Bill is the founder and CEO of Raise Ready Kids (raisereadykids.com), which helps families build strong learning cultures at home. He also serves as board chair at Family Engagement Lab, a nonprofit that creates digital products to help schools engage families, and as a member of the board at GreatSchools, the nation’s leading guide to K-12 schools and education.
Previously, Bill founded and served as CEO of GreatSchools for 18 years. Prior to founding GreatSchools, Bill spent three years teaching in China and the U.S. and was involved in the startup of two computer networking companies.
He has served as a member of the California P-16 Council, a director of the San Francisco Education Fund, and as treasurer for two San Francisco school financing measures. A former Coro Foundation Fellow, he is a member of the board at Coro Northern California.
The father of two daughters in high-school, Bill holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University.
Sneak Peek Into What You’ll Learn…
02:41 – Bill tells us more about GreatSchools and the organization’s goals.
03:40 – Bill shares his journey that led him to China, the CORO Fellowship, to high tech, and ultimately to founding GreatSchools.
05:36 – Bill discusses the early days of GreatSchools, incubating it inside of another organization, and growing it to now covering schools across the country.
08:48 – We learn the advice Bill would give to entrepreneurs who wonder if they should start their organization as a non-profit or a for-profit.
12:40 – From the CEO perspective, Bill discusses how workplace cultures have evolved to be more supportive of working parents.
14:48 – Bill talks about the biggest challenges they’ve faced over the years in growing GreatSchools.
16:33 – Bill shares what he knows now that he wished he knew as an early stage entrepreneur.
19:25 – Bill discusses the advice he would give to parents trying to decide what type of school their children should attend.
28:15 – Bill outlines what parents should consider when trying to find a school for their children that’s a great match.
32:26 – Bill tells us about his new venture, Raise Ready Kids.
39:56 – Bill shares more about his family life and how his family juggled the early days of building GreatSchools with raising two daughters.
46:20 – Bill gives advice for parents who are trying to encourage their partners to lean in further into childcare and domestic responsibilities.
50:45 – Bill shares what he would say to dads who wants to be more present in their kids’ day-to-day life but who have concerns about stigma in the workplace.
53:55 – Bill discusses the personal habits he has cultivated that help him to be successful.
57:13 – Brass Tacks— The lightning round of concrete advice and tips.
Quotable quotes:
- “When transparency meets the internet, it’s a powerful thing…consumer education and consumer awareness gives new power to consumers and people looking to better their lives.”
- “As your kids get older, pay more attention to the school environment and to finding the right match.”
- “The gift you really want to give your kid, and you really want to try not to mess up on this if possible, is to care about learning and growing and ideas and knowledge and curiosity.”
Share the Show
If you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends and give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts. Click here to subscribe.
Links to Resources
Raise Ready Kids www.raisereadykids.com
Great Schools www.greatschools.org
