Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in language education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jackie Amidon Donaldson, Owner and Director of Amidon Studios Language Studies, located in Hopewell, VA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We help women feel confident speaking Spanish, English, and Italian like a native in 90 days or less. Our interactive 1:1 and group classes, as well as our digital courses, make becoming fluent a fun cultural experience. With our unique Amidon Method, students increase their confidence in speaking a new language right from the start.
Tell us about yourself
I've helped more than 1000 students from all over the world feel confident speaking their target language like a native. I started Amidon Studios in 2017 after managing an English language institute in Lima, Peru, for six years. I'm a certified Spanish and English instructor with nearly 20 years of teaching experience.
I started teaching full-time after graduate school, where I earned a Master of Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland. I also have a certificate in Intercultural Education and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Bilingual Education from the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional in Mexico City. And I've written papers on anthropology and teaching second languages.
Like the teachers I've selected to work with me, I love the look students get when what they've been studying clicks. It's incredibly satisfying watching a student improve lesson after lesson and increase their confidence in speaking.
I'm a polyglot and can speak English, Spanish, and French, and I am currently studying Italian and Portuguese. When I'm not working, you'll find me gardening, playing with my cat Frankie, and exploring the globe.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Honestly, I learned how to ask for help in the form of a business coach. I also learned how to set limits with my time and energy. Both have helped me key into what's most important for my business and what I can leave for another day. Learning all of this helped strengthen my business, my mental and physical health, and my finances, all of which I'm reaping the rewards of now.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
It took me years to finally figure out how to plan my time so that work wasn't my only focus. It also took me the same amount of time to learn how to pay myself first and cut down on unnecessary expenses.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have a financial plan in place first. Separate which account you receive your income, which account you'll pay expenses from, and which account you'll pay yourself. Paying yourself in the form of profit and owner's compensation should always come first before you pay expenses. From there, you'll know how much you can afford in expenses.
- Plan out your time each week using calendar blocking. Block your time for your self-care first, then your work, then your play time (that includes hobbies and social events). Respecting your time is respecting yourself.
- Schedule sales campaigns or launches every quarter for higher-end offers, with smaller campaigns for lower-priced offers scheduled in between. Aim for a launch or campaign every six weeks.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.amidonstudios.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmidonStudios/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amidonstudios/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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