2 Hour Tutor Client Story
From “Just Teachers” to Business Partners: How Lana & Christina Built We Tutor Young Minds
Two former classroom teachers. One shared vision. A business built around their own experiences as EAL learners — and a move to Australia and a new baby in the middle of it all.
It started on a summer’s day, sitting outside with their husbands.
“We were two unhappy teachers,” Lana told me. “We would always talk about teaching and how full-on it was. And then we just said — let’s do a tutoring company.”
That conversation became We Tutor Young Minds. And what Lana and Christina have built since then is proof that partnership, clarity, and the right support can take you further than trying to figure it all out alone.
The juggle that every teacher knows
Both Lana and Christina were classroom teachers when they started talking about what came next. They loved teaching — but they also knew the reality of it.
“It’s a very rewarding job but it can be very exhausting,” Lana explained. “You’re juggling a lot. A lot of tabs going on in the head. I had my two kids, Christina was thinking about the future and her kids — and you kind of feel like you can’t give 100% to them because you’ve got 30 kids in the classroom.”
They’d already started tutoring on the side. A few one-to-one clients. Some groups. But something was missing.
“We didn’t really know what the next step was,” Christina said. “How to turn it into something that could be an actual business — as opposed to a side hustle.”
Sound familiar?
A niche rooted in their own experience
When it came to deciding who to help, Lana and Christina didn’t pick a niche from a list. They looked at their own lives.
Both had grown up as EAL learners — English as an Additional Language. Both knew what it felt like to struggle with writing when the words didn’t come naturally.
“I moved to London when I was five from Croatia,” Lana shared. “The war broke out, we moved, and I didn’t know any English. I learned to speak in about six months — but the writing, that barrier was still there. It wasn’t my first language. At home we just spoke Croatian.”
She paused.
“It wasn’t really until I had one amazing teacher in Year 9 or 10 who made me start to enjoy writing. Before that, it just felt like a tricky thing to do.”
Christina had a similar experience growing up Portuguese. And when they started thinking about which children to help, the answer was obvious.
“What about those children that just go under the radar?” Lana said. “There’s so much attention on children with learning difficulties, or the really high achievers. But what about the ones in the middle? The ones who are doing ‘okay’ but really finding it hard? They weren’t seen. They weren’t heard.”
That became the heart of We Tutor Young Minds: supporting primary-aged children — specifically 7 to 9 year olds — who struggle with writing. Catching them early, before the confidence drains away.
“You don’t want to wait until Year 5 or 6 where they’ve already got these feelings in their head — ‘I’m not a good writer, I can’t do this, I’m just not going to bother,'” Lana explained. “Getting there early and giving them that confidence is so important.”
The shift from teacher to business owner
Here’s something we see again and again: the strategy isn’t the hard part. The identity shift is.
For years, Lana and Christina had been “teachers.” That was the label. The role. The way they saw themselves.
Becoming business owners meant expanding that identity — and confronting the conditioning that comes with years in the classroom.
“We had a conversation,” Lana remembered. “Christina said to me, ‘Hang on a minute — what we’re building is an actual business now.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ Before, it was just tutoring. We were teachers, and we tutored on the side. But now it’s the whole package.”
And then Christina said something that stopped me in my tracks.
“Even that mindset of saying ‘just teachers’ — that’s the mindset we’ve been conditioned to think. But we’re not ‘just’ anything. We’re the ones developing the next generation. The next doctors, lawyers, presidents. And it gets so overlooked. Our title is actually really important.”
That shift — from “just a teacher” to business owner, entrepreneur, someone whose skills have real value — is one of the biggest transformations we see in the programme.
Building through life’s curveballs
Let’s talk about what Lana and Christina navigated during the six months they were in the programme:
- Christina moved back to Australia (where her family lives)
- Christina had a baby — Marley, who made a cameo in our interview
- Lana was still teaching part-time in the classroom
- They were building a business across different continents and time zones
And they still made it work.
“I even had a baby during it,” Christina laughed. “And I’m still teaching. So you can still do it — we were doing our modules whenever we had the chance.”
For Christina, the upcoming baby wasn’t a reason to wait. It was a reason to act.
“I had that push of — I’m about to have a baby. What I don’t want to do is leave him at home and go back to being in a classroom. I want that work-life balance.”
Sometimes the biggest life changes are the biggest motivators.
What actually shifted
I asked them what changed most during the programme. Lana’s answer covered it all.
“Mindset — in terms of how much we think we’re worth. Pricing our product. Not being so scared to say the price to a parent.”
She continued: “I found that tricky because you’re competing with so much out there. People offering things for a fiver. And you’re thinking — who’s going to want us if we’re not matching that price?”
“But actually, what we’re providing has so much value. What we’re offering it for is a really good deal. That was a big shift.”
And then there was the clarity.
“We had no idea what a lead magnet was. Facebook ads — not a clue. How to offer something free. And now I see it everywhere. Now that I understand how marketing works, I click on things and think — that’s a really good lead magnet. They’ve got my email address now.”
“All these little dots that I had no idea about. It’s been so good to have that clarified.”
From tutoring to a real programme
Before joining the programme, Lana and Christina were tutoring. They had a plan for what they’d teach. And that was it.
Now? They’ve built something with layers.
“It’s not just ‘here’s your writing programme, off you go,'” Lana explained. “There’s so many other elements. Mindset stuff. Journaling. Affirmations. Christina’s husband is going to record audios for us that kids can listen to while they’re journaling.”
“Our whole aim was to instill a love for writing and build confidence. Now we have a whole package that goes along with that.”
That’s the difference between selling hours and selling transformation. Between tutoring and building a business.
The power of partnership
Running a business with someone else isn’t for everyone. But for Lana and Christina, it’s been essential.
“Find someone that has the same passion as you,” Christina said. “Lana and I bounce ideas off each other. We’re going to get further doing it together than we would doing it by ourselves.”
Lana agreed: “If you’re lucky enough to have someone, everything just seems so much easier. You’re in it together.”
They’re proof that partnership can work — even across continents, even with a newborn, even while still teaching.
What they’d say to you
I asked what they’d tell someone who’s in the position they were in six months ago. Tutoring on the side. Saying yes to anyone who can pay. Wondering whether to get support or keep going alone.
Christina went first: “Just go for it. Put all your effort in and just do it. It’s been amazing.”
Lana added: “We tried to do it alone. That was our whole thing — let’s do some tutoring, let’s research, let’s read books. We had the niche, we had the target audience. But you just can’t go as deep without the support of people who know what they’re talking about.”
“It’s really hard to try and do it all alone. And if you want to make a change, you just have to take that step. You have to say — ‘Yes, I’ve tried doing it alone, but I actually can’t. I need the support. I need someone to help guide me.'”
And then she said something that summed it all up:
“We would do modules and be like, ‘Oh my god, this makes so much sense.’ But there’s no way we would have known about this if it wasn’t for the programme. There’s no way we would be where we are now.”
What’s next for We Tutor Young Minds
Lana and Christina have built their foundations. They’ve got their programme. They’ve got their workshop. They’ve had sales calls and good practice.
Now it’s about ramping up the marketing. Generating leads. Getting their message out to the families who need them.
“That’s our main focus for the next month,” Lana said. “Really generating those leads. Social media. Running some ads. We need to really push our marketing now.”
They’re ready. And I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Find Lana & Christina
Business: We Tutor Young Minds
Specialism: Supporting primary-aged children (7-9) who struggle with writing, with a focus on EAL learners
Is this your next step?
If you’re a teacher or tutor thinking about building something more sustainable — whether solo or with a partner — we can help.
The 2 Hour Tutor Programme is a 6-month CPD-certified pathway for educators who want to move from 1:1 delivery to scalable group programmes. We help you get clear on your niche, build a structured offer, and create a business that fits around your life.
Or start with our free Group Tuition Guide to get a sense of how we think.
Read more client stories:
- From Maths Teacher to Business Owner: Meet Tom Hawkins
- Crystal Clear: Charley’s Story
- From Self-Doubt to Success: Jean’s Story
- From Teacher to Home Education Mentor: Hannah’s Story
Lana and Christina completed the 2 Hour Tutor Programme while navigating a move to Australia, a new baby, and part-time teaching. We Tutor Young Minds is now a structured programme supporting primary children who struggle with writing.
