About

TL; DR – We’re here to create more good folks in the world, who win, who do good folk things, and who create even more good folks on their own.

Arthur

Why we exist

Humble beginnings

From a young age, I always found lots of joy in helping raise the level of performance of those around me, whether it was grade school classmates who struggled to memorize multiplication tables, friends who sucked at basketball (I figured the more I could whip into shape, the more people I would have to scrimmage with), and later providing high schoolers help with college applications and writing college essays that worked.

Why? Because I was bored (it gets boring at the top…..I figured being the only one that’s succeeding sucks because life is much better when my friends could participate alongside me) and I could, I was good at it, and I enjoyed it.

When I was in the corporate world, I started taking less experienced coworkers under my wing. I liked helping good people -- who were motivated for the right reasons -- win in life.

Selfishly, I continue to help people realize their potential because of the feeling I get, and also because I know if I help them win, it will help me win in the long run also – the rising tide lifts all boats.

I think of it as "selfish altruism."

How we realized there was a serious problem not being solved

A few years after graduating from UC Berkeley, I noticed many of my former classmates struggling to find steady, decent employment to get their careers off the ground. That’s a far cry from the lofty aspirations I remember some of them having when we were college students.

If people from Berkeley, the number one public university in the world, were struggling, then what about others? According to Bloomberg, 44% of recent graduates are underemployed. That’s unacceptable.

After completing graduate school at Columbia University, I again witnessed the same thing.

That’s when we realized, it’s not about how to get INTO college, but rather it’s that PLUS what you can use your degree for.

Who we work for

We help you go beyond simply getting into college, but also how to find your first job and jump-start your career, as that’s what really matters. We’re here for people who prioritize long-term thinking, who believe in doing things the right way.

What that looks like in practice

We help you get into college and beyond, to get what you want in life, by becoming a person of high value and developing the ability to demonstrate that value.

In a way, we're like doctors. We draw on our previous experiences in K-12 education and counseling to help you discover your strengths, then we use our business-to-business sales expertise to help you differentiate and promote yourself throughout your academic and professional career.

Here's what Chris did to get accepted into college and eventually make his way to a position at Google:

“Education only creates opportunity, knowing how to leverage that creates results. RizeU provided invaluable guidance during the entire college application process, helping me 1) avoid common application pitfalls and 2) optimize my portfolio to help me stand out. I learned the importance of maximizing real world experience and developed tools to secure internships and campus research opportunities. By graduation, I further stood out from my peers with 1.5 years equivalent of STEM experience. It didn’t end there, as I received guidance on customizing an eye-catching resume in this competitive job market. The focus is consistently to identify, leverage, and present what’s special about me.”

-Chris (Google)

How we learned that helping others helps us

Previous sales experiences

Selling coupon booklets door-to-door to raise funds for sports teams I played on
Cold approaching people on the street in Latin America to recruit clients for my English consulting business
Selling complex software and service solutions to businesses in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America
Through all that, I learned that genuinely trying to solve people’s problems and gaining their trust (I have even told existing clients to fire me when I discovered we were no longer a good fit) is the most effective way to get what I wanted.

Past exposure to leaders

I have been exposed to so many leaders (great, terrible, and everything in between) throughout the years that we have experienced firsthand what works best in getting others to follow you.

Long-term thinking, trust, adding value, adaptability

We live by that, and we pass that on to you to help good people win the right way
We instill those four values into you to help you develop and promote yourself, to get you what you want in your academic and professional career.

Complete the form now to learn more about how you can set yourself up on the best path forward.

The first consultation is free, and there’s no obligation to sign up.

If you do, we’re excited to have you on board.

If not, you’ll at least have gotten some free advice from us.