automation playbooks
four real automation builds that keep small businesses running smoother.
practical english studio
lesson-tested guides for teachers and learners building English programs that actually stick.
sme operations toolkit
operations, tax, and tooling playbooks that keep small businesses tidy and resilient.
mindset & growth journal
personal reflections on pacing careers, resilience, and building a sustainable learning life.

Reading experience
learning english, the tea way
A 42-module reading journey from Tea's book—debunk myths, design sustainable systems, and build confidence with English the practical way.
42 modules
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Reading experience
english foundations studio
A guided reading experience for teachers building confident English classrooms—from placement to feedback loops.

Reading experience
automation control room
A guided sequence for designing reliable automations—from process audits to long-term monitoring.

Reading experience
sme operations blueprint
Step-by-step modules that steady taxes, compliance, and everyday operations for small businesses.
Reading experience
sustainable career mindset
Reflections and practices for pacing ambition, recovering energy, and staying in the game long-term.
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About this blog
Writing to clarify my thoughts, share what I've learned, and connect with people who think deeply about similar things.
Approach
No fluff, no jargon. Just real experiences, honest reflections, and practical insights from building businesses and helping others do the same.
What you'll find here
Business automation, learning systems, finance basics, communication, and the occasional philosophical tangent.
Latest posts
Just Ship It: Learn to Code With a Clear Purpose
Everything You Need to Understand About the Web Once and For All
Web DevelopmentOnce you see the whole map, you realize there’s no magic, no mystery, just steps.
How Businesses Handle Money Owed by Customers (and What Happens If It’s Not Paid)
Finance BasicsGood accounting is not about wishful thinking, it is about planning for the real world.
How I Taught Myself Marketing, Automation, Web Development and much more by...Doing It!
JourneyIf everyone else in the company is a brick, then I'm the cement: filling the gaps to make the whole structure solid.
The First Script That Changed Everything
JourneyI didn't just write code. I changed how an entire workflow functioned.
How I Learned More by Studying Less: My System for Smarter Learning
JourneyIf everyone else in the company is a brick, then I'm the cement: filling the gaps to make the whole structure solid.
Dealmaking: the actual thing businesspeople do
JourneyIf everyone else in the company is a brick, then I'm the cement: filling the gaps to make the whole structure solid.
Why I’m Glad I Finished University (Even If It Might Have Held Me Back A Bit)
ReflectionsUniversity isn’t supposed to give you all the answers. It’s supposed to help you ask better questions.
Don't Be Afraid of ISO
Messages and Email in a Virtual Office
Operations & CommunicationUse messages for urgency and email for calm—your team will thank you.
The Seasonal Rhythm of TESOL Work
Designing English Courses: Lessons After a Few Painful Rounds
Course DesignLooped lesson plans keep classes steady while still feeling fresh.
Go the Extra Mile to Become the English Teacher Students Remember
English Student Intake Tests: What Great Teachers Check
Teaching & AdmissionsChoosing the right students during intake protects your energy and the whole class.
Managing Online Class Materials Effectively
Education & TrainingOne shared whiteboard keeps your students anchored to exactly where to review.
Grammar Is a Tool, Not the Destination
CELTA Complete Guide - Who It's For & How to Apply It
TeachingHọc viên nói mãi không fluent? Hãy luyện nói chậm trước
When Students Fear Writing in English, What Should Teachers Do?
English TeachingVietnam Small Business Tax Guide: From VAT to Filing Deadlines
Accounting & FinanceTax stops being scary once you know the forms—then it becomes a pricing tool.
Trading Pain Thresholds and Career Risk
Saving Myself When Life Slid Off Track
Mental HealthNo one can save you but you—so start with the smallest habit you can keep.
Don't Trust Too Soon
PhilosophyFinding My xNFP MBTI Fit and Why Teaching Is Home
Personal GrowthThat messy xNFP mix makes perfect sense once I'm back in the classroom.
Just Missing English: Phong and Tuấn’s Accounting Journey
Mình là người khuyến học
English Learning Is Just Like Learning to Drive
English LearningHills and Life
PhilosophyData Safety Nets for Non-Tech Auction Platforms
OperationsHọc giúp đầu óc khỏe mạnh
Cách học hiệu quả với hệ thống theo dõi câu hỏi
Practical English Learning: From Apps to Real Conversation
Đọc sách như lướt Facebook
A Rural Florist’s Digital Playbook
Applying Micro Teaching
Teaching EnglishHow to Become a 'Wow' English Teacher
Teaching EnglishManaging Student Learning Materials
Teaching EnglishWhat Makes Learning English Hard for Adults?
Teaching EnglishWhen Students Never Become Fluent
Teaching EnglishHow to Conduct Student Placement Tests
Teaching EnglishIs Learning Grammar Important?
Teaching EnglishHow to Organize a Course
Teaching EnglishPeak and Off-Peak Seasons in TESOL
Teaching EnglishHow to Learn Vocabulary with Quizlet (Advanced Guide)
Practical EnglishWhat Should I Read to Improve My English?
Practical EnglishWhere to Find Native Speakers
Practical EnglishFinal Thoughts: Tea's Journey & Closing
Practical EnglishSuccess Stories: Khánh & The Phong-Tuấn Story
Practical EnglishTo Learn Well, You Must Change (Part 2 - Extended)
Practical EnglishGrammar & Vocabulary: Too Much Focus?
Practical EnglishTo Learn Well, You Must Change (Part 1)
Practical EnglishColleagues Speaking Vietnamese
Practical EnglishEscape Velocity in Learning English
Practical EnglishFocus and Discipline
Practical EnglishEveryone Wants to Be Recognized
Practical EnglishUse Fewer Apps
Practical EnglishPassive vs Active Vocabulary
Practical EnglishPart II Conclusion: Key Study Principles
Practical English3 Essential Steps to Improve Your English
Practical EnglishPart II Conclusion: Apps & Tools Summary
Practical EnglishTFlat Dictionary – Simple but Surprisingly Useful
Practical EnglishTEDICT – Train Listening, Dictation, and Pronunciation
Practical EnglishQuizlet – Smart Flashcards for Learning Vocabulary
Practical EnglishApps That Actually Help You Learn English
Practical EnglishPart III — You (and AI) Are Your Best Teacher
Practical EnglishHọc 1-1 không hiệu quả như mình nghĩ
Practical EnglishOne-on-One Lessons Aren't Always the Smart Choice
Practical EnglishMyth 11 — Learning English Is Expensive
Practical EnglishThe English People I’ve Met
Practical EnglishMyth 10 — Why Do Others Progress Faster Than Me?
Practical EnglishMyth 09 — An IELTS 5.5 Is “Too Low”
Practical EnglishWhy British Council Doesn’t Recommend IELTS Before 16
Practical EnglishMyth 08 — You Must Master IPA to Speak Well
Practical EnglishMyth 07 — You Don’t Have to Record Yourself to Improve Speaking
Practical EnglishLiving in the UK Without Really Using English
Practical EnglishPaying Just to Learn Someone Else's Culture?
Practical EnglishHow I Got Stuck with IELTS Writing (And Fixed It)
Practical EnglishMyth 03 — Underlining Keywords Isn’t Enough
Practical EnglishMyth 02 — Adults Learn Slower Than Kids
Practical EnglishMyth 05 — Writing More Isn’t the Only Answer
Practical EnglishMyth 06 — One-on-One Lessons Are Always Better
Practical EnglishMyth 01 — Moving Abroad Automatically Fixes Your English
Practical EnglishMyth 04 — You Don’t Need Endless Vocabulary
Practical EnglishMyth 12 — Getting Stopped Early Means a Low Score
Practical EnglishEnglish? It's Like Learning to Drive
Practical EnglishTreat Social Media the Way You Treat Your Friends
Will AI Really Steal Your Job?
CareerLearning How to Learn
Personal DevelopmentWhat to Do When FOMO Hits Too Hard?
Tech Setup for Small Businesses
TechnologyClient Stories: Working with Tea
From Zero to 50 Code Scripts in 7 Months
Technology & LearningCách học từ vựng bằng Quizlet
Finding My Purpose Behind the Camera: How Event Photography Taught Me About Service
ReflectionsWhatever the next shiny thing is—a laptop, coding, ChatGPT—for it to be appealing to me, it has to help me serve someone at some level.
Teaching Vietnamese With an “Ah OK” Mindset
SaaS and the Future of Personalized Software
Business & TechnologyWhen build costs crash, software has to fit each business like it was tailored.
SaaS and the Future of Personalized Software
University and the Real Value of Learning
EducationWhen the Motorbike Stops Being Everything
Mình là người khuyến học
Learning Keeps the Mind Healthy
Learning & Personal GrowthIs ACCA Really That Scary?
LearningEffective Learning with a Question Tracker System
Study MethodsReading Books Like Scrolling Facebook
ReadingLesson Arc Library For Adult Learners
Practical EnglishA reliable lesson arc frees you to focus on coaching instead of firefighting.
Feedback Loop Blueprint For Busy Classrooms
Practical EnglishFeedback only works when learners know exactly what to do with it the second they read it.
Placement To Progress: The First 14 Days
Practical EnglishA calm intake process turns new students into confident learners before lesson one even begins.
If I Could Rewind High School to Become an English Teacher
Stop Guessing Your Customer’s Gender
Comparison Kills Joy
ReflectionTransforming a Traditional Auction House with Digital Strategy
Case StudyWhen a 200-year-old auction house needs to go digital overnight, you don't just build a website—you reimagine the entire customer journey.
Migrating to Auctionet: When Platform Choice Makes or Breaks Your Business
Case StudyChoosing the right platform isn't about features – it's about finding something that fits how your team actually works.
Building a Cloud-Based Art Submission System That Actually Works
Case StudyManaging £10,000 worth of artwork submissions shouldn't require a degree in spreadsheet wizardry.
Building and Scaling an Online IELTS Learning Platform During COVID
Case StudyWhen the world went remote overnight, I had 72 hours to turn in-person English lessons into a full online learning platform.
editor's letter
Welcome to my corner of the internet. Here you'll find unfiltered thoughts on business, automation, and the messy reality of building things that work.
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Get new posts delivered directly to your inbox.
editor's note
Welcome to my corner of the internet. Here you'll find unfiltered thoughts on business, automation, and the messy reality of building things that work. Every post comes from real conversations with real businesses facing real problems.
This isn't about theory or frameworks—it's about what actually happens when you try to make small businesses run better. The wins, the failures, and everything in between.
— Thi Nguyen, Business Automation Specialist
stay updated
get new posts delivered directly to your inbox.
weekly insights on business automation.
editor's letter
Welcome to my corner of the internet. Here you'll find unfiltered thoughts on business, automation, and the messy reality of building things that work. Every post comes from real conversations with real businesses facing real problems.
— Thi Nguyen, Business Automation Specialist








