SMART TEACHER’S KIT 
 
 

 
 

 
 

www.elenamutonono.com 

 
 

Dear Friend, 

Welcome! If you’re reading this, you’re interested in how you can turn your 
teaching expertise and skills into an online teaching business, in a smart way.  

If you’ve done some teaching online, specifically through conventional online 

teaching marketplaces I’m sure you’ve experienced one of the following problems: 

● You teach 1-on-1 at an average price of $10-$30/hr. You have times with lots 
of students and times with none. You might be exhausted from the 
unpredictability and (despite the main rhetoric about online businesses) 
your own lack of freedom. 

● You create and sell courses or books on marketplaces such as Amazon or 
Udemy. This brings crickets, and you blame your poor marketing skills on 
the problem. To solve it (or run away from solving it), you create more stuff. 

● You decide to build your own website, but it doesn’t seem to gain traction. 
You’ve heard of social media, email and content marketing, but you have no 
idea how all these puzzle pieces come together. 

In a nutshell, you’re overwhelmed. You don’t know what webinar to sign up for or 
what software to buy. You keep learning and doing some things, but they are just 5 
random pieces of a 1,000-piece puzzle that will never make a full picture. 

You would like to create a small and sustainable online business which will allow 
you to take a vacation, be more in control and have clarity about what you do and 
how you need to do it in the most efficient way.  

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 1     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

If you resonate with the story I shared with you, you’re at the right place. I know 
that because I, too, was in the same predicament a few years ago. But thanks to a lot 
of testing and experimenting, I’ve since moved away from the exhausting 
Skype-lesson/course-hustle format to a more solid income. 

I’ve cut down my hours (from 20 hours of teaching per week, to 5) and filled in my 
time with more creative projects that continue bringing in clients and paid 
subscribers. The more hours I’ve cut, the more my revenue has grown.  

I believe that online teachers should find ways to work smarter, so they are more 
effective and can ​really​ help people, not just clock in hours or do online 
babysitting. Creativity can’t thrive in a stifled environment, and teaching 10 hours 
a day isn’t sustainable (and not healthy either). 

So if you want to (finally) sign up for a longer journey (because by now you’re sure 
that quick fixes don’t work), I’m going to walk you through the process and share 
with you the tools and systems I’ve used to make my business more manageable, 
even running it as a small team. 

In this Smart Teacher’s Kit, you will discover: 

1. The most important things you should focus on in the beginning. 

2. The least important things you’re probably stressed about (but you shouldn’t be). 

3. The matrix of teaching languages online (no need to get certificates for that). 

4. A map to guide you to a world of fewer hours and more fulfillment from 
teaching. 

5. A palette of formats for language teaching (with a detailed analysis). 

6. Specific formats that allow you to deliver better results in less time. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 2     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

7. A strategy to move away from clunky and labor-intensive formats to 

smarter formats (includes email templates, automated software and tools 
that I use). 

8. A Hall of Fame (my favorite!): a list and short description of online teaching 
businesses that I’ve helped my clients start using this process (updated 
annually). 

9. A list of amazing people who are helping me daily to run this business. 

10. Two downloadable pages from the Opted Out Planner to help you plan 
your finances and block time weekly. 

11. BONUS: other (paid) resources I’ve created that you might find helpful. 

Each section comes with a checklist that you can tick off as you go. The checklist is 
followed by a short explanation. I recommend printing and binding this document 
(even if you use your stapler) because I’ve designed it in such a way that you will 
want to go back to it throughout the year. 

If you have any questions, please send them to​ ​info@elenamutonono.com. 

With gratitude, 

Elena 

P.S. If you find this kit helpful, please share the link so your pals can download it 
too: ​www.elenamutonono.com/the-smart-kit.​ ​ Do not share this document anywhere -- 
it’s for your personal use only. Thank you!   

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 3     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

What is a Smart Teacher’s Kit? 

It’s a document that walks you through the process of building a sustainable online 
teaching business that scales. 

“Scaling” means greater growth with less effort. For instance, when I say that Skype 
lessons do not scale, what I mean is, in order for you to double what you’re making 
today you have to double the number of hours you work.  

In reality you’re not just doubling the hours because in order to find twice as many 
clients, you have to ​spend more time o
​ n marketing, etc.  

A smart teaching model that scales allows you to put more work in the beginning, 
but over time, the amount of work goes down, while the revenue stays the same 
and eventually goes up.  

Scaling allows you to double (or triple) the number of clients while working the 
same (or fewer) hours. It doesn’t mean that you stop teaching 1-on-1 (by all means, 
do as much as you want to), but it means creating an environment that your 1-on-1 
classes are really effective and desirable. 

Scaling also means you can try out a different teaching format (flipped classroom) 
where a student/client does more work while you are there to guide and motivate 
them. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 4     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

1. The most important things you should focus on in the beginning: 

❏ Your niche (simple: one thing you want to teach) 

❏ One solution you want to provide for your clients 

❏ Your core message 

❏ Your ideal client 

❏ Your online community  

Your niche is a focus of your work. Instinctively we think, the wider the better. But 
wide means generic which doesn’t appeal to a specific group of people with 
specific needs, and therefore creates no loyalty (and brings no return/new clients 
who are fans). It’s a tough task because it means saying no to many other things, 
but it’s worth it. 

One solution is the “how.” How are you going to help your clients? At first it might 
be a combination of several things, but in the end you’ll choose specific formats 
and focus on that. 

Your core message is your mantra. It’s what inspires you to wake up in the 
morning and do the work even when nobody's watching or paying. It’s also what 
attracts others to your brand as opposed to others. Core message can be reduced to 
a simple statement: ​I believe that every X should do Y because Z. 

Your ideal client is the person who needs your help. You need to know as much as 
you can about him/her. To do that, after you figure out your niche and core 
message, you’ll have an idea about your client. Perhaps he/she likes traveling or 
reading. Maybe she loves listening to podcasts or watch specific shows. The more 
you learn, the more equipped you will be to help. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 5     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

Your online community is more than just numbers. Numbers can be bought, but 
community takes time to develop. When done right, your community becomes a 
powerful force that does all the marketing for you -- for free. How great is that?  

2. The least important things you’re probably stressed about (but you 
shouldn’t be): 

❏ Your logo 

❏ Your colors 

❏ Your pictures 

❏ Your website 

❏ The method of payment  

❏ Automation sequences  

❏ Hiring a marketing professional 

❏ Facebook ads 

❏ Google ads 

❏ SEO and high traffic 

❏ 10 (or more) subscribers a day 

❏ The plugins 

❏ How to write blog posts with content upgrades 

In the beginning there’s a lot of pressure to learn everything. Things are new and 
exciting, and there’s a lot of information out there. After a few weeks or months of 
researching, you will find out that you aren’t any closer to starting a business (and 
perhaps have more doubts). 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 6     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

When people begin their online teaching business, their first question is always 
about ​the tools. A
​ s if setting up a scheduling software will help me bring in 15 clients 
within one week. Online business doesn’t work like a classroom. You don’t need to 
shop at IKEA and furnish your classroom weeks before the school starts.  

There’s no point in furnishing a classroom when you’re not sure how the students 
will find you. At schools, teachers don’t have a problem like that. Students will 
always come, so that’s why their focus is always on getting ready. 

With the online teaching business, students won’t just come because you’ve taken 
an SEO course and set up your logo. Your first priority is clarity: what you’re 
doing, who you’re targeting and how you’re helping them. 

3. The matrix of teaching languages online (no need to get 

certificates for that): 

 
❏ Finish the statement: ​I help X to do Y so they can Z. 

❏ Think where your ideal client might notice you and join those groups/follow 

those pages online. 

❏ Determine the level of people you’re working with. 

❏ Draft your plan of how you can help them. 

❏ Be present and helpful, but don’t sell. 

❏ Be curious and give people an opportunity to share.  

❏ Take initiative and share materials that might be helpful (yours or others). 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 7     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

❏ Create your own space (one social media account or a website) to share your 

ideas. 

❏ Engage with your readers (follow those who comment, respond to messages, 

etc.). 

❏ Fine-tune your message and create community events. 

❏ Meet 1-on-1 (free). 

❏ Offer group programs. 

❏ Offer assistance with 1-on-1 projects. 

❏ Create a product to turn more passive readers into customers. 

Note:​ your niche statement should originate based on your strengths, passion and 
experience, not on your (or other “guru’s”) warped perception of what people will 
or won’t buy. 

Here’s how this process happened with Trisha Traughber, one of my clients and 
now the owner of Vagabond English (​www.vagabondenglish.com)​ : 

 
● Her initial statement: I help non-native English speakers learn English 

through authentic fiction so they can nurture their creativity and improve 

language skills at the same time. 

● Her ideal client hangs out in the groups where people discuss books (duh?!). 

● She joins (many) forums and introduces herself, then responds to 

comments. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 8     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

● She asks people what they like reading and if they have any questions when 

they read in English. 

● She starts her own Facebook group to discuss the books people are reading. 

● She creates monthly challenges to read books and then discuss them in 

smaller groups. 

● She discovers that her audience already loves reading but they need help 

learning to write. 

● She creates a program that helps them to write more, and sells it. 

● She begins coaching 1-on-1 to help people with their writing projects 

(memoirs or books). 

● Most of her writing help is done through Google Docs so she doesn’t need to 

meet with clients weekly, only monthly (and that is optional). 

4. A map to guide you to a world of fewer hours and more fulfillment 

from teaching: 

 
❏ What would your client need to do to achieve better results (homework 
examples)? 

❏ How many hours would you like to work (1-on-1 and all the rest)? 

❏ If your client does all the homework, how often would you need to meet? 

❏ What are the options to meeting 1-on-1 via Skype? 

❏ How can you help your client stay motivated? 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 9     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

No matter what you teach, in order for your client to retain the information, make 
it her own and get the best results, she has to do more work than you. 

Let that sink in for a moment: your client has to do ​more​ work than you​.  

Most of the time when we rely on the 1-on-1 model and meet too often (once or 
twice a week), the student has little to no time to implement all your suggestions 
and retain the material. Over time, the amount of required work is too 
overwhelming, and she makes a mental decision that “meeting with the teacher 
means doing the work.” 

While it helps with ​some ​progress, it doesn’t lead to better results. So the work of a 
teacher or a coach is to flip the experience in such a way that a student wants to do 
the work at home, and goes to the teacher for feedback and guidance (finding 
resources, answers to questions and accountability). 

No matter what you teach, your goal is to ​get your client to practice. ​Practice is 
repetition, but as educators we can’t get our students to bluntly repeat the same 
thing in the same fashion. We have to come up with creative ways to allow them to 
repeat the same thing and never get bored. 

Now, if you’re exhausted from 10 hours of teaching every day, it’s unlikely that 
you can be creative. Creativity needs white space; it cannot thrive in clutter. So 
changing the format of teaching (see below) is a challenge we need to take on 
ourselves if we want our clients to leave with better results. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 10     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

To summarize: 

❏ When you teach 1-on-1 you do most of the work, not your client. 

❏ When your client doesn’t do much work, her progress slows down. 

❏ When she doesn’t do much work, her motivation goes down. 

❏ The solution of adding homework doesn’t work if you continue teaching the 

same number of hours a week/month. 

❏ You need to come up with creative ways to get your client to practice 

multiple times. 

❏ You need to practice your creativity = you need more time to help each client. 

❏ You need fewer hours meeting with the client and more structured support. 

5. A palette of formats for language teaching (with a detailed 

analysis): 
 

Format  Niche  Benefits  Limitations 

1-on-1  Any  Meet with clients 1-on-1  Doesn’t scale 

niche 
Work closely  Exhausting 

Provide instant feedback  Unpredictable 

Develop relationships  Can only work with 1 at 

a time 
Learn about other people 
Can’t do while people 
are away 

Can’t leave clients 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 11     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

Group (live)  Any  Meet with several clients at  Logistics and terms 
niche  the same time 
Lack of 1-on-1 
Work closely  attention 

Provide instant feedback  Hard to bring everyone 

together 
Develop relationships 
Hard to get people to 
Allow people to work 
commit 
together 
Payment is still tied to 
1 hour 

Voice chats  Speak  Increases practice  Needs basic tech 

opportunities for clients  knowledge to set up 
Listen 
Reduces the number of  Requires discipline on 
Accent 
1-on-1 hours  the part of teacher and 
 
student 
Invites unlimited drills 
Requires pre-program 
Open for groups 
set-up (to get people 
Helps create engagement 
acquainted)  
and peer interaction 
Requires trials 

Google docs  Writing  Increases practice  Needs basic tech 

opportunities for clients  knowledge to set up 

Reduces the number of  Requires discipline on 

1-on-1 hours  the part of teacher and 
student 
Invites unlimited writing 
exercises  Requires pre-program 
set-up (to get people 
Open for groups 
acquainted)  
Helps create engagement 
Requires trials 
and peer interaction 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 12     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

Regular chats  Task  Increases practice  Needs basic tech 

(Slack, etc.)  oriented  opportunities for clients  knowledge to set up 
resume, 
Reduces the number of  Requires discipline on 
applicati
1-on-1 hours  the part of teacher and 
on, life 
student 
Invites unlimited writing 
coaching, 
exercises  Requires pre-program 
culture 
set-up (to get people 
training,  Open for groups 
acquainted)  
etc.  Helps create engagement 
Teacher must lead and 
and peer interaction 
initiate communication 

Membership  Writing  Increases practice and  Needs basic tech 

(ongoing  groups,  engagement   knowledge to set up 
group,  monthly 
Changes the role of the  Overwhelm with 
materials)  assign- 
teacher to a moderator  assignments 
ments, 
Changes the model of  Requires pre-program 
advanced 
learning from  trial 
consumption to 
Teacher must initiate 
application and interaction 
conversations 

Teacher must find the 

gold medium re. 
content 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 13     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

6. Specific (smart) formats that allow you to deliver better results in 
less time: 

 
As you see from the chart above, there are certain formats that require less 
engagement from the teacher and more work on the student’s part:  

❏ Chats (voice and regular), like Telegram and Whatsapp (note you have to use 

your phone for that). 

❏ Google docs assignments (written assignments), need to be familiar with the 

use of Google docs. 

❏ Memberships (the easiest one is to use Patreon.com to set up monthly 

payments and upload assignments on a schedule).  

These formats change not only the way clients learn, but also the way you teach. 
No longer are you the holder of the information, but more a guide, a leader and an 
initiator of conversations. You motivate and help your students find quick 
shortcuts so they don’t spend hours browsing in search for “the best” materials. 

Building a community takes a lot of time and effort, especially in the beginning, 
but once you’ve established it, you no longer have to be present there every time. 
Sometimes people inside the community respond to questions and engage in 
discussions. 

Note:​ In the chart above I stayed away from books and passive online courses, 
although they are still valuable learning platforms. In this guide I’m focusing on 
the formats that help online teachers retain the joy of working 1-on-1 while making 
it sustainable and scalable. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 14     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

7. A step-by-step strategy to move away from clunky and 

labor-intensive formats to smarter formats (includes email templates, 
automated software and tools that I use): 

I advocate for smarter formats and encourage online teachers to create ​programs, 
instead of online courses because I believe when you are already teaching 1-on-1, 
you have your basics covered:  

 
● You’ve got students 

● You’ve got an idea of what to offer 

A program sells better because:  

 
● It’s short (2-4 weeks) 

● It has specific goals for the time that the program runs 

● It focuses on skills development, not “covering the material” 

● It offers ample practice and feedback through chats 

However, one has to keep in mind that offering a new format prematurely can 
lower your sales and create discontent. When people aren’t familiar with how the 
format works and what its benefits are, when they have only been exposed to one 
format (like Skype lessons), it will take time to move people away from it. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 15     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

So be patient and follow some of these steps (please use your discretion based on 
your business and needs): 

❏ Let people know about the new format in advance. 

❏ Talk about its benefits, without pressure (use live videos or recorded videos, 
maybe audios or just blog posts). 

❏ Demonstrate how it works. 

❏ Create a free trial (over a weekend or a week) and invite your most 
motivated students. 

❏ Run a kick-ass trial version of the program (be sure to make your 
assignments smaller, and give people more chance to practice). 

❏ Engage with people outside of the program (write emails, send messages, ask 
for their early feedback). 

❏ After people are done, tell them you might be doing something like this in 
the future and would they like to be notified. 

❏ Continue giving more information about the full-fledged program (2-4 

weeks). Don’t make it longer than 4 weeks. Long programs result in lower 
commitments. For language programs I’ve discovered 3 weeks is a magic 
number. 

❏ Set the launch date and take a week before that (pre-launch) to start 
enrolling people. 

❏ When you enroll, contact people via email (if you have a newsletter) or via 
social media.  

❏ Be creative about your promotion. Nobody wants to hear “My program is 
wonderful. It starts in 1 week.” Think about interviewing your free trial 
takers, giving previews, showing how things work, etc. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 16     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

Here’s the email template I write to clients who have asked for more information 
about new programs: 

 
Hey! How’s it going? [insert a few personal updates as warm-ups].  

I’m writing because I think you might benefit from the new program I’m putting 
together called [XYZ]. I think it will help you to do [insert] and practice [insert] 
because I remember you said you would like to work on this more. 

The difference from Skype lessons is during this program you will receive prompts for 
voice recordings and can get feedback from me. You can practice as many times as 
you wish. You won’t be tied to a specific time for our lessons and can send me your 
recordings while you’re stuck in traffic or on your way to work. 

The cost is X, and if you book before this date you can get an early-bird discount! 
Either way, let me know if you have any questions. This is the first time I’m running 
this, and I hope you’ll be in my exclusive students group. 

Software resources I use:  

❏ It’s important to send people to register right away, and I recommend using 
Jotform for registrations (and payments). Check it out at ​www.jotform.com​. 

❏ I’ve also recorded a short tutorial on what you want to keep in mind when 
you create a form. Please ​watch it here​. 

❏ When you are ready, send people to a scheduling page (for a bonus 1-on-1 or 
a group session, this ​software*​ will take care of all the logistics).  

❏ For 1-on-1 and group lessons I use ​Zoom*​. It’s easy to use and is reliable. 
You’ll love it. 

❏ To process payments I’ve used ​Paypal​ invoices. I’m also beginning to use 
Stripe​, but it has its limitations in some countries. Another place to put your 
products (and even programs) for sale before you have a website is 
Gumroad​. 

*These are my affiliate links with an important badge that says that I recommend them. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 17     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

8. A Hall of Fame (my favorite!): a list of online teaching businesses 

that I’ve helped my clients start:  

 
To think that in November 2015 when I launched my first e-book about running 
an online teaching business (entitled ​Opted Out of the Traditional Classroom​), very 
few of these businesses existed in the shape they are now -- what a gift! 

 
1. Cara Leopold with ​Leo-Listening.com  

2. Trisha Traughber with ​VagabondEnglish.com 

3. Anastasia Yildirim with ​JumpStartYourRussian.com 

4. Barbara Rocci with ​TimeToBeItalian.com 

5. Milena Vujnic with​ ​EnglishMadeSimple.net 

6. Kate Fisher with ​ConversationsWithKate.net 

7. Maria Seco with ​SpanishForCamino.com 

8. Alexandra Kapinya with ​VisualEnglishSchool.com 

9. Karina Pearl with ​ShareYourStoryWithConfidence.com 

10. Anna Frances Lo Mastro with ​LostInClassics.club 

11. Elfin Waters with ​AllAboutItalian.com​ (coming soon) 

12. Maria York with IG ​@MyFirstNorwegianJournal 

13. Gayle McDonald with ​AppetizingEnglish.com 

14. Curt Ford with ​AmericanVoicesApp.com 

15. Sylvia Perrone with ​ItaLearn.com 

16. Marta Pinero with ​LeerSpaansOnline.com  

17. Louise Robertson with IG ​@LouisesLexiconology​ (website coming soon) 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 18     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

18. Maria Teresa Zoppello with FB ​Color Italiani​ (website coming soon) 

19. Shanthi Cumaraswami Streat with the revamped ​EnglishWithATwist.com 

20.Grace Margarido with ​LearnPortugueseWithGrace.com 

21. Linda Alley with ​FearlessWriting.Com​ (coming soon), check out her Medium 
account ​here​.  

22. Danae Florou with ​AlphaBetaGreek.com​ (new website coming soon) 

23. Elena Gabrieli with ​Hitoritabi.it  

24. Fiona Young with ​Angloflow.com 

25. Gabriel Agafonov with​ G

​ rammarGrinder.com 

Note: several other projects are still being developed. I’ll update the list annually. 

9. A list of amazing people who are helping me daily (or have helped 
me in the past) to run this business, and what they do: 

 
● Veronika Palovska:​ web and graphics design, online course design, software 
management, Wordpress plugin updates, book design and formatting 

● Sondra Jackson:​ virtual assistant (scheduling posts for social media, 

formatting newsletters and blog posts, getting stuff shipped) 

● Gill Andrews:​ website audit, copy writing 

● Lisa Ferreira:​ animal illustrations 

● Ioana Condrea:​ watercolors, flowers 

● Peter Hund:​ copy editor for e-books (US-based) 

● Trisha Traughber:​ creative writing coach 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 19     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

10. BONUS of 2 downloadable pages from the ​Opted Out Planner​ to 
help you plan out your month and your finances (​​click here​​): 
 

The ​Opted Out Planner​ ​(new on Amazon!) is the first planner for online language 
teachers and business owners. The full resource includes: 

1. Year at a glance 

2. Reflection questions for the year (the planner isn’t dated so you can start at 

any point) 

3. Reflection questions for every month 

4. Month at a glance 

5. Week at a glance 

6. Time blocking sheet for one week 

7. Financial planning sheet for every month 

8. Lots of space for your creative ideas and notes 

 

LEARN MORE 

11. BONUS (paid) resources I’ve created that you might find helpful: 
 

Books: 

● Opted Out of the *Real Job*​, a handbook - $2.99 e-book/$9.90 paperback 

● Opted Out of the *Real Job*​, a journal - $14.99 paperback 

● Flowers in the Frost: the Untold Stories of Online Teaching​ - $4.99 e-book/$12.99 

paperback 

Note: the book links are connected to the US Amazon store. If you’re outside of the US, please look for 
the titles through the search engine. Thank you! 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 20     ​www.elenamutonono.com 

 

Smart Teacher’s Library: 

● A place where smart online teachers connect, find guidance and inspiration 

for their projects and learn (through small and actionable materials + 

challenges).  

● Starts at $25/month and includes access to resources, a forum, monthly 

challenges + emails, quarterly printed journals and networking. 

LEARN MORE 

Coaching: 

● A free, 20-minute bonus session for new clients (1 per person, availability 

might be limited). ​Book now​. 

● A 1-hour brainstorming question to help you cut down the overwhelm and 

start moving forward. ​Book now​. 

©​2018 Elena Mutonono 21     ​www.elenamutonono.com