As Spanish becomes more prevalent in American society, entrepreneur Lori Wall is offering people in Northern Kentucky a rare opportunity: the chance to learn a new language.
Wall's in-depth knowledge of the Spanish language was honed through years of teaching experience in area schools, including Kenton County Schools, Villa Madonna Academy and Notre Dame Academy. In 2004, Wall decided to branch out into the private sector by launching “Spanish on the Fly”, a conversational Spanish language instruction and tutoring service.
Nearly two decades later, Wall is celebrating a new milestone in his career as he moves Spain on the Fly into its first brick-and-mortar location at 311 Elm St. in Ludlow. Wall previously operated the store out of his home. On Aug. 22, the American Small Business Development Center held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate Spain on the Fly's grand opening.
Wall told LINK nky that her main customer base is made up of young professionals looking to learn Spanish for work, and older people interested in traveling or taking up a new hobby.
“Those are two very different extremes on the spectrum,” Wall said.
Wall hopes to expand her product offerings and customer base with her new brick-and-mortar store. Spanish on the Fly is currently accepting students for the fall semester. The curriculum is divided into three levels based on skill level.
Although a Spanish teacher by trade, Wall said one of the most difficult parts of running Spanish on the Fly is the day-to-day grind.
“Every day is different from the day before,” she says. “You have to rely on what you know and what you think you have to do, which you don't always know. It's challenging, but once you get going, it's much more satisfying if you really love what you're doing and it feels right for you.”
To get more comfortable in the entrepreneurial world, Wall enlisted the help of Aviatra Accelerators, a Covington-based nonprofit that supports women-owned startups and small businesses. Wall participated in Aviatra's Momentum Accelerator, a 10-week program designed to help women entrepreneurs learn the fundamentals of business and accelerate their growth.
Aviatra CEO Jill Morenz told LINK nky that Wall is “sensitive” to customers' wants and needs.
“Lori is an inspiration to female service providers because she knows exactly what her clients need and prices her services to fit their budget,” Morenz said. “She also helps her students dream big and put their new language skills to the test on exciting field trips both locally and around the world.”
Going forward, Wall hopes to expand the programming she offers at her brick-and-mortar locations, including offering children's classes starting in September, and also to start and facilitate conversation groups between her students and fluent Spanish speakers.
This story was reported by Nathan Granger of LINK nky.