Module 1 Know your customer and market 4 hAnalyse
Every sound business in language schools begins with one clear customer and one clear problem. In São Paulo and the wider state, demand is real but crowded, so a small, well-described customer group wins before a broad one.
- In language schools: Test learner level and goal: work, study, travel, exams.
- Write the customer in one sentence: an adult or school learner. Add the place, the moment of need and what they use today.
- List five rivals or substitutes within reach. For each, record price, strength, weakness and how people reach it.
- Interview at least eight real customers with open questions. Record exact words, not your summary.
- Count the market in units: how many learners could one area buy in a month? Use two public sources and your own count, then take the lower figure.
- Choose one first segment and say why the others wait.
Worked example. Weak: 'Everyone needs a taught language course.' Strong: 'Our first customer is an adult or school learner within 8 km of the centre, who today pays R$ 418 per learner and complains about delay. We target 72 learners a month by month three.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: ten customers are interviewed for language schools. Seven say price, two say speed, one says trust. Question: which first message do you write, and which interview record backs it? Model answer: lead with the learner price and speed promise, keep trust proof as the second line, and cite the seven price answers by date.
Activity. Write the one-sentence customer, a five-row rival table and eight interview records. Share them with a peer for a challenge round.
Standard to meet. Define a specific customer, build a rival table with prices, and trace every claim to an interview or a source.
Module 2 Rules, registration and data duties in Brazil 4 hUnderstand
Brazil asks every trader to be visible and accountable. Know which register, tax regime and sector rules apply before the first sale, and check each against the current official text.
- In language schools: Language schools follow education and consumer rules; certificate claims must be true.
- Choose a legal form: micro-entrepreneur (MEI) only if your activity appears on the official MEI list, or a company registered with a CNPJ. Regulated activities need their sector authorisation first. Check the current limits and lists on the official portal.
- Learn the tax regime that fits your size and write down which taxes you will collect and pay, and when.
- Find the sector rules for language schools: licences, inspections, professional registers. List each with the office that issues it and the renewal date.
- Personal data of customers falls under Brazil's data protection law (LGPD). Collect only what you need, say why, keep it safe, and name who answers questions.
- Consumer law gives buyers clear rights on information, returns and complaints. Put your terms in plain Portuguese.
Worked example. Checklist for a new language schools trader: 1) legal form (CNPJ, or MEI only if your activity is on the official list); 2) city operating licence; 3) sector licence or register; 4) tax set-up; 5) privacy notice; 6) written terms. Each has an owner and a date.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a neighbour says registration can wait until the first R$ 1.900 of sales. Question: what do you do? Model answer: do not delay; write the compliance table first, confirm the register, tax and sector licence with the official office, and start only where the table shows no open blocker.
Activity. Build your own six-line compliance table for your first location. Mark what is done, what is pending and who confirms it.
Standard to meet. Cite an official source for every line, assume nothing, and date every pending item. Local law always wins over this course.
Module 3 Design the offer 4 hCreate
An offer states what the customer gets, how well, by when and at what price. For a taught language course, the offer must make the quality visible and the next step easy.
- In language schools: Design levels with can-do statements and a speaking task at the end of each.
- Describe the core offer in three lines: what is delivered (a taught language course), the standard it meets, and the time it takes.
- Add one proof for each promise: a sample, a test result, a guarantee or a customer record.
- Price from cost upward and from customer value downward, then pick a price inside both.
- Write a simple one-page terms sheet: what is included, what is extra, how to cancel.
- Create two options at most, so choice stays easy.
Worked example. Offer: 'A taught language course, delivered within agreed time, checked against a written standard, price R$ 380 per learner. Proof: a dated record the customer can check and sign. Changes or cancellation by written agreement before work begins.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a customer asks for a discount from R$ 380 to R$ 342 per learner. Question: decide with numbers. Model answer: contribution falls from R$ 200 to R$ 162 per learner; offer an extra of value (for example faster service) before cutting price, and accept only if the lower contribution still clears break-even.
Longer notes. Choose the language, the age group and the goal: travel, school marks, job interviews or a certificate. Teach three trial samples to friends, record what confuses them, then write a syllabus of eight units with can-do goals and one speaking task each. Decide class size, weekly hours and the book or printed material, and check licence terms before copying anything. Prepare a level test of twenty questions and a short talk. Price per month from teacher hours, room and preparation, and write the refund rule for missed classes. Confirm school registration and teacher requirements with the local education office before the first class.
Extra worked example. A class of 10 learners, a worked-example size, pays 10 x R$ 380 = R$ 3.800. Teacher hours and materials cost R$ 180 per learner, or R$ 1.800, which leaves R$ 2.000, or R$ 200 per learner. Against R$ 15.000 of fixed cost a month, the whole school breaks even at R$ 15.000 / R$ 200 = 75, so 75 learners. Compare your price with the monthly prices you found in your area before you fix it.
Activity. Write the offer card, the proof list and the terms sheet. Test them with three customers and note every point where they hesitated.
Standard to meet. Check that promise, proof and price are consistent, fit the terms on one page, and record three customer reactions.
Module 4 Run the work step by step 5 hApply
Good operations make results repeatable. For language schools, write each step so a new person could follow it on their first day, and measure each step.
- In language schools: Plan class: warm-up, input, practice, speaking, feedback, homework.
- Map the process from first contact to paid and closed. Typical stages: enquiry, quote, preparation, delivery of the learner, check, payment, follow-up.
- Name the key resource at each stage: a placed level and a plan. Note what happens if it is missing.
- Write a one-page standard procedure per stage: who, what, tool, time, record.
- Choose three measures: speed, quality (errors per 100) and customer rating. Review them every week.
- Fix the cause of a defect, not the symptom. Ask 'why' five times and record the answer.
Worked example. Stage record: 'Prepare. Owner: lead. Time: 30 min. Tool: checklist. Record: signed sheet. Defect found on 1 of 30 learners last week; cause: missing check on a placed level and a plan; fix: add check at start, review next Friday.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: of 120 learners last month, 7 had a defect traced to a placed level and a plan. Question: what is the defect rate and what is your first action? Model answer: about 6 defects per 100; stop the cause (add a check at the start), correct affected customers, log the cause, and re-measure next week.
Activity. Draw the process map and write procedures for the two riskiest stages. Run each once and time it.
Standard to meet. Write procedures a stranger can follow, record weekly numbers for each measure, and trace one defect to a root cause.
Module 5 Safety, quality and risk 4 hEvaluate
The most serious risk in this field is lessons that never reach real speaking. A calm, written risk routine protects people first and the business second.
- In language schools: Learner drop-out is the risk; short cycles and attendance follow-up help.
- List ten things that could go wrong. Score each for how likely (1 to 5) and how serious (1 to 5). Multiply and sort.
- For the top five, choose a control: remove the hazard, replace it, guard it, train people, or use protective gear, in that order of preference.
- Write who does what in an emergency, and rehearse it once a quarter.
- Keep an incident and near-miss log. Near-misses are free lessons.
- Check that insurance and legal duties match the risk you actually carry.
Worked example. Risk row: 'Hazard: lessons that never reach real speaking. Likelihood 3, severity 5, score 15. Control: written check before each learner, trained staff, log sheet. Owner: site lead. Review monthly.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a near-miss occurs: lessons that never reach real speaking nearly happened but no one was hurt. Question: what do you do in the next 24 hours? Model answer: make safe, record the event, ask the five whys, add or tighten one control, brief the team, and set a review date; near-misses count as lessons, not blame.
Activity. Build a ten-row risk register and a one-page emergency plan. Run a ten-minute drill with a peer and note two improvements.
Standard to meet. Rank controls by preference for the top risks, run the drill, and start the log. Where a regulation applies, follow the official rule.
Module 6 People, skills and service 4 hApply
People deliver the promise. Define roles, train to a standard and give feedback in the open.
- In language schools: Train teachers in feedback and error correction.
- Write a role card for each person: purpose, five tasks, the standard for each, and who to ask for help.
- Train by showing, doing with support, then doing alone with a check. Record sign-off per task.
- Set service rules for answering customers: reply times, tone, how to apologise and fix.
- Hold a ten-minute team check each day: yesterday's problem, today's plan, one risk.
- Build a growth path: what a new person can do in week 1, month 3 and month 12.
Worked example. Training record: 'Task: process a complaint. Shown 2 May; done with support 4 May; done alone 8 May, checked: apology, fix, follow-up call. Signed by lead.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a new hire completes training but a customer complaint shows a skipped step. Question: whose gap is it? Model answer: first the system: check the role card, the training sign-off and the checklist; then coach the person and fix the document so the step cannot be skipped.
Longer notes. Staff the school with teachers, a front-desk coordinator and, later, a level examiner. Write a teacher guide with the lesson shape: warm-up, input, practice, speaking and review, each with minutes. Observe every new teacher for one lesson, using a sheet that counts student talking time against teacher talking time. Give feedback with two things to keep and one to change. Set a substitution rule and share plans in a common folder. Train the coordinator to handle late payments and transfers politely. Hold a monthly meeting where each teacher brings one activity that worked and one that failed.
Extra worked example. In an observed 60-minute lesson the teacher speaks for 36 minutes, or 60% of the time. The target is 40%, which is 24 minutes, so the teacher should hand 12 minutes back to learners. For the monthly meeting you pay 6 teachers for 1,5 hours at R$ 55 per hour: 6 x 1,5 x R$ 55 = R$ 495. The pay rate is a worked-example figure. If better lessons keep 3 more learners a month, they add 3 x R$ 200 = R$ 600 of margin, more than the meeting costs.
Activity. Write two role cards and a training plan for one new hire. Role-play a hard customer conversation twice and review.
Standard to meet. Write role cards with measurable standards, show the sign-off steps in training, and write the service rules in plain words.
Module 7 Money: cost, price and break-even 5 hAnalyse
A business lives or dies on a few numbers. Know your contribution per unit, your fixed costs and the volume you need.
- In language schools: Know cost per class hour and seats filled.
- Contribution per learner = price minus variable cost. Fixed costs are paid whether you sell or not.
- Break-even units = fixed cost divided by contribution. Plan to pass it by a safe margin.
- Make a 12-month cash plan. Cash timing matters as much as profit: customers may pay late, suppliers may want money first.
- Keep money for business and money for the owner apart.
- Test the plan: what if sales fall by a quarter, or cost rises by a tenth?
Worked example. Worked example, all figures in reais: price R$ 380, variable cost R$ 180, contribution R$ 200 per learner. Fixed cost R$ 15.000 a month. Break-even = R$ 15.000 / R$ 200 = 75 learners a month. At 120 learners a month, profit = R$ 200 x 120 - R$ 15.000 = R$ 9.000. These are teaching figures that belong to this example only; later examples and the case study use their own figures. Use your own.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: sales fall to 90 learners a month. Question: what is the monthly result? Model answer: R$ 200 x 90 - R$ 15.000 = R$ 3.000; compare with break-even of 75 learners and decide whether to cut fixed cost or raise volume first. Teaching figures only.
Activity. Build your own table: price, variable cost, contribution, fixed cost, break-even and a downside case at 75% of sales. Show it to a peer or mentor.
Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, give every figure a source or mark it as an assumption, and show a downside case.
Module 8 Grow, measure and renew 4 hEvaluate
Growth should follow proof. Measure, learn, then add; and keep returning to the customer.
- In language schools: Grow with levelled groups and exam preparation.
- Pick one growth lever at a time: new customers, a higher repeat rate, a better price, or a new offer.
- Set one measurable target for 90 days, such as 'raise repeat customers from 20% to 30%'.
- Ask each customer how they found you, and record it. Spend more where the record shows results.
- Review monthly: numbers, defects, complaints, cash. Write three decisions each time.
- Plan the renewal of licences, equipment and skills a year ahead.
Worked example. 90-day plan: 'Lever: repeat customers. Action: follow-up call after every learner. Target: repeat rate from 20% to 30%. Check: weekly count. Review date: day 45 and day 90.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: you can add 24 learners a month by one of two levers: a follow-up call to past customers or a price rise of R$ 38 to R$ 418. Question: how do you choose? Model answer: test the cheaper reversible lever first (the call), measure for 30 days, and only then try the price change, so you can tell which one worked.
Longer notes. Judge progress by attendance, re-enrolment and level gains across the term. Retest every student in week twelve with the same level test and count who rose a level. Compare re-enrolment between classes with different teachers to find where students feel lost. Phone those who stopped and tally their reasons. Try one small experiment at a time, such as a free conversation hour, and compare sign-ups before and after. Work out the break-even number of students per class and open the next class only when the waiting list passes it. Share anonymous results with parents.
Extra worked example. In this worked example, at 120 learners the school earns 120 x R$ 200 - R$ 15.000 = R$ 9.000. A waiting list of 20 learners, an invented figure, would lift it to 140 learners, and profit to 140 x R$ 200 - R$ 15.000 = R$ 13.000, a gain of R$ 4.000. If a new room adds R$ 3.000 to fixed cost, profit is R$ 10.000, still R$ 1.000 better. Open the second class only when the list is large enough to pass break-even on its own.
Activity. Write a 90-day plan with one target, three actions and a review date. Present it in five minutes and take questions.
Standard to meet. Set a measurable, dated target, break the actions down small enough to start this week, and put the review date in the calendar.
