Earn more, work less, and finally feel confident running your successful freelance language teaching business.
Designed to Flourish is my six-month deep-dive group programme that shows you exactly how to design and market your business so you can call in consistent right-fit clients—without burning yourself out or endlessly guessing at what works.
This isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about building a sustainable, scalable business model that truly reflects your skills, experience, and passion—so you can stop over-delivering and undercharging, and start thriving.
With nearly 150 successful alumni, over more than 5 years, this six month hands-on mentoring, coaching and training programme is tried and tested, and genuinely changes lives.
Imagine how different things could feel if you…
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Understood exactly who your ideal higher-paying client is – and how to attract them with ease.
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Had a stand-out offer that gets your clients real results, while enabling you to work smarter, not harder.
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Knew what to say in your posts and emails to call in consistent, right-fit leads – rather than feeling pressure to take on anyone who asks.
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Felt confident in your ability to bring in a good income, doing work you love, without second-guessing yourself.
That’s the transformation Designed to Flourish is built for.
Proof it works:
“I went from working 6–7 days a week with 60+ contact hours to working 3.5 days a week. My income is higher, I have a niche I love, and I finally feel in control of my business. Go for it—best investment I’ve ever made.”
— Beata Palinska
“Before the course I was overwhelmed, underpaid, and unsure where to start. Now I have a clear niche, a business model I believe in, and €5.5k/month income working half the hours. It has been the best investment of my career.”
— Diana Bolgare
“If you’re on the fence, you should absolutely go for it. While this was the most expensive thing I’d ever bought, it would have taken me four times as long to get where I am now without it.”
— Sam Venables
That’s what happens when you stop trying to figure it all out alone and instead follow a proven process, with feedback, accountability, and support at every step.
It’s time to step into being a confident business owner, rather than a semi-apologetic freelancer, who fits in a bit of marketing on the side.
What makes Designed to Flourish different?
Most freelance language teaching professionals want to know how to:
– Generate consistent right-fit clients without spending hours on social media.
– Optimise their business model and offers so they can work less while still earning more.
The truth is, figuring out how to do this on your own can take years of trial and error. Designed to Flourish gives you a clear, proven process, personalised to your business, so you can get off the hamster wheel of endless lessons and undercharging for your precious time.
Here’s what sets this programme apart:
The Offer Accelerator – In your first two months, you’ll take part in three small-cohort coaching calls (3–6 people), focused entirely on your niche and offer. By the end, you’ll have a validated, results-driven offer you feel confident about marketing.
Personalised support inside a small group – With just 9–15 people per round, you get the intimacy of 1:1 feedback and the energy of group learning. You’ll also have accountability pods to keep you on track.
Detailed feedback on your work – From your offer design to your website copy, you won’t be left second-guessing. You’ll get video feedback, strategy calls, and even copy support from my associate coach, Jennifer Murray.
CustomGPTs – These AI-powered guides, built with my own processes and feedback, give you on-demand help between calls. It’s like having me in your back pocket whenever you need clarity.
Community and alumni network – You’ll join a supportive Slack space during the programme and stay connected with alumni long after. Collaboration and referrals flow naturally here.
Integration of mindset, messaging, and strategy – Because business growth isn’t just about tactics. We’ll also tackle money mindset, visibility fears, and the beliefs that keep you overgiving and undercharging.
Peer support & community
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
One of the biggest shifts clients experience in Designed to Flourish is the relief of working alongside peers who get it.
You’ll start in a small cohort of just 3–6 people, moving through the early modules together.
You’ll form accountability pods (2–3 people) to keep you motivated and on track.
You’ll join a thriving Slack community where questions are answered quickly and support flows both ways.
And when you finish, you’ll stay connected in the alumni group – a place for networking, collaboration, and continued encouragement.
This is more than coaching – it’s a professional community where collaboration often leads to faster audience growth, referrals, and opportunities.
The Designed to Flourish system
Designed to Flourish isn’t a collection of tips — it’s a step-by-step process that takes you from unclear and overworked to confident business owner with a scalable, sustainable business.
You start with the Intro Module, which you can get started on as soon as you sign up. It helps you manage your time and energy more effectively, clarify your strengths and values, and set the foundations for choosing the right niche and offer.
From there, we move through the six core modules:
Module 1
Defining (or refining) your perfect niche, client and offer
Trying to please everyone makes it impossible to stand out and show your true value, and keeps you stuck in that race to the bottom.
When we nail what makes you stand out you won’t be competing in a saturated market any more, because people will instantly know why they should choose YOU.
The videos, my Custom GPT and the Offer Accelerator sessions will help you to ….
Finally pin down that niche that is a perfect combination of your skills, experience and passion, and what your ideal clients really want and are happy to pay for.
Module 2- Designing and beta-testing your stand-out offer
Vague offers and promises of ‘fluency’ and ”confidence’ don’t sell.
Getting your offer spot-on is totally game-changing for your clients, and makes it crystal clear why they should invest.
As the writer of many published courses, an experienced CELTA/DELTA tutor, and someone with 30+ years of
experience in the field, I’m exactly the right person to help you answer the question..‘What should I include in my offer to help my clients get the best results, AND reduce the amount of work I need to put in?’
As well as the help from my custom GPT, and in our Offer Accelerator sessions, I’ll also give you detailed video feedback on your offer and, if appropriate, I’ll also help you work out how to beta test your offer to get feedback, testimonials- and a quick cash injection too!
Module 3- Creating your compelling brand and core messaging
What do educators have to do with branding? More than you might think.
Your brand isn’t just a logo—it’s the message that makes you the clear choice for your ideal clients. It’s how you show up, what you stand for, and why people trust you.
In this module, you’ll define those key messages and learn how to express them—on social media, your website, and beyond.
You’ll refine your social media profile(s) and create a website that doesn’t just inform but actively guides visitors towards working with you.
I’ll give you an effective but completely flexible website template (and if you wish some help from my CustomGPT) to write the copy for your website – which will form the heart of your marketing strategy, even if you’re not yet ready to create a full site.
With what you create, and the detailed feedback you receive, I’ll offer you options, such as a simple Canva website (template provided), a sales PDF, or a full site, so you can get going whatever stage you’re at.
You’ll build a brand that makes you visible, memorable, and the natural go to person in your niche for your ideal clients.
Module 4- Marketing that attracts your ideal clients
Marketing isn’t just about promotion—it’s about connection. To attract the right clients, you need a strategy that builds trust, nurtures relationships, and makes your offer the natural next step.
In this module, you’ll learn how to get visible in the right places, use social media effectively (or develop alternative strategies) , and create content that grows your audience of potential ideal clients.
I’ll help you know exactly what kind of content you need to be putting out to help clients at different stages of the buyer journey, and learn how to plan a strategy which is easy and sustainable to implement without spending half your life on social media. I’ll also show you how to train ChatGPT to support you, without turning into a robot that sounds like everyone else.
By the end, you’ll have a clear content strategy and a set of content pillars that make marketing feel natural, consistent, and fully aligned with your business.
Module 5 - From followers to leads and clients
Attracting an audience is just the beginning- turning followers into clients requires a clear, ethical, and strategic approach.
In this module, you’ll learn how to nurture your followers- guiding potential clients from first contact to confident yes.
You’ll explore how to bring people closer through a well-designed lead magnet and carefully selected ‘nurture containers’, how to create momentum through workshops or challenges, and how to generate leads in ways that feel natural and aligned with your values (no random spammy cold messaging here)
You’ll develop a clear strategy to attract, nurture and convert your ideal right-fit clients.
Module 6 - Selling with heart
In this final module we’ll look at how to sell effectively through DMs and sales calls—without feeling pushy—so you can confidently turn interest into income while building long-term relationships with the right clients.
But success isn’t just about what you do today, it’s also about the choices you make for the months and years ahead. So, as we come towards the end of the six months, we’ll also map out your next 6–12 months, refining your offers and marketing with a clear, intentional plan.
To bring it all together, you’ll get a 1:1 strategy call where we’ll review your plan, troubleshoot challenges, and ensure you’re set up for sustainable growth.
Every element of the Designed to Flourish System is carefully designed to help you and your business flourish – giving you:
Clarity that lights the way
Understand your niche and offers clearly so that you can grow with focus and ease.
Confidence to be visible
Share your work and sell naturally so that the right clients are drawn to work with you.
Skills for the long-term
Master the key skills of business, so that you stay in charge of your future.
Here’s what our time together looks like.
20+ hours of step-by step pre-recorded materials.
Learn the exact steps to design, set up and market your profitable business, from defining a niche, through programme design, to building a mailing list, to selling effectively without the sleaze.
Every module comes with a workbook, and specific tasks that mean you’re not just consuming content, but actually taking steps forward and implementing the advice.
With life-time access to updated versions, you’ll also always be able to refer back to it
Individual attention within a small group.
You’ll start as part of a small cohort, usually around 4-6 people who are starting at the same time as you. Your first task will be to create or further clarify your niche, your ideal client, and, of course, your stand out, saleable offer.
Over the first two months, as well as attending the wider group coaching sessions, we’ll also meet for the Offer Accelerator, three cohort-only small group coaching sessions, to make sure you’re super confident about your niche and offer before we start marketing and selling
Your cohort will also form accountability pairs or pods (2-3 people), who will be your closest ‘buddies’ throughout the process.
Twice a month we’ll have a group coaching session for all the cohorts together (usually between 9 and 15 participants) at either 9.30 am UK time on a Tuesday or 4pm UK time on a Thursday, to account for time zones.
This is where you’ll get the opportunity to work through tasks together around messaging, strategy and mindset, to talk through your plans and to get feedback and suggestions from me and my associate coach, copywriting expert Jennifer Murray.
With a small group like this, there’s plenty of individual attention, as well as the opportunity to learn from others’ challenges and questions.
Detailed personalised feedback, guidance, and accountability along the way.
Through the cohort based coaching, group coaching, peer support and feedback, detailed video feedback on your group programme ideas and your website copy, and a personal 1-2-1 towards the end of the programme, you’ll always know EXACTLY what you need to put in place for your specific language teaching related business, in order to successfully launch, grow and scale.
And on top of all of that, you can also ask any questions any time in the Slack community for the programme, an amazing hive mind with tons of experience and expertise in a wide range of areas. You’re never on your own with it all.
Finally, even when the six months is over, you’re not on your own. You’ll join my free Alumni group, for mutual support, networking and collaboration, and you’ll retain access to the programme materials for as long as the programme exists. You can even stay for a an extra 2 months at a reduced rate, or come back and re-join us, if you find you need that.
The community, both on the programme and afterwards in the alumni community, is amazing for both motivation and creating opportunities for collaboration and faster audience growth.
So, how much is it?
⭐ Life time access to 7 (including the intro module) in-depth recorded modules taking you through everything from niching, to creating your offer to marketing and selling it, with over 20 hours of video content (worth at least £2K)
⭐ The Offer Accelerator: 3 x 90 minute small cohort (usually 3-6 people) coaching around your niche, ideal client and offer (worth at least £750
⭐ Detailed personalised feedback on your programme or other core offer (worth at least 1K)
⭐ Access to six CustomGPTs, designed using my IP and methods, to support you in creating key business assets, including your offer design, your website copy, your content pillars and relevant ideas for posts, a perfectly aligned lead magnet, and a personalised plan and strategy for the next 6-12 months. (worth at least £1200)
⭐ 12 x 90 minute small group coaching sessions (worth at least £2K)
⭐ Access to a professional copy coach, specialising in working within the ELT field (worth at least 1K)
⭐ 1-2-1 private strategy session towards the end of the programme (worth £350)
⭐ Detailed feedback and copy suggestions for your website sales page (worth around 1K)
⭐ Canva one page website template that you can use and adapt if you’re not yet ready to create a full website (worth £49)
⭐ Bonus free access to my paid mini courses, the Non-Sleazy Sales Call Kit (£17), and The Happy Client Template Toolkit (£59)
⭐ Bonus ‘tech vault’ with a growing collection of how to videos and walkthroughs, showing you exactly how to set up the tech you need., plus two 90 minute drop in sessions with tech whizz, Cerian (worth at least £750)
⭐ Support from me and your peers and the ability to ask anything any time over six months and get ongoing community and support in my alumni group after you finish (priceless)
Total value around 10K (and that’s about what you would pay for this if you went to a non-specialist business coach)
Your investment will be £2997.
Pay in full or pay £333 a month for nine months.
Longer payment plans may also be available., just ask.
LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT GUARANTEE
If after the first two months, you don’t love the programme, or feel you’re not getting what you needed, you can leave with no hard feelings, and only pay £1500 (to reflect the front weighting of this programme)
Note that in that case you won’t retain ongoing access to the programme.
See what my clients think.
Before joining the programme, I was teaching up to 20 hours a week, mostly 1:1. Sometimes, I took on clients that I didn’t really want to work with, but I thought, ‘better a bird in the hand…’. I often felt too tired to work on my business, which meant I wasn’t able to change anything—it was a bit of a vicious circle.
I wasn’t sure to what extent the programme would help me with the marketing aspect of things or if I would get enough support in figuring out the best business model for me. But now, I have an action plan that allows me to put things into place step by step. I have written most of the content for my new group programme as well as the content for my new website—two huge milestones. I also have a much clearer idea about what to post on social media and what other options I could explore to market my course.
The personalised feedback is an outstanding feature of this programme. Having the content of my landing page, course brochure, and website checked has been invaluable. You know exactly what you are talking about, as you have a background in education and truly understand what your clients are going through. At the same time, you understand marketing—I haven’t come across a coach with this kind of skillset before.
For anyone on the fence, I’d say this programme and Rachael’s expertise are exactly what you need if you really want to change the way you work. There’s no way you can figure all these things out yourself—you need professional guidance. If that means being even busier for a few months, you can be sure it’s worth it. It’s the only way to leave behind your old mindset and stop the nonsensical system of charging hourly rates.
I would absolutely recommend this programme to any language teacher (EFL or MFL) teaching 1:1 online lessons and feeling trapped in endless hours of teaching and preparation. We need to make big changes to our businesses if we want to charge more and work smarter, and this programme covers that exceptionally well.
You care so, so much, and you really know you stuff. It’s clear that you have been walking the walk, and are actively tinkering, experimenting, innovating your business constantly, drawing your conclusions to then share them with your clients as well.
If you’re on the fence I’d say unless you need the money for food or rent right now, go for it. It’ll pay off multifold
A lot of people in our line of work are brilliant, creative, knowledgeable and passionate and many don’t have the deal they deserve. The programme is perfect for anyone working in our field who has an idea, feels passionately about what they do and would like to be more successful in an increasingly competitive freelance world.
Rachael will help you see for yourself what you can offer clients, what your strengths are, and what you need to do (and not do) in order to get to where you want to be.
As I said to someone recently who asked me about the course, ‘You should do it because you are worth it, the money you spend is an investment which you’ll recoup and some of what you’ll come away with will be priceless.’
Like many EFL freelance teachers I was mainly reliant on language schools with zero hours contracts. This worked quite well and I had a fairly good hourly rate, but my hours fluctuated and I didn’t feel I had much control other than the content of the lessons.
I’d had an idea in my mind for a couple of years, but I wasn’t sure if I could actually see through. During the course, as each element of growing business has been explored and given clear examples, I’ve realised that it is within my capabilities to make a success.
I think what this course has done is show me how to utilise all my skills, experience knowledge and personality to its best potential and I feel so positive about this project now.
This course has been transformational for me and I think it is perfect for anyone who is either feeling a bit defeated in their freelance work or has an idea that they’d like to explore but just don’t know how to get started.
I already had my own ELT business but I was working a lot of hours and not charging enough. Sometimes I wasn’t charging anything because I thought it would be rude to ask. I was not sure how to market my work and I was trying to cover too many bases.
I am now much more confident about setting prices that reflect the true value of my work, and negotiating better fees when necessary.
I would definitely recommend you and the programme, to anybody who feels a bit stuck, either in business or in life.
A little bit about me
When I started working as a coach for ELT professionals, after nearly 30 years in the business, I quickly realised that the single biggest cause of stress and burnout was the fact that almost everyone I spoke to was over-worked, underpaid, and undervalued.
If they were freelance or had their own business, they were over-delivering and undercharging.
I realised that I could combine my coaching skills with my business skills training and experience as a successful freelance business owner to help all the incredibly dedicated and talented freelance or would-be freelance educators out there design their business so that they could stop working all the hours, start to get paid properly, and feel really valued.
Since 2019, I’ve helped hundreds of language teaching freelancers to achieve this, and I know this is the most worthwhile impact I’ve been able to have throughout my career. And I absolutely love that!
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My team
Associate coach, expert ELT copywriter, Jennifer Murray.
I’m Jennifer Murray. I’ve been in ELT for over three decades now (!). First in the classroom, then as a DOS, a trainer, an editor, a publisher and more. I’ve certainly seen our industry from very different angles. I went freelance in 2019 and now own Best Words Copywriting. This is where I create online content and copy for ELT freelancers. And support business owners with their words in 121 copy coaching sessions. This part of my work is my happiest place.
It’s been a journey to get here, and not always easy. But I’ve been lucky enough to benefit from Rachael’s programme and her knowledge and ongoing support in the Alumni group. This has been absolutely crucial to building my business confidence. So, I’m thrilled to be an associate coach in Designed to Flourish.
Roughly every six weeks I run a focused copy coaching workshop for the group.
This is an opportunity to try things out and get live feedback, as well as learning from other people’s feedback, and are followed up by Copy Week, where you can submit copy for feedback in the Slack group. In between these sessions, I’m also in the Slack group to answer questions and help you get unstuck.
Success coach, Nicola Prentis
Nicola did this programme some years ago, and much to her surprise, took to entrepreneurship like a duck to water.
If there’s a strategy, she’s probably experimented with it, and as a result has tons of ideas and experience to share.
Nicola is ‘in charge’ of the help and questions channel on Slack, and your first port of call for questions. But you can also tag me or Jennifer if your question is more specific to us.
Nicola will also check in with you regularly to see if you’re getting stuck or need help.
Tech coach, virtual assistant and all round miracle worker, Cerian Scriven
Cerian is my right-hand woman when it comes to setting up and sorting out systems within the programme (and beyond).
Among many other things, she sends outreminders, and manages the calendar, my client management system, Dubsado, and runs the Monday and Friday Accountability channel in Slack.
She’s a good person to ask if you can’t access something.
She’s also very knowledge about techy stuff such as course platforms, email platforms, websites etc and runs a bi-monthly tech drop in session where you can ask her any questions you have, ro talk stuff through to find a good solution.
My in-company teaching business was thriving before the pandemic, but I was dropped like a hot stone by companies in March 2020.
I felt a huge shift in my confidence through the course. I relearned that I absolutely have what it takes to have a great business that I enjoy running. Two weeks ago I had a big meeting with a television company to open various workshops and classes online. I did my sales pitch with confidence – I really believed in myself and what I was selling. When prices came up, I used a few techniques I learned on the course and stuck to my guns. It felt so great when the email came in saying I had got the contract.
If you’re on the fence, do it, do it, do it. This is one of the best investments I’ve made in myself in my life.
Before I started the group programme, my business was doing fine. I was working 6-7 hours a day and charging between 35 and 65 euros an hour. But I wanted to be able to create a sleeker, more profitable business model and hopefully scale up.
I now feel more equipped to organize my business in a modern and professional way. The content was good – a very thorough insight into how I am working and how I need to move forward.
I think you are a very kind and understanding person. You have a wealth of knowledge and experience that you are happy to share. With you, the more I saw, the more I liked.
I initially hesitated over the price of the course vs the benefits of the course. It’s expensive and I trusted you to make it worth my while.
And you did.
I was worried about spending what seemed like a lot of money for the group course and on the fence myself for ages. I knew Rachael would be able to help me, but committing to all that cash was hard!
It’s a cliche, but every penny really was well spent. Rachael has helped me to understand what I want from my business and given me the tools to put the plans into action. It’s not a course that you finish and forget about – it’s really practical and gets you making changes as you go. Highly recommend!
When I started the programme I was teaching general English online on Preply but also on my own private website/scheduling system. I worked about 25 hours a week on average excluding planning. I was charging on average $30 an hour.
The programme has opened the door to many subjects such as marketing and messaging that I had no idea about. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is the course has pointed me in the right direction and given me the confidence to go for it.
I had 1000 ideas in my head of things I COULD do. Now, I have something concrete to focus on.
While this is the most expensive thing I have ever bought, I think it would have taken me over four times as long to get to the position I am today without the course.
I get that it can be really hard to commit to investing in your business, whether that’s an investment of time, money or both. It’s natural to hesitate and to focus on the cost.
But what people don’t always consider is that there is also a cost when you don’t make that investment.
Doing this programme is what will enable you to start earning more, without having to work harder and harder to stay afloat.
I’ve honestly lost count of the number of times I’ve heard, ‘I wish I’d done this sooner…’
still wondering if it’s for you?
who is designed to flourish for?
It’s for if you have or want to have a freelance language teaching related business. You might be a teacher, or a teacher trainer, or consultant, or self-publish, or have an asynchronous digital course, or run a small bricks and mortar language school. One of the things which distinguishes me from other business coaches in our field is that my programme doesn’t focus on just one type of offer (not that there is anything wrong with that).
My aim is to give you a clear understanding or exactly how to create, market and sell ANY kind of offer, as a confident and empowered business owner. Think DELTA not CELTA.
It’s for you, whether you are experienced at what you do but new(er) to business, or if you already have a business , but it’s feeling like just too much of a struggle.
If your business is actually doing pretty OK, but you now want to scale and grow- check out Project Bloom.
I REALLY WANT 1-2-1 HELP INSTEAD OF A GROUP PROGRAMME
This is not your usual group programme where you feel lost in the group, and not sure if you’re implementing things correctly. The group is small (around 9 to 15), which means you’ll be getting 1-2-1 coaching within the group sessions, as well as learning from others in a similar position.
We kick off the programme with three in-depth small group coaching calls with just your cohort (usually 4-6 people) to make sure we’ve fully pinned down your niche and offer.
On top of this you get detailed personalised feedback on your core offer (usually a 1-2-1 or group programme, but could be a membership or passive income offer) and on your website copy, and a 1-2-1 coaching call with me towards the end of your programme where we can make sure you have a clear business plan and strategy for the next 6-12 months.
You also have the endless opportunity to ask me questions in the Slack group whenever you want (or you can DM me if it’s more personal).
I used to offer a 1-2-1 version of this programme, and honestly, this is better (as well as cheaper). Very occasionally, usually if your offer is something really different, 1-2-1 really is a better option, so ask me if you think that’s you.
If you’re already well established, with a strong social media presence, an active mailing list, and bringing in a regular income but looking to scale or grow further still, check out Project Bloom.
What if I don't actually need six months?
Honestly, you probably do need six months. Even if you’ve worked with a coach before, there’s actually a lot to learn and implement, and most clients are surprised at just how steep the learning curve is.
However, if you do find that you already know a lot of it, and it’s more about filling in gaps, you can leave with no hard feelings after two months and only pay half the price of the course (to reflect the front weighting of the programme).
Or maybe consider doing Project Bloom instead?
Do I have the time to invest in the programme?
People often ask me how much time they need to set aside to do the programme. It’s a bit hard to be completely specific, because it depends on what you already have in place, and the nature of your business, but on average I usually say around 5 hours a week.
Honestly, you need to be spending at least that much time on your business anyway, and investing this time is the only way you’re going to be able to get out of that Catch 22 of being too overwhelmed and busy to put systems in place to enable you to stop having to work too hard.
So one of the core things I’m going to help you with is not only reducing your contact hours (without a drop in income) but also learning how to prioritise and create systems to maximise your valuable time.
Can you guarantee my return on investment?
You will see coaches offering these kinds of guarantees, but I don’t. Because, while I DO guarantee to to make you accountable and support, motivate, and encourage you, I can’t force you to make the changes need to increase your income.
That said, most of my clients absolutely do see a significant increase in income as a result of the programme. If you earned 50%, or even 25%, more next year, how quickly would you re-coup your investment? I also encourage and guide you to start earning money from your new offer as early as possible in the programme- typically around the three month mark.
What support do you offer after the programme has finished?
I recently tallied up that more than half my group programme clients have returned to work with me again in different ways. That’s quite an endorsement of my work.
I offer a closed Facebook group just for D2F alumni, and this helps to maintain close bonds between me and the graduates, and between them as fellow business owners.
I absolutely follow what people go on to do, and will often be found messaging with a quick bit of advice or a recommendation, as well as cheering them on on social media.
I also offer free quarterly review and planning sessions for alumni, and also offer a higher level programme for those who have pretty much everything in place in their business, but want to grow or scale up further still. Project Bloom.
is now the right time?
If you already know that you’re going to be super busy for a large part of the programme, then it’s probably not the right time for you. However, the way the programme is set up is pretty flexible. You have access to everything from the start, so you can manage your workload to take advantage of quieter times, and slow down a bit when you’re really busy, or away.
I always take August off, so if your six months includes August you can choose to devote time to the programme or take the month off, and the extra month will be added onto the end of the six months.
And if you need to go a bit slower, there’s always the option to add on extra time at the end for a reduced fee.
If you’ve been thinking about this for a while, and it’s never quite the perfect time, I’d encourage you to think about how much potential income you have probably lost out on over that time? The sooner you start, the sooner things can change for you.
I DON'T THINK I CAN AFFORD TO SPEND that kind of MONEY
I totally understand how scary it can be to invest a significant sum of money into your business. And while I know that this is actually very, very reasonable for the individual support you get, and the potential impact on your earning power going forward, I also know that language teaching is not typically a sector where people have loads of money floating about.
If this is going to cause you hardship, don’t do it.
But if you want to get out of that under-charging and over-delivering trap, and create a sustainable business, sooner rather than (probably much) later, if at all…. my clients consistently tell me that the training, support and help they got on this programme was more than worth the money.
Before I started the programme, I was teaching some lessons on italki and some lessons outside of italki, getting between £15 and £25 an hour. As well as not earning much, it had been getting harder and harder to attract new students on italki.
The biggest hesitation I had about joining was the price—not because I couldn’t see what it was worth but because I was afraid that I’d spend the money (and time and energy) and end up still feeling as stuck as I was before.
I’ve learnt a lot about why the things I was doing didn’t work and how to do things better. I now feel I’m better equipped to set things up the right way. I’ve learnt about niching, better website copy, how and why to move away from an hourly rate, and generally have a much clearer understanding of how to run a business.
So many things, but perhaps the biggest takeaway was finally figuring out a niche! Not just what but why and how as well. And then how to understand people in the niche, figure out their pain points, and market to that. Previously, my thinking was more along the lines of ‘nice to have,’ and now I know why that doesn’t sell.
Everything about the programme was enjoyable! The videos, the milestones, the coaching sessions, the support from the group, and all the individual help and support too.
Rachael knows what she’s talking about from experience. She’s generous with her advice and her time. Everything in the course is practical, down-to-earth, and achievable.
If you’re not sure about making such a big investment, it’s definitely worth it. Just a very big thank you for all your help! I would never have been able to figure all this out on my own.
I’ve learnt a lot! I mean it. I feel a remarkable shift in my professional vision, and I also see that I’ve grown personally. I used to think that I would feel boxed in with so narrow a niche—I wasn’t sure it would reflect my full potential or play to my strengths. Now I see the benefits of having a niche.
I’ve seen how my mindset could play tricks, but I’ve learnt that I have the power to change it. I now have an understanding of marketing related to my business (something that was uncharted territory for me, to say the least). I have a clear vision of what I want my business to look like so that it can work well for my clients as well as for me.
My biggest takeaway? I can make it work. And before, I wasn’t sure I could or knew how.
The best part of the programme was the feeling of my horizons expanding. The communication with my colleagues on the programme—who were all nice, friendly, and supportive—was invaluable. The coach treated everyone with respect and kindness. Rachael DOES care, and it says a lot.
For someone on the fence, I would say: If you value personal and professional growth, as well as a coach who is knowledgeable and attentive, go for it. It’s an investment in yourself and your future. And this is something no one can take away from you.