Student Question
Hello Master, I wanted to follow up on what you shared in the community about building a personal IP side business. Recently, by answering questions, I’ve already made 1,300 yuan. It’s not a lot, but it’s helped me discover more of my own value.
I’d like your guidance on some tactical questions:
I have an ordinary bachelor’s degree, and my English credentials are only CET-4 and CET-6 — no prestigious titles to speak of. Does this affect my ability to build a personal brand?
On the topic of building quality through volume — I’m posting ten pieces of content per day. Should I also be posting on other platforms like Douyin or Kuaishou? Also, my videos are currently educational and somewhat dry — not entertainment-style. Does that format work against me?
I only entered the education and tutoring industry in 2020, so my network is limited — about 100 parents in my WeChat groups. Should I recruit students for free as a starting point, using that as the foundation for organic growth?
I want to get my paid course out as soon as possible — it covers phonics, pinyin, pronunciation patterns, and vocabulary techniques. These videos are already publicly available, so I was going to compile them into a bundle and sell the package. I see others selling similar bundles for 199 or 168 yuan. They mostly promote their courses during livestreams and rarely teach actual content. Since my videos are already public, I’d basically be selling the organized package itself. I was thinking of pricing it at 19.9 yuan, or even 9.9 — I’m not sure if that’s reasonable.
I’ve always relied on employment income, but teaching English pronunciation is genuinely one of my strengths, and I’d like to use it to serve others. I know the questions are scattered — I hope you can point me in the right direction.
Master Chi’s Response
1. Titles are something you can dig out and package for yourself. Luo Yonghao never even finished university. Don’t claim to be a star teacher from New Oriental — a bachelor’s degree is enough. Anything beyond that is unnecessary.
2. Start by studying other English content creators. What are they mainly posting? Find around 200 peers in your field — once you do, you’ll have a clear instinct for what to do yourself.
Ask yourself this: the people you attract through entertainment and humor — are they actually connected to your teaching? Public-domain (广场) traffic and private-domain traffic are completely different animals. It’s the difference between giving a speech in a public square and teaching in a classroom.
If you’re out in the square — in a tea house, at a street corner — you have to be lighter and more accessible, because learning is already hard work. Nobody’s going to stop and listen to a lecture in the middle of a plaza. Look around: what draws a crowd out there? Lion dances, people holding signs. So instead of lecturing, talk about how to learn English in a way that connects to everyday life. That’s the sweet spot. For example: “How I finally understood English in movies after years of getting lost.” That kind of thing.
3. Start a free group. You’ll slowly build relationships and meet more people that way.
4. Think of your products in three tiers: traffic drivers (引流款), profit products (利润款), and bestsellers (爆款). At 19.9 yuan, you’re just driving traffic — that’s fine. But consider offering offline classes as your real profit product.
Here’s the deeper point: you’re just getting started, and spending too much energy on problems doesn’t actually get you anywhere. You’ve already taken the first step.
A lot of people trying to build a side income — what’s the one thing that stops them from making that first sale? They get completely tangled up in problems.
You’ve already moved. Keep moving through the problems — don’t wait to solve them first.
Most problems don’t need solving. Some can’t be solved at all, and the measures you take to fix them usually create bigger new problems. The ones that can actually be resolved? Time mostly handles those on its own.
The world is full of problems, and it keeps moving forward anyway. What are your little problems in comparison?
Amplify your natural strengths, expand your value, seize the opportunities in front of you — and don’t let so-called problems derail you. That is the right path.