How Speak Norsk went from pandemic shutdown to 14,000+ students on Teachable

Speak Norsk CEO & Founder Huzan Raad and her business partner Nicoleta Stratan nearly went bankrupt when COVID-19 forced them to close their thriving in-person Norwegian language school.

Just two years earlier, they'd built something special. Founded in 2018 by Huzan, a former immigrant from Iraq who grew up in Norway and learned Norwegian through conversation rather than textbooks, Speak Norsk had become one of Norway's fastest-growing Norwegian language schools.

Their innovative conversational teaching method attracted students so quickly they moved locations seven times in three years due to rapid growth. Each move was to accommodate more students who wanted to learn Norwegian the Speak Norsk way: Through real conversations, not dry grammar books.

Related: How to make money selling courses right now

Speak Norsk’s Teachable journey at a glance

When COVID hit Speak Norsk's biggest location sat empty. Revenue dropped to zero overnight. With most of their team laid off, just Nicoleta and Huzan remained, facing a choice: shut down or find a completely new way to teach.

"At one point, we thought this might be the end for the company. But then we observed a shift — many competitors were moving their classes online and offering live lessons on Zoom.." –Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

But Speak Norsk chose a different path.

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The turning point

While competitors rushed to replicate their in-person classes on Zoom, Nicoleta and Huzan realized they needed something more scalable. With just two people left, they couldn't teach live classes and run the entire business.

“We realized that we couldn’t do everything on our own — teaching, managing operations, and handling course delivery all at once. That’s when Teachable came into the picture. We knew we needed a platform that would allow us to easily create and deliver our courses.” –Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

They chose Teachable because it let them focus on what they did best: creating engaging, conversation-focused Norwegian lessons. The platform's user-friendly interface meant their teachers could create and manage courses without needing technical expertise.

The decision proved transformational. Within their first year on Teachable, they earned the platform's 1M Sales Award, and their online student count soon surpassed what they'd achieved with their physical locations.

“Learning a language should be an exciting journey for adult learners. Unlike traditional methods, we combine entertainment with proficiency—bringing modern, practical topics, engaging illustrations, and simple, clear grammar explanations. With us, learning becomes as enjoyable as reading a novel.” -Huzan Raad, CEO & Founder of Speak Norsk. 

Speak Norsk’s secret sauce to success on Teachable

Instead of simply adapting their in-person classes into an online format, Speak Norsk reimagined language learning by combining visual storytelling, personal guidance, and strategic course packaging. A prime example is the Viking Course, an all-in-one program that takes students from complete beginner to confident communicator by bundling multiple levels into one seamless learning journey serving Norwegian learners worldwide.

Here's how they turned a near-bankruptcy into a business that exceeds their pre-COVID revenue.

Strategy 1: Use a free course as your main lead magnet

Speak Norsk's growth engine starts with a comprehensive free Norwegian course hosted directly on Teachable. This isn't a basic teaser, it's substantial content that gets people familiar with both their teaching style and the platform.

"Our pre-recorded videos are created by the same highly skilled Norwegian teachers who contributed to our own-produced book series from A1 to C1. Praised by our classroom students, they make learning feel smooth and easy, keeping you motivated with clear, encouraging, and easy-to-understand explanations.”-Huzan Raad, CEO & Founder of Speak Norsk.

They promote this free course heavily on social media while keeping their paid course promotions exclusively within Teachable. This creates a natural progression: social media followers become Teachable users, then Teachable users become paying students.

“We offer a free course on Teachable to give students a chance to explore the platform and get comfortable with how it works before starting their paid courses.”– Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

The strategy works because it removes friction. Instead of asking people to pay immediately, they let the quality of their teaching do the selling.

Take action: Create a substantial free course that showcases your teaching style and gets people comfortable with your platform before asking them to buy.

Strategy 2: Add personal consultations to self-paced courses

While most online course creators focus purely on scalable, hands-off models, Speak Norsk adds a personal touch that sets them apart: free language consultations.

“We strive to make the learning experience as personal as possible and provide students with added value they wouldn’t find anywhere else.”– Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

These 15-30 minute consultations help students choose the right courses based on their specific goals. Whether someone wants to pass a citizenship test, learn business Norwegian, or prepare for immigration, Nicoleta and her team provide personalized recommendations.

The consultations serve multiple purposes: they increase conversion rates, collect valuable data about student needs, and often lead to higher-value course purchases. Students feel guided rather than abandoned to figure things out alone.

Take action: Consider adding a personal consultation layer to your self-paced courses to increase perceived value and conversion rates, even if it doesn't scale infinitely.

Strategy 3: Create seasonal and certification-specific courses

Speak Norsk doesn't just teach general Norwegian. They've built courses around specific student needs and seasonal patterns, particularly immigration and certification cycles.

Their Norwegian citizenship test preparation courses come with a bold promise: 100% pass guarantee with unlimited retakes until students succeed.

“If a student takes the course and, for any reason, doesn’t pass the test, they can retake it as many times as needed—with unlimited access until they succeed.” –Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

They also time their marketing around seasonal patterns. When Norwegian language tests approach, they promote test preparation courses. When companies are hiring, they push their business Norwegian content.

This targeted approach allows them to charge premium prices for specialized content while serving students exactly when they need help most.

Take action: Identify seasonal peaks or certification cycles in your industry and create targeted courses around those specific needs and timing.

Strategy 4: Build around company brand, not personal brand

Unlike most online educators who build around personal brands, Speak Norsk deliberately chose a company-focused approach with multiple teachers.

"We ensured a unified structure and provided the same training to all our teachers, so lessons are easy to follow even if the teacher changes. This keeps students focused and progressing at the same steady pace, as if guided by one teacher from beginning to end, while saving time, money, and making life easier by learning fast and efficiently” - Huzan Raad, CEO & Founder of Speak Norsk.

This strategy eliminates "key person risk." If one teacher leaves, the business continues. Students trust the Speak Norsk methodology and brand rather than depending on a single instructor's availability or personality.

The approach also allows them to scale more effectively. Different teachers can specialize in different levels and topics, creating a more comprehensive educational experience.

“It was a deliberate choice not to rely on a single central teacher. Instead, we wanted multiple instructors teaching across different levels, so that students would build trust in the brand as a whole rather than in just one individual.”–Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

Take action: If possible, build your brand around your methodology or company rather than just yourself to create a more scalable, sellable business model.

Strategy 5: Focus on visual, interactive content over traditional methods

Speak Norsk's biggest competitive advantage comes from rejecting traditional language learning methods. Founder Huzan experienced the frustration of "open your books to page 82" teaching and was determined to create something better.

Their courses emphasize visual elements, real conversations, and interactive exercises over text-heavy traditional approaches. This methodology proved so effective that competitors have started copying their methods.

“Around 95% of our courses are self-paced, but we’ve invested so much time and effort into developing them that we know it would be difficult for competitors to match the same level of work and quality.” –Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

The extra effort creates a competitive moat. While competitors can try to copy their approach, few are willing to invest the time and resources needed to match Speak Norsk's production quality.

Take action: Audit your course content for text-heavy sections and find ways to make them more visual, interactive, and engaging than your competitors.

Speak Norsk's results

Speak Norsk's transformation from near-bankruptcy to online success demonstrates the power of choosing the right platform and methodology for your audience.

Their numbers tell the story: over 14,000 students enrolled on Teachable, earning them Teachable's 1M Sales Award in their first year. Their online student base now surpasses what they'd achieved from their multiple physical locations before COVID.

The reach extends far beyond course sales. With over 10 million Instagram reach, 100,000+ followers, and millions of TikTok views, they've built a global community around Norwegian language learning.

More importantly, they've maintained quality while scaling. Their courses consistently receive positive reviews, with students successfully passing citizenship tests, securing job offers in Norway, and achieving family reunification through their language progress.

Expert corner: How the Speak Norsk team thinks about education

Speak Norsk serves a unique and important mission: helping people achieve their dreams of living in Norway. Their students include future immigrants, professionals seeking Norwegian job opportunities, and people working toward citizenship or family reunification.

"We had a few students that actually came from the US to Norway. They knew they were going to move and they started learning with us ahead of time. And by the time they came, they already had an intermediate level and could integrate easily, apply for different jobs and so on." – Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

The impact goes beyond language skills. Students learn from native Norwegian speakers, understanding cultural nuances and dialects that traditional methods miss. Many report feeling prepared not just for language tests, but for real conversations with Norwegian colleagues, friends, and neighbors.

The ripple effect extends to Norwegian society as well, helping immigrants integrate more successfully and contributing to more welcoming communities for newcomers.

Looking ahead

Speak Norsk's immediate plans include launching specialized courses for healthcare vocabulary and C1-level Norwegian test preparation. Both are already built on Teachable and awaiting final design elements.

"Our vision for Speak Norsk is globally oriented, expanding our methodology to more languages and making it accessible to learners worldwide. We plan to launch a groundbreaking language app, supported by our own book series in multiple languages and e-courses across the globe. In addition, we are planning to open in-person schools in London, New York, and Dubai.” - Huzan Raad, CEO & Founder of Speak Norsk.

“We have two upcoming courses. One focuses on healthcare in Norway, covering medical vocabulary and terminology. The other, called Norskprøve C1, is a preparation course designed for the Norwegian language test at the C1 level.” –Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

Their bigger vision involves expanding beyond Norwegian through their new Speak More platform. English courses are already live, Spanish is launching soon, and Arabic is in production. They're also developing books for all languages using the same conversation-focused methodology.

"We just want to bring a new type of learning to the market, something that's very fun and interactive." –Nicoleta Stratan, Managing Director & Partner at Speak Norsk

The goal is creating a comprehensive language learning ecosystem that applies Speak Norsk's proven methods to multiple languages, always with native teachers and real-world conversation focus.

What to do next

Check out Speak Norsk's Norwegian language courses on Teachable, including their free introductory course that has helped thousands of students start their Norwegian language journey. Whether you're planning to visit Norway, immigrate permanently, or advance your career, their conversation-focused approach will prepare you for real-world success.

Learn more about Speak Norsk: Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Website

Try Teachable yourself: Ready to turn your teaching expertise into a scalable online business like SpeakNorsk? Start your free Teachable trial today and discover why educators worldwide choose Teachable to build and grow their online schools. With features designed for course creators, student engagement tools, and business growth capabilities, Teachable provides everything you need to create educational impact at scale.