Creator Empires: Builders in Language Education

Jan van der Aa
  • 5.0 (6)
  • BUSINESS

Conversations with the builders shaping the future of language education. Hosted by Jan van der Aa, the show features conversations with founders, operators, and builders who are shaping the next generation of language education, apps, platforms, and education businesses. Jan is co-founder of the language practice app Teacher AI, and runs Creator Empires; a networking community for builders in the language space.

  1. 15H AGO

    200. Chris Pell: Everything Is Your Fault (And That's Good News)

    What does it take to build one of the most recognized IELTS brands on YouTube, and turn it into a seven-figure business? In this episode, Jan sits down with Chris, who went from being a lawyer in 2008 to teaching English in Asia, to building a YouTube channel with 4.5 million subscribers and tens of millions of monthly views across platforms. Chris shares the unfiltered lessons behind his success, including why he spends over $100,000 a year on his own education, how working with Alex Hormozi introduced him to the Theory of Constraints, and why long-form YouTube drives 10–20x more sales than short-form content despite getting a fraction of the views. In this episode: Why packaging (title, thumbnail, intro) matters more than the content itselfThe "spaghetti bolognese technique" for teaching people what they need while giving them what they wantHow a simple PDF lead magnet took email conversions from 0.5% to 20%The typical growth constraints every online education business faces — and how to diagnose yoursHis honest take on AI: useful tool, or just the latest excuse?Why the biggest barrier to scaling past 7 figures isn't your niche — it's you Join our events: www.creatorempires.com

    57 min

  2. 5D AGO

    199. Optimizing YouTube for Sales, Not Views - with Teacher Stefano

    Teacher Stefano has been teaching Italian online for over a decade, and in that time he's built a YouTube channel approaching 300,000 subscribers. But the most interesting part of his story isn't the subscriber count, it's what he figured out about turning views into an actual business.In this episode, Stefano shares why he stopped chasing views and started optimizing for leads, how he uses lead magnets to convert casual viewers into engaged learners, and the "content buckets" strategy that helped him identify what his audience actually wants to watch.We also get into how the YouTube algorithm has changed — and why, counterintuitively, getting fewer views might actually be a good sign for your business.What you'll learn:- Why view counts are less important than conversion rates- How to build lead magnets that feel like a natural extension of your video- The content buckets approach to planning a more strategic channel- How to keep your content relevant as your audience evolvesMore info about our events: www.creatorempires.com

    1 hr

  3. MAR 3

    198. Courses Are Dead? Olly Richards’ Playbook for Language Creators in 2026

    In this conversation, Jan and Olly discuss the evolution of language education businesses over the past decade, focusing on the transition from blogging to video content and the impact of AI on the industry. They explore strategies for optimizing lead generation, the future of online courses, and the importance of building a strong personal brand and audience. Olly shares insights on how to adapt to changing market dynamics and the significance of community and high-ticket programs in the language learning space. Our events: www.creatorempires.com Join our Amsterdam Event March 19-20, 2026: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Em6jnf4HdUV_WvW3rXohw2Oa2qfGQ-mDf_ds1e3WcEs/edit?usp=sharing Chapters 00:00 The Evolution of Language Education Businesses 15:48 Navigating AI in Language Learning 24:45 The Future of Online Courses and Business Models 27:30 The Future of Language Learning and AI 30:01 Building Trust and Community in Language Education 34:01 High-Ticket Programs and Personalized Learning 37:55 The Shift Back to One-on-One Teaching 40:06 The Importance of Knowledge and Marketing in Business 48:48 Closing the Knowledge Gap for Business Success

    51 min

  4. JAN 31

    197. Grow Your Creator Education Business in 1 Hour (Real Case Studies + AI systems)

    In this episode, Jan shares proven systems and real case studies for growing creator education businesses in 2026. Drawing from his experience building six and seven-figure education businesses and working with top content creators in the language education space, he breaks down actionable strategies across three core growth pillars: traffic, conversion, and lifetime value. What You'll Learn: Traffic & Lead Generation: - How to create YouTube content that generates clients, not just clicks (with a case study showing 37% revenue increase despite fewer views) - The "bucket system" for identifying which video types attract qualified leads- 10 proven tactics to turn YouTube views into leads (including QR codes, lead magnets, and community tab optimization) - When ads actually work (and when they don't) for creator businesses Conversion Optimization: - How to build a compelling flagship offer that sells results, not courses - The power of email marketing in 2026 (and why it still outperforms social media)- Using AI and custom GPTs to write email campaigns efficiently - Running monthly email promotions to stabilize revenueIncreasing Customer Lifetime Value: - Price testing strategies that can boost revenue by 30%+ without changing anything else - Building a "course ecosystem" instead of one massive course - The rise of high-ticket offers and why they're becoming essential - Using customer feedback and AI to identify business bottlenecks For all the recourses mentioned in this video: https://creatorempires.com/resources Join our events: https://creatorempires.com/

    1h 4m

  5. 06/16/2025

    196. Will AI Destroy Your Course Business?

    5 ways to keep your creator-led education business future-proof: 1. Your fans want to learn from YOU. Make your products as personal as possible. 2. People will always be happy to pay for transformation, not for information. Position your offer that way. 3. Sell access. Build a community, offer live co-horts, of offer one-on-one access to yourself. 4. Consider running in-person events. The need for belonging is higher than ever. It will strengthen your brand too. 5. Build software. This requires a new skillset, but launching software that fills a gap in the market can out grow your personal brand. I’m personally doubling down on our events and software (Teacher AI).

    18 min

  6. 05/13/2025

    195. Simple Framework for Growing your Creator Business

    There are only 3 ways to grow your creator business: Get more views (traffic) 1. Turn more viewers into customers (conversion) 2. Get customers to spend more (product/offer) 3. The hard part? Knowing what to fix right now. Here’s a simple guide: 1. Optimize TRAFFIC first if: You’re not getting top views in your niche You haven’t fully committed to a YouTube strategy 2. Build a PRODUCT if: You’ve got significant traffic but nothing to sell You’ve maxed out short-term growth tactics 3. Optimize CONVERSION if: You have solid traffic and a product that people actually want But you don’t have proper sales systems in place

    21 min

  7. 04/24/2025

    194. My Conversion Rates Are Too Low

    You’re a content creator selling education, but your conversion rates are too low… Maybe because you have a big following in low-income countries. Or you’ve just managed to attract lots of freeloaders. Now what do you do? – First, we need to make sure: 1. You’re offering something that people actually want 2. You have proper sales systems in place 3. Are your conversion rates really that low? (Compare with peers in your niche) Still not solved? Try changing the sales vehicle. Instead of selling through an automated email sequence, try: - Offering a free course that sells your flagship course - Promoting your product through regular live streams - Running webinars Your audience might not feel comfortable buying through emails, especially if your emails are in a language they’re still learning. Go from text → video. Let us know if it works. Learn more about our events: www.creatorempires.com

    10 min

  8. 04/23/2025

    193. Your Creator Business is Worth Nothing

    Your creator business is worth nothing… To most investors, at least. Because when you leave the business, it goes to zero. But they’re often great for cash flow. Creators can invest that cash into product-first businesses that fill a real gap in the market. Something that can outgrow their personal brand. Software is just one example. That’s what we’re doing with Teacher AI Check out our events: www.creatorempires.com

    12 min
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5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Conversations with the builders shaping the future of language education. Hosted by Jan van der Aa, the show features conversations with founders, operators, and builders who are shaping the next generation of language education, apps, platforms, and education businesses. Jan is co-founder of the language practice app Teacher AI, and runs Creator Empires; a networking community for builders in the language space.

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