As the Spanish language becomes more prevalent in American society, entrepreneur Lori Wall provides Northern Kentuckians with a valuable opportunity: the ability to learn a new language.
Wall’s in-depth knowledge of the language was honed through years of teaching at schools around the region, including Kenton County Schools, Villa Madonna Academy and Notre Dame Academy. In 2004, she decided to foray into the private sector by starting Spanish on the Fly — a conversational Spanish education and tutoring service.
Nearly 20 years later, Wall is celebrating another career milestone by moving Spanish on the Fly into its first brick-and-mortar storefront at 311 Elm St. in Ludlow. Previously, Wall operated the business out of her home. On Aug. 22, America’s Small Business Development Center hosted a ribbon-cutting celebrating the grand opening of Spanish on the Fly.
Wall told LINK nky that her primary client base consists of young professionals looking to learn Spanish for their careers and older people who are traveling or interested in picking up a new hobby.
“It’s two totally different ends of the spectrum,” said Wall.
With her new brick-and-mortar storefront, Wall hopes to expand her product offerings and, in turn, her client base. Spanish on the Fly is currently enrolling potential students for the fall. Its curriculum is broken up into three levels based on skill.
As a Spanish teacher by trade, Wall said one of the most challenging parts of operating Spanish on the Fly is the is the daily grind of running a business.
“Every day is different than the day before,” she said. “You have to rely on what you know and what you think needs to be done, and you don’t always know. It’s challenging, but once you get into it, if you really enjoy what you’re doing and it’s the right fit, it’s much more satisfying.”
To become 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 ten-week program designed to help women entrepreneurs master the fundamentals of their businesses and enhance growth.
Aviatra CEO Jill Morenz told LINK nky that Wall is “dialed in” to her customer’s wants and needs.
“Lori is an inspiration for women service providers because she is clearly dialed in to what her clients need and prices her services to fit their budgets,” Morenz said. “She also helps her students to dream big and use their new language skills on exciting excursions in our region and around the world.”
Looking forward, Wall hopes to expand her program offerings, which her brick-and-mortar will allow her to do. Starting in September, Wall will offer kids classes. Additionally, she hopes to set up and facilitate conversation groups between her students and fluent Spanish speakers.
This story features reporting from LINK nky’s Nathan Granger.
