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Old June 26, 2013, 06:35 AM
Ankesh's Avatar
Ankesh Ankesh is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mumbai, India
Posts: 692
Default Re: Looking for feedback

Thanks Cindy for posting your story and asking for advice on sowpub.

One question: how stuck are you on your idea?

From an outsiders point of view, I can clearly see the problem you are facing. You are trying to run before you can crawl. Trying to do too much.

The lesson from your analogy of floors for learning a language - is applicable to running a business too. First go for the first floor. Then the second floor. Then the third.

My recommendation is this:

1. Narrow your focus. Select only 2 languages. English and one more. Other languages can come later on.

2. Find an already existing marketplace. I am sure there are forums where people who want to learn a new language hang out. I am sure there are websites where you can signup as a tutor and earn an hourly fee for teaching a new language to someone else over skype or something. Yes, earning an hourly wage is not advisable for the long term. But it is a good first floor. Start with 1 student before you aim for 100.

3. Create small tools that promote you. One idea is this: create an app that shares the most common 500 words and their translations. Then create another app for most common phrases a tourist may use. These apps would do very well for cellphone users. Why focus on cellphone users before computer users? Because cellphones already provide you with a platform - a marketplace. For eg: look at this simple app - downloaded over a 100,000 times:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...enfr.c &hl=en

Build an email list by giving away these apps. Maybe even come up with a $3 pro app - with audio.

Build your audience by leveraging marketplaces.

4. Then focus on the website and your big plan.

One positioning idea: be the opposite. Everyone comes up with "learn a language in 7 days" products. You will be noticed if you take the opposite approach: learn a language slowly. Setup domains like learnfrenchslowly.com and learnspanishslowly.com and so on.

Let people know that they can learn a new language without getting overwhelmed - and they can just read 1 or 2 paragraphs a day and learn from it.

(Getrichslowly.org grew very very quickly in the market hyped with get rich quick schemes. Model after them.)

Once you are profitable, you can start a new language and do the same with it. Start with forums. Create apps. And then build your library.
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