Here's what I learned this summer
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Hello Reader, Once again, thank you to Morning Brew for sponsoring this edition of my newsletter! If you enjoy my newsletter, an easy way to say thanks is by checking out the MB promo below. This summer I've been taking Spanish lessons three times per week. An hour each time, just me and a teacher. This is after nearly two years of trying different methods: the apps, courses, workbooks—all the things. And—thanks to my decent French propping me up, I made a bit of progress—but it was slow going and it felt like memorization, not recall and fluidity. So, I committed myself to three months of three times a week with a wonderful Spanish teacher who's patient and fun, and, more importantly, personalizes the lessons to my goals and interests. Folks, you know what this means: I've become pretty okay at discussing both dogs and crows en Español. Yes, this is a very on-brand accomplishment for me, and I couldn't be more delighted. I can even chat with the sweet Spanish-speaking kiddo down the street about his new puppy. (Her name is Luna and she used to be smaller but now she's bigger because she eats a lot, FYI. Listen, I'm still a beginner!) This has been a great reminder that while tools such as workbooks, courses, and apps are wonderful resources and are often the right move, sometimes we need a real person—an expert—to help us. I say this as someone who's been told more times than I can recall that I should do more with my courses and programs, that I'm leaving money on the table by doing so much one-on-on work. Here are some of the things I've been told about 1:1 work that I just don't believe:
You can see why that advice never sat quite right with me. Yes, I offer courses and digital products—this is a fact. They're super fun to make, and I love teaching. However, I see those materials as for a specific audience who doesn't need that kind of personalized support, or they're just getting started and want to get a baseline of knowledge. Or maybe they're curious about a subject. Or perhaps they'd like to test the waters of my methods and see what they think. Plus, they're great resources I can offer clients. They play many roles in my business! Courses, apps, downloads and the link are not a like for like replacement for tailored problem solving. When we have big challenges (like me and my language learning), a guide helps. A lot. I actually have a sneaking suspicion that we're going to see a resurgence in creative 1:1 services. With so many folks publishing generative AI courses and digital products, consumers are very likely to backlash against cookie cutter, generic resources (not to mention the automated voice bots when you make a phone call!) and we'll see people demanding authenticity and real interactions or they just won't buy. Instinctively, we all want to feel seen and heard, and 1:1 business models help us facilitate that. It speeds up success and provides the exact solution we need. And also, let's be real: Duolingo is definitely not teaching me how to share about crow migration patterns in the Pacific Northwest. (But a real person can.) Hablamos pronto, Sarah |