Austin Buchan's guest appearances

Austin Buchan

Famous Failures

The Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Podcast

Whitney Johnson

Dorie Clark

Julie Zhuo

Tim Urban

Rachel Simmons

Laura Vanderkam

LeBron James

Nir Eyal

Cathy Heller

Gretchen Rubin

James Clear

Chris Kresser

Nadya Okamoto

Srinivas Rao

Rob Walker

OwlTail

Welcome to a new episode of the Grow Ensemble Podcast. In today’s episode, we speak with Austin Buchan, the CEO of College Forward, a non-profit based in Austin, Texas. In our chat, we cover a lot, but a few things specifically that you will get a lot of value from. First and foremost, we talk about College Forward’s evolution and how they have and are innovating in response to customer, in their case, student feedback. We also talk about the challenges for both Austin and the organization in his transition to taking over as CEO for a founder. Finally, we talk about the inherent contradiction that College Forward is facing in attempting to solve the social problem and as well, creating a long-term sustainable business. So don’t miss out and be sure to listen in to today’s episode!

Welcome to a new episode of the Grow Ensemble Podcast. In today’s episode, we speak with Austin Buchan, the CEO of College Forward, a non-profit based in Austin, Texas. In our chat, we cover a lot, but a few things specifically that you will get a lot of value from. First and foremost, we talk about College Forward’s evolution and how they have and are innovating in response to customer, in their case, student feedback. We also talk about the challenges for both Austin and the organization in his transition to taking over as CEO for a founder. Finally, we talk about the inherent contradiction that College Forward is facing in attempting to solve the social problem and as well, creating a long-term sustainable business. So don’t miss out and be sure to listen in to today’s episode!

#05 - Listening to Feedback to Get 13,000+ Students To & Through College & Using Software as a Service to Solve Social Problems at Scale with Austin Buchan, CEO of College Forward

Austin Buchan is the CEO of College Forward, which is a nonprofit that coaches students from underserved backgrounds to achieve the benefits of higher education and a college degree.  One of the central tenants of College Forward is the belief that everyone who wants to go to college can go to college. College Forward helps universities build and implement student coaching programs that increase retention, persistence, and graduation. Connect with Austin on Twitter and learn more about College Forward at this link. In the episode, Austin and I discuss:  How Austin got started in education by building a program for high school students on a rural island in Nicaragua The one practice that all university presidents should institute and the one practice they should eliminate Why the students that College Forward serves have more grit and perseverance than most of the population The notable failures that Austin experienced as the CEO for College Forward How to create an environment where employees are willing to raise their hands and challenge the leadership How to know when to kill a project that you started.  - Get your FREE copy of my e-book. Text OZAN to 345345 or navigate to weeklycontrarian.com to download a free copy of my e-book, The Contrarian Handbook: 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, you’ll get the Weekly Contrarian — a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only). Don’t want to miss future episodes? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on iTunes or Google Play. As always, thanks for listening. 

Austin Buchan is the CEO of <a href="http://collegeforward.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">College Forward</a>, which is a nonprofit that coaches students from underserved backgrounds to achieve the benefits of higher education and a college degree.  One of the central tenants of College Forward is the belief that everyone who wants to go to college can go to college. College Forward helps universities build and implement student coaching programs that increase retention, persistence, and graduation. Connect with Austin <a href="https://twitter.com/austin_buchan?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on Twitter</a> and learn more about College Forward at <a href="http://collegeforward.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this link</a>. In the episode, Austin and I discuss: <ul> <li>How Austin got started in education by building a program for high school students on a rural island in Nicaragua</li> <li>The one practice that all university presidents should institute and the one practice they should eliminate</li> <li>Why the students that College Forward serves have more grit and perseverance than most of the population</li> <li>The notable failures that Austin experienced as the CEO for College Forward</li> <li>How to create an environment where employees are willing to raise their hands and challenge the leadership</li> <li>How to know when to kill a project that you started.</li> </ul> - Get your FREE copy of my e-book. Text OZAN to 345345 or navigate to <a href="http://weeklycontrarian.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">weeklycontrarian.com</a> to download a free copy of my e-book, The Contrarian Handbook: 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, you’ll get the Weekly Contrarian — a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only). Don’t want to miss future episodes? Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on iTunes or Google Play. As always, thanks for listening.

Austin Buchan on Democratizing Access to College and Helping Students Cope with Failure