Why a coalition, not solo moves
Moving solo from Preply means losing inbound discovery. The coalition formed a Chicago Tutor Directory on Lingua Exchange, cross-referred students, and helped each other onboard. The first six tutors moved in week 1; the rest followed by week 6.
Student retention through the move
92% of their combined ~280 students followed within two weeks. The remaining 8% were either at the tail end of a package or had specifically wanted Preply's $1 trial pricing for new students — not Koydo's economics.
What the take-rate gap funded
The 30-percentage-point savings meant each tutor could reduce hours by ~25% and keep the same take-home. Three of the twelve used that slack to take on grad school; one started a homeschool co-op of her own; the rest kept the hours and pocketed the gain.
How the coalition is structured
Loose. Monthly Zoom, shared cohort referrals, shared Slack for student-handoff conversations. No legal entity. Some coalitions later incorporate; this one prefers the looser shape.