Automating Business Operations: A Case Study of Speak English with Vanessa

Speak English with Vanessa is an online English as a second language program founded by Vanessa Prothe. Vanessa, a solopreneur, started the company with a good idea, lots of passion, and enough gumption to create a company from nothing. She had previously taught English in South Korea for three years, which enabled her to develop and test a teaching philosophy. Vanessa's approach to teaching English is centered around conversations, which she believes are where language breakthroughs and understanding happen. She has a private Facebook group for her paying clients, where they can practice with each other, ask questions, and learn the intricacies of the language. In addition to her paid courses, she also offers a free ebook and lessons, and runs a YouTube channel with over 260,000 subscribers.

As a solopreneur, Vanessa Prothe, founder of Speak English with Vanessa, faced the challenge of managing multiple roles in her business. She was not only the CEO but also the marketer, salesperson, customer support, and engineer. Her primary goal was to focus on developing courses and connecting with clients, not learning how to code or build tools. As her business grew, she found it increasingly difficult to manually manage tasks such as enrolling students, adding them to mailing lists, and processing payments. The challenge was to find a solution that could automate these tasks, allowing her to focus on her core business of teaching English as a second language.

Vanessa turned to automated workflows to manage her business operations. She used Zapier, an app automator, to connect her apps and automate tasks. With Zapier, she was able to create 'Zaps' or automated workflows that did more than just send information from one app to another. These Zaps added tags to new clients, sent them into specific email lists so they received tailored messages, and even watched for failed payments. For instance, when a new client purchased a course in Teachable, Zapier sent their information to ActiveCampaign, creating a new contact or updating their record if they were a previous client. Each Teachable course had a specific tag and email list associated with it, so when this Zap ran, Zapier automatically ensured the right emails were sent every time within ActiveCampaign.

• The use of automated workflows significantly improved the operational efficiency of Speak English with Vanessa. Vanessa was able to focus on her core business of developing courses and connecting with clients, rather than getting bogged down in administrative tasks. The automation also ensured that tasks were performed accurately and consistently, reducing the risk of errors. For instance, when a new client purchased a course, the automated system ensured that they were added to the correct email list and received the right emails. This not only improved the customer experience but also helped Vanessa to effectively manage her client relationships. Moreover, the automation of tasks like watching for failed payments helped Vanessa to maintain a healthy cash flow for her business.

• Automating tasks saved Vanessa several hours per week.

• Zapier's automated workflows performed the work of several employees, eliminating the need for additional hires.

• Vanessa's YouTube channel has attracted over 260,000 subscribers, demonstrating the reach and impact of her teaching methods.