How it all started
Johnny here with LessonSpeak. We create beautiful downloadable language education lessons for teachers and coaches.
It all started out of necessity but it became something so much more. Looking back, this project demonstrated a commitment to something that I wanted in my life forever… education. I’ve always been a content creator at heart, I just hated to admit it because the industry was full of unauthentic influencers that I really didn’t vibe with. When I started LessonSpeak, I had already tried a few different content avenues and learned a lot. My goal was to provide more than just entertainment… I wanted to provide real VALUE to people.
It’s 2018 and I just made a huge change in my life and moved to Europe, permanently. I knew that teaching or education is something that always excited me so I pursued jobs in that field. Although I had a big chunk of cash to sustain my life, I needed a more reliable income stream. With some experience in tutoring, I decided to delve back into this type of work. Problem was, I was OBSESSED with taking actions that improved certain skill sets. I refused to tutor what I used to tutor because I wanted to practice a skill that I would use in the future. I decided at some point that I would teach English.
My English teaching career started once I was accepted at iTutorgroup, a Chinese company that targeted higher income individuals who wanted speaking practice. I learned very quickly that these students were not getting a quality learning experience and ideas started circulating in my head on how it could be improved. I actually screen recorded one of my sessions and published it one Youtube, which is currently my most popular video on my personal Youtube channel. This was after I got frustrated with the job because I got a bad review, which wasn’t even my fault, that resulted in a temporary suspension. I saw my job at iTutorgroup going down the drain so I started to take certain ideas more seriously. I wanted to demonstrate transparency into what the English teaching industry was like and what learners are actually getting. I actually enjoyed teaching in this way but I also saw that there was tremendous room for improvement. I started downloading the curriculum that I was given from that job so that I have something to use when I get fired, which ended up happening in a very odd way. One day, I just got an email saying that I was terminated because I was not professional in a specific lesson and when I asked to see the recording, they simply didn’t let me see it. I knew this day would come and I was prepared.
When I was let go from iTutorgroup, I actually felt “at peace”. I somehow was free to find my own clients and teach them with a method that would actually give them results. I used various marketplace websites to find my first clients and I started ramping up my freelance teaching career. At some point, I realized that the curriculum I had was simply not up to par and I needed to get some better learning material. I searched and searched and I would always come across low-quality curriculum that was, to put it simply, embarrassing for me to use. I resented using what I had because I knew that I wasn’t delivering a quality experience to my learners all the while me the teacher was going through torture. I decided I would make my own curriculum so that the whole experience is better for both the learners and the teachers.
Now every time I end a lesson, I feel accomplished and fulfilled. That is because I’ve developed a curriculum that actually delivers results and provides a good experience to both me, the teacher and the learner. I set a goal and started pumping out curriculum on a regular basis. Over time, the curriculum grew and adapted. It improved. Eventually, it became more coaching than teaching and that is when I started making real money. I made the transition from teacher to coach, without even knowing it and this curriculum made it possible.
The goal of LessonSpeak curriculum has always been to deliver the best learning experience while giving the teacher a good experience as well. Now, it is currently 2022 and I’ve been developing curriculum for over 3 years now. My current goal with LessonSpeak is to get to 100 products on my online store and make enough through just that to cover my monthly expenses. In order to achieve this goal, I’ve started committing more time to raising awareness so that more teachers can deliver exceptional lessons with LessonSpeak curriculum. With this curriculum, I can confidently deliver top-quality learning experiences and give my learners the confidence they need to speak fluently in all situations.
I hope you enjoyed this story. Check out the freebies section on LessonSpeak.com to get some free curriculum to use in your next English lesson right now!