Insights from the Language Business Retreat 2025

The Language Business Retreat 2025 group in front of the library where our workshops took place

I recently attended the The Language Business Retreat 2025 in Zhutian, Taiwan, organized by Hyun Woo of Talk To Me In Korean and Anja Spilker of Zaloa Languages, in conjunction with Richard Simcott’s Polyglot Conference.

While the retreat be over, it’s just the beginning for the inspiration and connections I got from attending it. As a language educator focused on accent training, it was an incredible opportunity to step away from the daily grind and connect with the bigger picture of why we do what we do, and how I might improve my processes, both for my teaching and my business

While many of the concepts discussed weren't entirely new to me, hearing them from a diverse group of business owners and educators, each with their own unique experiences, advice, and even their own questions, put everything into a more connected and relevant context. This collective wisdom helped me clarify and understand the future I want for myself and for Accent Amazing!

The library conference room where we had our retreat activities

While there were many ideas and learnings, here are some overarching themes I noticed:

1. Find Your "Why" – And Your Students' "Why"

It’s easy for us as teachers to get lost in the details of lesson plans, phonetic charts, and curriculum. However, the retreat reinforced a crucial point: success starts with understanding the deeper motivation. Why does someone want to improve their accent? Is it for career advancement, deeper social integration, or personal confidence?

People resonate with big-picture, transformative ideas. When we connect our teaching to our students' core goals, everything—from our marketing to our lesson delivery—becomes more impactful and authentic.

Potential next steps from this insight:

I’ll try to understand more thoroughly students goals periodically to get insights into their wants and needs. From a broader perspective, I’ll create more tailored curricula for each student, especially for those in the premium programs. From a detailed point of view, create exercises and lesson materials that directly help the students’ overcome daily obstacles and achieve specific daily goals

Discussing a mix of market conditions, business principles, and personal anecdotes, we develop our strategic goals and vision boards

2. Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help

As solopreneurs, we often wear all the hats, convinced we can handle everything ourselves. The message was clear: this approach has a ceiling. Whether it's seeking business mentorship, hiring a virtual assistant, or even getting help with our own accent skills (yes, we are perpetual students too!), delegating and automating frees up our most valuable resource—time.

This newfound time allows us to focus on what truly matters: innovating in our teaching and connecting with our students.

Potential next steps from this insight:

I may look into outsourcing some of my manual work that I dislike, such as editing. While teachers have hired teachers, I do enjoy teaching, so I’ll probably stick with outsourcing my editing. In addition, now that I know more teacher entrepreneurs, I’ll ask them or bounce business ideas off of them from time to time.

The many discussion groups we took part in allowed us to share knowledge learn from each other

3. Prioritize Work-Life Balance and Calm

Running a business is demanding, and we often forget to simply breathe. Through relaxing breathwork sessions, the "Wheel of Life" exercise, and a rather assertive Tai Chi sound therapy class, the importance of we understood the need for balance both figuratively and in the case of Taichi, literally.

A burnt-out teacher cannot inspire. A stressed business owner cannot see clearly. Building calm and balance into our routine isn't a luxury; it's a fundamental part of sustainable success.

Potential next steps from this insight:

I’ll seek to schedule in some downtime when I’m not working and just relaxing. However, surprisingly I think I should also create systems to schedule, break down, and chip away at my goals step by step to avoid burnout. Timeboxing will help both to break things down, but also so I can check I’m actually being effective, not just efficient.

A Taichi workshop to channel our Chi for relaxation and (life) balance

4. Have Fun and Be Yourself

I arrived at the retreat wondering if I needed to fit a certain mold. It seemed like many had a "proven" formula. But through the diversity of business models presented, some hilarious impersonations, and a particularly unorthodox (and spicy!) comic idea, I had a revelation: your unique personality is your greatest asset.

If you try to do something just because everyone else is doing it, that might not just be inauthentic but also ineffective as you have a lot of competition. The quirks, the unique teaching style, the personal passion—that's what makes you and your business memorable. You have to be you!

Potential next steps from this insight:

While I had been wondering whether I should be more formal, for example dressing in a blazer, I now have more conviction in presenting myself more authentically, that is, casually. Students do seem to enjoy my style of teaching which is more casual. However, I do think I can actually be more myself while creating content. Until recently I’ve had a slightly more formal manner of speaking in my content and I should let my more natural side come out and see how that goes.

The activities mixed self understanding with understanding others

A Final Word of Gratitude

Beyond these key ideas, the true value was in the people. I’m leaving Zhutian not just with a notebook full of ideas, but with a clearer vision for Accent Amazing and, most importantly, a renewed confidence in the path ahead. Thanks everyone for the insights and laughter we shared. See you again soon, in content or IRL somewhere!

Last day at the retreat before we headed back to the big city