March 2020: lockdown announced. My in-person IELTS tutoring business needed to become a fully remote learning platform by Monday morning. No pressure.

The challenge

COVID forced immediate changes:

• Lessons had to go online
• Payments had to be digital
• Materials had to be delivered remotely
• Student progress tracking had to be automated
• Compliance requirements for online education changed

I had a weekend to figure it out or lose all my students.

What I built from scratch

1. Rapid platform development

Weekend sprint approach:

• Friday night: researched learning and payment systems
• Saturday: set up video conferencing and payment gateways
• Sunday: built course materials and portals
• Monday: launched with existing students

Core components:

• Video lesson delivery
• Automated scheduling & booking
• Digital resource library
• Student progress tracking
• Automated reminders & follow-ups

2. Financial automation

Needed full restructuring:

• Automated enrollment and payments
• Invoicing and payroll
• Compliance reporting
• Refund and dispute handling

Result: 20% reduction in operational costs.

3. Scaling the remote team

• Standardized training materials
• Quality control processes
• Automated scheduling across time zones
• Performance tracking and feedback systems

The numbers

• £20,000 revenue in the first year
• 10% annual growth
• 20% cost reduction through automation
• 95% student retention during transition

Tech stack

• Google Workspace integration
• Automated booking and calendar tools
• Digital resource distribution
• Payment integration and compliance tools

What made this work

• Speed over perfection: launch first, refine later
• Student-first approach: focus on outcomes and experience
  • Automation where it mattered: admin automated, teaching human-centred

Long-term impact

The platform became more successful than the in-person model:

• International reach
• Higher IELTS score outcomes
• Scalable and location-independent

Lessons learned

• Crisis accelerates innovation
• Automation enables scaling
• Students care about outcomes, not delivery method