Update: my partner and I have sold the Morning Spanish business. Overall it was a success (profitable from day one, and sold for a nice profit too), but in the end other projects I’m working on simply had a higher ROI. I still recommend Morning Spanish (the woman who took it over is a native Spanish speaker and very passionate about the project). For online learning, I also recommend Rocket Spanish. Read below for the original story of how we built Morning Spanish.
After spending the first six months of this year in Mexico, I’ve become focused on becoming as fluent in Spanish as possible. It takes much more work to practice speaking Spanish now that I’m back Stateside, and I wanted to do something about that.
I’m very pleased today to launch a new product to help you learn Spanish called Morning Spanish.
Morning Spanish is the result of a collaboration between me and a good friend named Doug who I met while living in Mexico. Doug wrote me on Facebook one day back in May to share an idea about connecting Spanish-speaking instructors with students through a newsletter service over email. I thought it was a great idea, and we started working on the product right away. After three months of construction, we’re ready to share it with you.
It’s been an interesting process building a new product while the two of us have been living and traveling throughout Mexico, the Western U.S. and Canada. I’ll definitely write more about that process here later, but I wanted today to introduce you to Morning Spanish and get your feedback.
To explain the thought behind Morning Spanish, I’ll share an excerpt from a post I wrote over at the Morning Spanish blog:
We know that there are already hundreds of Spanish learning tools out there, so why would we in our right minds want to start a new one? It’s simple really. We found that the most important factor in learning a language for us is constant exposure and repetition. Convenience is also key.
When you think about the available tools, including classroom time, books, software, web-based tools, etc., none of them really hit the cost/repetition/convenience factors all at the same time. Classroom time is great, but it’s expensive, inconvenient, and not often enough. Books are fine, but you have to remember to study frequently. Software can work well, but it’s often cost prohibitive and sometimes a little boring.
Each of these options can also be time consuming. Are we saying that you shouldn’t do all of those things? Not at all. Learning a language often takes multiple approaches to really get it down. Morning Spanish is meant to compliment those other methods you might be using.
We wanted to create a really inexpensive, really convenient product that encourages you to do a little each day, in a short amount of time. Email is a great place to receive your daily Spanish lessons, because it’s a place that most people check every day. If the lesson is right in your inbox, all you have to do is set aside five minutes per day to study the lesson.
That’s the story behind the product. I hope you’ll check it out, if not because you’re interested in learning Spanish, then at least as an experiment in building a small location independent business online. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Corbett,
This is an awesome idea. I believe you will do very well. I just signed up for it. I speak broken Spanish, and my vocabulary is what I need to build. This is a PERFECT way to do it. Thanks.
I know you will do great with this
Rasheed
Thanks, Rasheed. Any feedback you have about the daily lessons as they start to arrive is appreciated. I hope they help your Español!
One thing that I know can add tremendous value to it, would be a link to an audio that will teach the correct pronounciation. When I learn a language, I like to speak it as the natives do, and I naturally adopt the accent and dialect of the locals. So that is something that I would love to have.
Rasheed
Hey Corbett,
This is an awesome idea, man. I’ll be signing up really soon! I’d like to learn Spanish and this seems like a great way to do it.
Thanks Nate. Let me know if you have any questions. If you’re just starting out, I would definitely recommend adding some other methods to your education at first. Morning Spanish is meant to work along side other formats until you’re comfortable with pronunciation and other basics.
This looks really awesome. As a designer, the layout of that page and the logo really compel me to take action. I really love how clean it is. And it’s a brilliant idea. It’s presented in a way that prevents Spanish from looking overwhelming and I love it. There needs to be more simplicity in language learning.
Good luck on your new endeavor! It looks wonderful!
Thanks, J.D. I’m glad you like the design. I’ll let you in on a little secret about it some time (hint: I paid $20 bucks and 8 hours of my time for the design).
We’re really trying to keep this service simple and straightforward. It’s good to hear that comes across.
Hi,
Good idea! Just remember to add a bit of background study now and then. You know, some complex things like verb tenses are easier to learn and understand once you know how they work.
And if you ever feel like speaking over Skype, I’d be more than happy for some kind of language exchange. But I’m from Spain: maybe you are not looking for an European accent but a a Mexican one…
Hi Juan! Thanks for the advice about the background study. I’ll pass that along to our instructors. I’ll also keep your offer in mind about the Skype exchange. Thanks for reaching out. Regarding the European accent, I actually like to hear all kinds of accents, but people from North America tend to learn the Latin American accent since it’s so close to us.
Hey Corbett – this is a great idea and something that has the potential to turn into some passive income for you. The look and feel is really inviting and I know that I would use it for any Spanish needs that I have (mainly some S. American mission trips).
Congrats on the launch and sorry for taking so long to notice! Been in a product launch frenzy of my own! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help out.