurialism, is to go from selling real estate, booking basic vacation rentals and surf photography. And on all these other things that I had to do to get to our going, which is ideally, I want the people here don't wake up every day till the day I die and just go to some really, really wanna d'oh! And I've never done that, Even his entrepreneur and having multiple businesses. I've never truly done what I want to do and talk started. That was last year and then started website return dot com a website even for myself. How ego centric God that made me sick elected me months of getting past like rich, You have to do this if you want to be free of having to kill, to eat that's mentality that I think you're right about to get up at some point, time is be able to wake up and not have really worries. Just the businesses are operating, your bills are being paid, and now you do what I want. That's that's where we're going to live in Costa Rica and make that happen. That's good. Good. It'll be a good example for the kids, and I'll be real proud of that. We're getting closer. So anyway, the podcast, It was the first time I actually got to sit down. It's just opposite it today. But my pockets, I skin test questions and then I'll throw a little tidbit here there, and I'm just learning. And I've learned so much in our first year. We didn't give the episodes, and this next year we're probably gonna shoot for about that, Um, and then by the third year, I want the whole thing spinning. The whole local areas usually knows one another, and we've elevated our dialogues because around here we fight about the road. Every so often, we get all angry, even started bitching about the room and then we fight about security. And then we fight about too many trees were cut down. Then we fight about dignified about somebody drive too fast. Like we just have the same circular fights I've been noticing for about a decade. For over at this point, predictable. Our arguments are really advancing. That much their archaic. And we have a lot of people who don't even live here. Full time is hard. And then you have people who speak English. People speak Spanish is hard to get everyone on the same page so you can hit me. I was watching this whole typecasting thing Garner attraction in the States, and I have got sucked into it. I was very intense against one key miles. How could anyone sit down? Listen to people talk for two or three or four hours? You gotta forgive me. I want to talk to that. I don't have time for anything right now. Like what a dumb idea. That was like, my first thought, You know? Then I didn't learn through, like, YouTube clips. I listen to some for 30 seconds or 66 than 95 minutes. Then it's like, yeah, This is the rest of that. All the side of the podcast that now I can do two or three a day, and sometimes it can. So it's It's interesting my own personal transformation, but that has sparked ingenuity on ideas. Systems and either courage are looting this to go out a bit more business. So my podcast, as tiny as it waas it weren't tiny towns that need to be bit like for me if I could reach 100 people around here. Well, if I had a public meeting over five, people would've showed up. So I just reached way Amore who heard the message. And now I could go directly to the source. So now if somebody, let's say, uh, Start Civic Association, let's reference them. They're there. An environmental association that helps kind of want monitor the area. They don't want the green areas cut down. They don't want the hotel's coming in the building too much. They don't want. They want to enforce and improve and get it. Get it. This place is environmentally sensitive. Is a possibly can be. So when the town is growing, there's there's a lot of people who disagree with That's just how it goes. And as long as planes fly and Wasti break and you know it is a thing, we're pretty relevant. So people are coming and we can't stop them from coming. But what we can do is try and do a really good job growth while here. So organizations like that I'll have on and they have a message to get out. And I just sit there, bring the source and say, All right, what is Kendall say? They're a bit. And then if somebody else's a differing opinion, I'll bring it and it's like, All right, what do you say? Um, and now these conversations are pinging around the community. People I've never even met are something street, because now they see me. They're like, Hey, man, I just thought you were some real estate jerk is generous place up. You're actually pretty cool. I like it like that. That's a common conversation. Another one's people. You kind of see high by with your kind of friends. But you never really get to a D for bubble. If they hear you are a protest, they heard your passion. You heard your tonality, heard your cannons they they could tell they get a feeling like, Yeah, and they didn't Actually, it's the weirdest thing ever. So I'm trying to bring in my competitors, trying to bring everything from a day job, and I'm trying to explode out of my day job. So that's that's where a lot of stuff came from. So the podcast was the scariest. The best thing and most rewarding thing is now I'm sitting here with a smile on my face. And I had gotten better because after work, so good, I think hard doing the day in, day out technique. But I have found security and my killed a job because it got me by that kept me in Costa Rica, Gold always never have to leave. What I didn't do after I got here was keep thinking about how dost here and enjoy.
spk_1: 36:01
Let me ask you, you mentioned a little bit earlier about time management. This is a big topic for entrepreneurs. You're doing
spk_0: 36:09
better be We're gonna have a tough time. Yeah, I'll start for the bad upon it.
spk_1: 36:14
And so there's You have a lot of businesses. How do you manage your time? How do you? Um How do you make yourself more efficient? Guy
spk_0: 36:23
told me one time. Oh, this too. Two. I went to this conference and somebody asked him, Hey, it was a really honest moment in the back is a Cuban a session. He's like, Sure, I do not have the ability to get everything done in the day. I met my wits and I can't do this anymore. I'm gonna get a normal job. How do I do this in the SS fighting? His name's jeering genius, and he looked at him. He was real firm, he said. You get two days work done today, and I didn't feel you're standing at the time. But after I started stepping on my home in a Morris for dough with my set and then going from the security of the salary breaking out of that, taking the chance, especially having small Children like isn't that really selfish to do something like that? Yes, it's also terrifying and without risk there's there's not so much reward, but you also want to mitigate risk. And there's a lot of ups and downs in the entrepreneurial thing. Like I said, it's not for everyone, but it is For some people, it is for more more people than they realize. I used to sit in the comfort of a job because I thought that was the good seed thing to do. What I didn't realize was that was holding back, um, in every way I wasn't gonna make it. My ultimate goal was to get Costarica, raise my family here and lived majority my life here, which I've lived here no longer, never have but to take being big, calculated risk along the way that look crazy to a lot of people. And so I guess not having to explain yourself to everyone would the skill set I would recommend for somebody who wants to do something like what I've done or their version, Because if you have to explain yourself to everyone it takes, it takes energy out. You people are gonna come up with their objections. Maybe you already have a will. Found that answer to that objection. But you get tired of explaining it, and you get stuck in negative. So I'll do that. I'll talk a lot about community center, and this one's like about this I have to do is after Dick just hold it in, wake up every day, stay focused, get today's work done today. And when today's work done for me for a long time was not podcasting was not, um e news paper. Don't you know that no start times is It's every town needs, like a newspaper. You don't have one here, So we're trying to be like e news source. But we also want to get fun and interesting and with my podcast got kind of no sorrow popular. Not like I said, I don't need to reach a couple people here to make a difference. But when I got popped for around here, it also got too serious. And it watchers were not home to become like the local serious news anchor guy. I'm really serious at my day job, so we'll start times kicking that off. I never would have thought it years ago, but my friend Zack shot Zack issues. I need to call me up when the ex like miss. Our times we say, you know, out in yeah, still off, we launch this tiny little organic e news. Dying is I know what the proper term is for it. It's It's just ducking me. I'm beaming as I'm talking about it. It's because I want to do it now. Today I can work on those are times stuff today, Stump. I can't do it every day. But if that's if that's I could do more tomorrow than I can't today. So time management really is learning how to balance what you need to get done today and then how to placate and what you need mid term and long term. So in my case scenario, if I have an idea for a business or something, that's not something you just dropped right now. Doing time now if you have funding or if you're like Eric like used by my mentor for entrepreneurship are the closest guy to me. He's younger than me and the kid. I think the guys is just ridiculous. He will take such huge risk that I would never date, but he likes his back hell. He likes that initial early, early build that very, very few people do. I'm now get closer than that. Oh, but I needed to see, so I needed someone close to me to go through it. And then after I saw it, I was like, Okay, I'll accept those challenges. I get that. Okay, I seem easy on there that didn't break him. He's here. He was strong in some places. I didn't need to be strong it in my background. My degree's in communications and public relations will now have said I'm involved in that every day with those hard times, 20 years. But I didn't know that was gonna like come back around. But somehow I did on I'm excited that I get to put that into my time. So I'll have, say, surfing. No sora which when we bought officially bought it 2015 ideo hire a wholesale staff. I had to trade him. I had to get the interior stuff together. A real business, sir. Photography, which is the biggest thing that I know are with labor pools that air this deep if you're if you train photographers walking around. So what we basically do is we train photographers who end up leaving us for other places that were competitors higher. That it's it's got through because But I know what's gonna happen Now You see what happens along the way. This thing it's a little less now. I just laugh. It's like, OK, talk it. But at the time it's really criminally. When you put 50% of your time, it's a one employee that you definitely need it. Then they go away hurts. So time management just wondered where you where you exercise your resource is and where most of us feel is interference. We're on our personal lives on, and I'm not not guilty of that. Like it might look if my wife walked up to me today and said, You know what, man? You blew it. I would be like, You're right, I did. But I was trying to take care of you. What? I didn't realize that you can be an entrepreneur. You can't take care of the family. You just have to have that same courage that you had to start that business to reinvest in yourself. And again, I'm new to this. So I'm learning from other people. This skill set. It's like I want to see my kids before their God. But how am I gonna do it if I can't pay for so and even got you have millions of leaves that are so that's the mindset. Um,
spk_1: 42:29
what do you think in terms of being an entrepreneur? What? Obviously you mentioned you have a lot of mentors and you know, your your life path brought you your specifically. But what do you think when you worry, like younger and growing up like? Well, particularly, like, Makes your mind like flexible thio to be an entrepreneur there. Any kind of early on experiences that
spk_0: 42:58
Yeah, a couple? Yes, that's it. Doesn't look good. Question. Yes. Seeing a couple people who were truly happy they didn't see in a couple people who could do what they want like that was weird to me. So it was like my family, like, deeper into my family is like working out farms on pretty fairly religious. And you worked hard on both wonderful, wonderful people. Just keep visiting my family up, up, up in northern Central Florida area kind words still farmland and those were the night, the nicest, most people. But you work hard, and I kind of grew up. If you know, this isn't their fault. This is This is my own inner insecurities surface. If I wasn't working hard for guilt, So if I was working in a salary job, are as an entrepreneur old job. I was going 100 miles an hour. Now most people are like that in What hit me was when I saw people who had less drive than I have maybe even somewhat skill sets. How are they succeeding? And the answer was they took a chance to do this thing, this one methodology Indian entrepreneur that let them achieve what they wanted. I'm working just as hard, if not 23 times. It's hard and I'm not gonna get there. You seeing that like opened my eyes and then having men's work along the way, watching them take the blows. It's like, Is this fight that I could fight in? I along the wrist with the world. It was just too scared to go find out. You know, you have the What do they say you have? You have the pain of disappointment. Are you in pain of regret? And like it or not, that's just that's just how it is. So it hit me. If other people did it like you and I, and then Mr asked myself that question White. You know what you and the answer was? It was internal. Everyone's looking for something external. It's all it's all right here, you know, and q u. It is kind of overcoming that hole fear and deserving this and time because I've been burned and markets to. And then that's something I usually people that whenever someone comes up to me right now, it says, Hey, what's market gonna do? I look at it and say, I don't know. I have no idea. People asked me almost on a daily basis and what's gonna happen here we think is going on two years. Are you talking to a guy? Lost everything in the last Greenwich of crisis. I thought I was doing everything right. Technically, I waas I just in Spain. In the 18 months my portfolio drop in value 72%. I was prepared for like 20% not 70 something. So I was obliterated. So I went off to be an entrepreneur, succeeded for about five years and got punched. Right face ended up further back than I would have been if I'd never started. So I was having a lot of self doubt and then came down here reset hot, make it where I guess like it told you. When this first started, I just decided I was not going to stop. I wasn't gonna give up. Wasn't just wasn't an option. I was gonna die trying. They could pull me out here with my fingers on the ground. It was that laser focused on. Then after that worked out exactly. I learned from a lot of people on the way, and I'm trying to utilize their experiences into my It's a short my learning. So if anything, I'm very hardheaded, I've learned, but after I see other people do something, it seems to give me some sort of a little bit higher, believe level myself like I would never recommend another business up in Nicaragua. We've opens its. I'm really excited about it if you don't know what you're doing there, Warren Buffett says. You run to where I was running away from. It was freaking out about that right now because all the political turmoil, guess what? There's amazing waves there. There's amazing people there. It's ridiculously cheaper than it is here in Costa Rica. But everyone come to distribute your grandmother's blind concert right now, so it's not Hit is not like this. It's not like this big eventually. Come here. It's a huge invention of Nicaragua, and surfers are the tip of the spear headed tourism. So if anyone out there served based, just remember this. If the surfers were going here consistently, you're us because it'll go from surfers then then, like you're adventurous, cheap surfer guy in there girl. And then it'll turn into one this little more of fluid, and then it all turns. You go from individuals and families and families of the weapons are doing right now. So far, most are kind of in that last part of its road. It's now cool, hip and fresh for people who don't even serve her do yoga. If you told me 10 years ago that's gonna happen, I would never That's just it doesn't make any sense that now it does to me. So now, as I look at the garage, basically just runs out. Country's beautiful people want to go there. I love you. Wouldn't go there only in a position. Now if you, amid a long term plan to use the dollars gathered in 27 years of doing stuff, Costa Rica was gonna fly this knowledge and get in front of it. But back Thio a very court in it of Let's just call it real estate. They have real estate. It's called life You make when you buy now when you sell now. When I was sitting in my normal corporate job and most of the people maybe even listening to this little realize that they think all them that sold this house, I made all this money. They made that money way back when they bought with it wasn't popular, and I didn't know that. Now I do so now, implement that into my life and make a lot of decisions that don't make sense to a lot of people. And I'm trying to learn how, not strategist way that
spk_1: 48:36
I think that's a lot of entrepreneurs and having a lot of entrepreneurs, a feeling that kind of way, you know, in terms of you know you're making a decision, it makes sense to you, and I think that well, you also said earlier about not letting I think it's important to get other's opinions. I think it's you know, there's so much value in that, and I think that, um, specifically to what you're saying where I find a lot of value in reminding yourself why you started something and reminding yourself like this was your original goal and your original idea when you were when you were getting started before you asked for all of the opinions. Because, like you mentioned, things can start to transform as you start to get more information and it's old analysis paralysis. But it's just, you know, an over abundance of opinions and options. I
spk_0: 49:30
understand what you're saying. So it's almost like to a couple different themes running for a conversation. One is you. I definitely say Give me back talk to people, but maybe be more strategically than I have. Whatever do is talk to many people along the way, and then I find myself kind of having to explain it. Then that sucks the energy out. And that was it. Really. The person is steering feedback. You were just You just respect them and you like him. You try to be nice and you're listeningto I would advise people if I could go back in time, I'd be a little more calculated about that shoes. You're gonna talk to you and only gives so much and use that front of research. Once you have a research, that's it. And then the bottom line, if you could do so, we're not gonna talk about your art. Especially about smalltime entrepreneur. You're not gonna have the money to go hire a massive firm to run an economic analysis and decide how many millions of dollars to get you. Most of us, aren't. We see, a small business owner is a guy just said, All right, All right, We'll do it. You are so that this is my first point. Don't tell too many people. Hold someone after yourself and I'm practicing that myself. I'm trying to the second point in adding to your last your hospital statements is don't be afraid to change. Maybe your initial idea was this. Don't be afraid to change along the way. It might still come back even better than you originally thought. In fact, that probably is gonna happen. But be prepared for a Moslem cheek, like with one of businesses we just launched. One of the partners is very new to this, like very new to this and the amount of change from the very first organization. It was like home. This is what we discussed for weeks ago. Is that all? This is all because two weeks ago, and it always came back to This is what we said very beginning. And the answer is, Hey, you know what we needed to take those bumps and bruises and let it grow and find out who we are. And then when you get a better sense on that see, see if it's better than him or if it's not okay, you are. But don't deny yourself the crucial growth along the early visas and growing hurts going Hurts like hell. So a cursed month, but the okay, Ares, you know, you know, it's like And when a college classmate had his old old professor told me, Super guy Neil Korea, father, great physical uses heritage, Episcopalian priest. But he didn't believe in you something. He was a priest. Like he was way beyond his congregation. Get him. I was like, How do you do this man? And he's like, be here. Find prey. What are you talking about? You should be here. Find Paige. Careful what you wish for. Because everyone wants stuff that happened. But things that it takes to make it happen. Her So there was a soul prayer. Or was it? As this is? I can Easter prayer. It's like she's a ll chisel me though how I should be like that was kind of the point. Make me in tow. What? I need to be universal guard. What? So he was saying Don't say that unless you mean it because the chiseling part hurts like egg and his chunks were falling off of you to get you to this end goal. They have to happen and it's gonna hurt. And that's when everyone steals back. So that's when entrepreneur really really says, Hold me. That's bad. That's when the mama get this one. Good. Oh, Sally, Susie, my best friend. Someone so mentioned this Elvis Dark things come creeping back in. Your head is hurt. I can't sleep. You were 16 hours a day in your social external. Hey, Yeah, that's what everyone. Most people do it.
spk_1: 53:05
I so love where you're saying I think that this is so interesting in terms of the chisel in the pain part, but also the part of connecting starting an idea Thio to making a prayer. Because one of The things that I find is that especially for entrepreneurs, where you know you have an idea and it just kind of doesn't live anywhere and like in order to get it started, that's just such that's That's when I find one of the most difficult processes and what, um, what I see is that it the more you say it out loud, the more people you actually tell through the process of just communicating it, it brings it to life. So I love how you mentioned as a prayer, right? Because the more that you you say something like that's just by that virtue you were
spk_0: 53:58
getting enough information. Now at this point, right? So let's let's go and get it. There were many times where I had no money, nothing just walked in. My heart was gonna overheat. I'm not late to work that day. Call it work, um, screaming at the top of my lungs to believe like a certain informations and for my kids a couple times to see like a you. If you have to think it, you have to create. You have. Sometimes you just have to will things into existence as best you can. And if you're looking for outside information on everything, it can build the type of the type of bill that I get from just outside. Oh yeah, that's great. It's not strong enough to get me through the tough times. What gets me through the tough times is my own internal Dr Singh. So Enzo said, I'm so far in now I'm not looking back. Take a nuclear bomb to blow me off track in this thing and that also people far. So I'm not saying in Norwell advice or market indicators. I'm not a dog. I'm just saying, Be careful how much credit you give other people's opinion for urine and then so six. Say it more to yourself. Affirm it more to yourself more than you value. The other person's being back and I get Maybe this is different. If you're opening a chain restaurant at a particular intersection, I'm talking more for entrepreneurship as a whole.
spk_1: 55:27
Yeah, and that's a hard thing to do, especially if your first time entrepreneur you're getting really good, strong mentorship. It's it's hard to be able to believe that your opinion is, or your way of doing something is going to be better to have that confidence in someone who has a lot of experience and so
spk_0: 55:47
this interesting that that also brings back in the doubt in I bet, 99 times out of 100 the person who is fortunate enough to have strong mentorship, the mentor is gonna look right back at him and say, You have to learn to make a decision because this, this is something I found that having the train, I don't know. It seems like I have anywhere from 5 to 30 people that I need to give some of my time to, to get that business, to work in whatever way. But the goal is to get it to our business. Isn't Beach right? So I haven't quite made it to that point yet, but I'm on my way. Ask you So a lot of what you have to see it mid level development is making decisions be wrong. It's okay now, your job, and I don't give a lot of credit to the person who's listening. Who says Hey, don't don't give me that. I'll delegate be us, because that's what everyone says that you go somewhere. Things that get you get, You hire private cultural life, which whatever you say, Father doing Okay, let's just to f in simple for someone like me. I'll speak with little emotion on this. So we had to buy the company that I've been working independently. Yes, in 20. And it was gonna be a hell of a bill. I knew it was gonna suck a lot of time out of me. I was already tired of this anyway. Already want to do other things, but it's just so I had to do so sometimes it's like my dad used to say, If you had a small overall, it's not gonna get any prettier just just to get it over with. It was one of those moments is an entrepreneur I had elevated from stage once and now one of Steve's, too. But to get ready for slipstream for I gotta come back and do some fundamental things that stage two. But I wanted you the ego of me, and that was a fun. So I had to kind of buffalo. You do all that stuff and a lot of people a lot of people thought about you, but I knew I needed to do it, so I just wanted it. So I practiced after. After being here for a long time, I had to go back to that same mentality of the one. All right? I'm not gonna quit. I know this is gonna stop. I'm just gonna buckle. And here we go. And I'm just not about now. So have any that said, if I would have had a double down and triple quadruple down, the fun stuff would be happening It at the lower than it is right now. Because my ideas that I was having years ago, they were okay, They're nowhere. It's because what's happening right now, Like, right now, I mean, having no star podcast, they have I've met more people then I've ever had. And have you contacted me? And they're like, Hey, I heard about this, but I get You wanna help? Well, I used to work my ass off. Just You'll find a couple dollars for donations, for whatever particular cause or service. Lee, I was just looking at her own. So my old time, I want more time to go farm for money for this calls for that, cause that was a dumb idea. Now I'm gonna electronically enriching way more people. Now we can make a far bigger difference on name any subject, you freaking puppet master kidney. I want. So I had a lot to get to their and now I'm pretty happy with it. Fridge.
spk_1: 58:50
I feel like we could keep talking forever. You provided so much insight for me and to know Sarah or for understanding the mindset of somebody who moved for one place to another and started something completely from scratch. I've learned quite a bit from you about motivation and resilience. And it's just it's been just really fascinating to learn about about this place and about the community here and about its unique, you know, unique beauty and unique challenges. So you really you've colored the entire spectrum. I so appreciate your time was really, really wonderful meeting you.
spk_0: 59:30
Thanks for inviting me on. I appreciate it. I wish you'd absolutely
spk_1: 59:33
thank you. Thank you for listening to this episode of Entrepreneurial Minds by chatterbox. Our dedicated and on demand virtual executive assistant team specializes in supporting entrepreneurs and business owners with pretty much any admin task. Go to chatter boss dot com to learn more