What does it take to become a master, or be the best at something? I think most people would say, to never stop, to persevere, or to have enormous passion. I say that this viewpoint dilutes the journey of becoming a master. Without a doubt, it is important to continue toward your goals with passion, but not in the sense of forging ahead or forcing outcomes. A master learns, applies, makes mistakes, learns from the mistakes, tries again, makes more mistakes, tries again, celebrates victories, and learns more all over again, while appreciating every experience. The choices made during the journey are what makes a master, a master.

I took the opportunity to interview a man on the mission of becoming the best in his industry, Charles Thornburgh. His current company, Civitas Learning ® , (derived from the Latin Civitas for community) was started in 2011 and aims to use leading-edge technology combined with data science strategies to inform higher education institutions of student learning pathways to improve students success. Data science strategies, you say? Yes, he and his team have combined multiple methods of data analysis and predictive modeling to provide higher education institutions with actionable insights that help students complete college.

With such a great mission, I couldn’t wait to gain some insights of my own. Here are the questions and responses from the interview with Charles.

 AMM: How many companies have you started?

Charles: “I’ve started four companies from pen to paper, and an additional three businesses within the Kaplan enterprise as their in-house entrepreneur.”

AMM: What does it take to be successful at starting, running, and growing a business?

Charles: “I get asked this a lot and may end up talking some out of forming their start up when I make clear the complete commitment, passion and perspective required. There’s also a lot of work building understanding of the industry before ever beginning the actual start up.”

 AMM: Why did you choose the EdTech space?

Charles: “Actually, I stumbled upon it. In high school, I took a test prep class just to follow a girl that I liked. However in that process, I found a passion for teaching and tutored throughout my undergraduate career in Stanford. Upon graduating, I bought an EdTech business and I’ve remained in EdTech ever since. I like the double bottom line of building a sustainable business that does ‘social good.”

 AMM: What is Civitas Learning’s mission or vision?

Charles: “We are focused on making the most of the world’s learning data to help a million more students per year graduate by 2025. It sounds unachievable, but with a strongly committed community of forward thinking partners, we can do this. We are already seeing significant retentions and persistence improvements that track to meet that goal.”

 AMM: What have been the greatest challenges?

Charles: “Many people assume that raising money is the hardest challenge, but it isn’t. When you’re doing good work, investors actually reach out to you. I was trained to look for venture capitalists that were the right fit for our mission and vision. The biggest challenge is raising enough talent. We’re moving fast and continue to strive to bring in the best and brightest, who in turn inspire each other to do their best work.”

 AMM: Civitas was voted by Austin Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work in 2014 and 2015. What earned the company this notoriety?

Charles: “We clearly defined our mission, which attracted great people. Smart people are intrigued by the opportunity to work with other smart people to solve big problems and do ‘social good.”

 AMM: What advice would you give to business owners growing their start-up or small business to the next level?

Charles: 

1. “Be clear about your venture, and your ambition and commitment around it. You have to be relentless in your pursuit of your goals.

2. Create alignment from top to bottom throughout your organization.

3. Solve a really big problem. Make it clear where you are going by having clear goals and impact numbers. Hire the best talent to work with you, and listen to their ideas.”

Clearly, this is a man moved by the mission of mastery. Anyone who has the opportunity to meet Charles will quickly see that he has drive, is intelligent, and is focused on making a big impact. However what impacted me the most is that he is a leader who listens … listens to the needs of the industry, listens to his executives and employees, and listens to his gut. Making a point to listen has informed his choices along the journey to becoming the best in his industry.

What is your company’s mission or what big impact is your company focused on making?