Why I Decided to Delete my Facebook Group After 3.5 Productive Years
In one of her recent podcasts Jocelyn K. Glei shared a quote by Clayton Christensen, “Questions are what opens up space in your mind for an answer. If you don’t ask a question then the answer has nowhere to go.” A week ago we had a lively discussion in the...
A Practical Guide to Deal with Overwhelm When You Run an Online Teaching Business
Do you know that one of the definitions of the word "overwhelm" is to be sucked into the swamp? All my childhood I heard horror stories of people who were sucked into the swamps. Nobody was there to help them, and the swamp devoured them without a trace. The...
An Open Letter to the Exhausted Online Teacher
My Dear Friend, When you read this letter, I will be in a different place. I’m not sure what it will look like and how I get there. You might be frustrated that I left you all by yourself when you’re stuck and overwhelmed, but I had no choice. I felt like both...
How to increase online course sales (and still keep your friends)
Here’s a persistent trend I’ve seen this year: Meet "Jane," a teacher of Japanese who is exhausted from her 1:1 online lessons. She decides to create an online course (priced at $100) and sell 10 of them monthly to boost her income and free up some time. ...
How to Use Creative Storytelling in Your Marketing
“Storytelling is more than simply an art – it is a crucial skill for life and commerce.” - Tim Lott Which is easier for a child to comprehend? "2 plus 2 equals 4 (repeat 10 times and memorize)." OR "I have 2 apples, then a friend brings me 2 more. How...
3 Things to Fix When Your Online Course Doesn’t Sell
You’ve spent months working on your brand new online course. You’ve read marketing books. Watched webinars. You’re excited and filled with entrepreneurial fervor. Now you publish your course so it’s visible to thousands of potential clients online, and you wait...
6 Sneaky Lies About Teaching Languages Online
No distraction, fix, frivolity, or formula will provide what the balm of truth can. ~ Ruth Chou Simons When I was in elementary school, I used to envy teachers’ kids. I felt like by virtue of living in the same household with a teacher, they were privileged to...
10 painful truths about teaching languages online
How would you like to get a book review that goes like this, “It is hands-on, very clear and concise, and full of the information you don't want to hear. But it is exactly what you need to hear.” This is one of the Amazon reviews of our book. I...
How to Tone Down Paternalistic and Salesy Language in Your Newsletters
You’re re-reading your own newsletter for the 50th time trying to make it sound natural and authentic. But despite your best efforts, what comes through is repulsive: cold, paternalistic and salesy. It’s like reverse psychology in action: you focus on not...