105. Revenue = Vanity, Profit = Sanity, with Tom Shugg

From humble beginnings in a Beijing apartment to building a business teaching 50,000 students Chinese and Spanish worldwide, Tom Shugg is well versed in immersive learning.

Whether it’s changing diapers or expanding into a foreign market, Jim and Tom go deep on what it takes to build a company across country lines.

3 Key Takeaways

• Trust the Market: As a business owner or leader, you likely have preconceived notions about what you think is right in your industry. But that’s not always the case, one example - a lack of Spanish teachers in the US.

• Gamification Warning 🚨: Beware buzzwords! Lots of companies in edtech tout gamification, but their offering really doesn’t hold water for engaging students.

• Ride the Wave: The beauty of building a business is that momentum makes it easier over time. Once you’ve proven your offering in one market, it makes your transition into a new one simpler because you have a playbook to follow.
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Resources

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-shugg-3903135a/

www.meglanguages.com

About Our Guest

Tom Shugg is the Co-founder of Meg Languages and it was the inspiration that comes with being exposed to other cultures that inspired him to start a company that can advocate for that.

Tom spent more than a decade living and working in China, he is a fluent Mandarin speaker and prior to starting Meg, worked at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

When not working, Tom is chasing after 3 young kids and spending as much time on his surfboard as possible.

About The Dirt Podcast

The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.

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For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast

About Our Company

Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.

Website: https://www.orchid.black

Jim Barnish’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grow-smart-grow-fast/

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