The Kate Languages Podcast - S9 Ep4 - Restarting an education business - what I'd do differently

Episode 4 of Season 9 of the Kate Languages Podcast was my "businessy" episode of the season - something I include in most seasons to support those of you who are leaving teaching, setting up side hustles, or building tuition businesses. After nearly eight years of running my own education business, I've learned quite a lot along the way, and I'm excited to share my insights with you.

Here is a summary of the episode - to listen to the whole thing, click "play" above.

Introduction: Would I Change Anything?

This episode was inspired by a question someone asked me for a Q&A episode: "What would you do differently if you started your business again?" My initial response is somewhat paradoxical - nothing! I love where my business is now and I'm proud of everything I've built, including all the mistakes I've made along the way. There's a part of me that feels if I had done things differently, I might not have ended up where I am today.

So instead of focusing on what I would change about Kate Languages specifically, I'll share what I would do if I were starting a brand new education business in 2025, based on everything I've learned.

Before diving into my main points, one thing I would never change is my approach to just getting started. Don't spend too much time planning and worrying - just crack on with it! Sometimes things will fail spectacularly (I did an entire episode about my biggest failures), but I don't regret any of them because they've been valuable learning experiences.

1. Focus on One Thing

When I started my business, I did everything - tuition for people aged 5 to 85, in-person lessons, online lessons, general language teaching, exam preparation... you name it! This was partly out of necessity (I needed to earn money) and partly because I didn't know what I wanted to focus on.

If you're in that position, it's okay to try different things initially. But if you want to build a successful long-term business, I recommend focusing on one primary area. This doesn't mean you need to be extremely niche (like only teaching Year 11 girls Spanish GCSE preparation!), but having a clear focus gives you direction and helps you channel your energy effectively.

This might sound hypocritical coming from me, as I now do both resources and teacher training. But it's worth noting that my resources business took years to build - I had to establish my reputation first. My advice is:

• If you're keeping teaching as your main job and running a side hustle, you can experiment more
• If you're leaving teaching completely, you might need multiple income streams initially (like tuition plus resources)
• Eventually, try to become known primarily for one thing - for me, that's teaching resources, with CPD as a complementary offering

I briefly ventured into physical products too (selling teacher planners), and while people loved them, I hated packing them up and taking them to the post office! The profit margins were terrible as well. This experience taught me that product-based businesses weren't for me - another valuable lesson I wouldn't have learned without trying.

2. Be More Strategic with Marketing from the Start

If I were starting a new business today, I'd be much more intentional about marketing from day one. Looking back at my early social media presence, I had no idea what I was doing - there was even a whole year where I didn't post anything on Instagram!

Here's what I'd focus on:

Consistency: Show up regularly on your chosen platforms (this doesn't mean daily - 2-3 times a week is fine, but it needs to be consistent).

Branding: Think carefully about your logo, brand colours, and visual identity. I love the two shades of blue I use for Kate Languages - hopefully, when people see those colours with white, they immediately associate them with my brand. If you're picturing my branding now, can you see those blues? If not, I need to work on that!

Authentic voice: Your branding includes how you communicate. Be yourself and show up with confidence, even when you don't feel confident. As I've got older, I care less about what others think, which is liberating. If people don't like you, that's their problem!

Consistency in voice: Don't be sweary and brash one day, then sweet and gentle the next. My husband jokes that I'm just a slightly "chirpier" version of my real self online, which feels about right - authentic but not radically different from who I am in person.

In today's world, having a personal brand is essential for an education business. Whether you're offering tuition, workshops, or resources, you need to be the face and voice behind the brand. You can't succeed as a faceless entity - personality matters.

One final marketing tip: start building an email list as early as possible. This is one of my most valuable business assets today.

3. Charge More from the Beginning

When I first started offering tuition, I charged about £25 per hour. For resources, I sold items for as little as £2.50. I had this idea that I would sell high volumes at low prices, but this approach created resentment - I'd get excited about a sale notification only to find I'd earned a tiny amount (especially after platform fees).

Now I charge £97 per year for each language subscription and £550 for my "Buy Everything" package. Some people say this is beyond their reach, which I understand (many took advantage of my 60% Black Friday discount). But I feel much more aligned with these prices - I genuinely do a happy dance whenever someone purchases a subscription or "Buy Everything" now!

The biggest revelation for me was working on my "money mindset" - a concept I only discovered about two years ago. I realized that how much money you earn has almost nothing to do with external factors and everything to do with your own beliefs about money.

I recommend checking out Denise Duffield-Thomas's "Chill and Prosper" podcast to learn more. When I first wrote down my "money blocks" (limiting beliefs about money from childhood), I was shocked to discover how much they were holding me back. One major block was believing I shouldn't earn more than I would as a teacher.

When setting your prices:

• Consider your location and cost of living
• Think about what feels right to you
• Ask yourself: "If I get a sale at this price, will I resent it or be happy?"
• Review and increase your prices regularly (at least annually)

Running a business requires significant inner work - understanding your authentic voice, building confidence, and addressing money mindset issues. Don't be afraid to invest in yourself through courses, coaching, or counselling. The return on investment is always worth it (and as I say this, I realize I should take my own advice and finally hire a business coach!).

What Will You Implement?

If you're building an education business, I'd love to know which of these ideas you're going to implement:

• Will you niche down and focus on one core offering?
• Are you going to show up more consistently on social media?
• Will you develop clearer brand guidelines for yourself?
• Are you going to raise your prices?

Let me know, and I'll help hold you accountable!

If you'd like more content like this, I share business and marketing tips weekly with my "close friends" list on Instagram. Just DM me "close friends" (@KateLanguages), and I'll add you.