Malaysia’s My Aone Learning wants to be the Airbnb for all types of lessons

In this new age, the more skills you have and the more roles you play, the better off you are. If you’re the type who wants to learn at your own pace and time, the internet offers endless opportunities. Apply for online courses or go to YouTube, where you’ll find tons of instructional videos for anything you’d like to learn.

There’s also no shortage of solutions in case you prefer face-to-face interaction with a teacher or a coach. My Aone Learning is one of these. The Malaysian website connects people with learning centers and instructors who teach classes ranging from academics to health and wellness, sports, and recreational activities.

“My Aone Learning ​is an online marketplace for offline lessons in Malaysia​,” says Darren Gouk, the startup’s co-founder and CEO.

My Aone Learning runs like room-sharing service Airbnb in that users can scroll through listings from service providers, Gouk explains. It has a messaging feature, which allows users to communicate directly with one another on the platform. It doesn’t control the pricing, but only serves as a marketplace.

Since it launched its beta version in March, My Aone Learning has registered 590​ users, 3​7​9​ lesson providers, and 2​12​ lessons ​in promotion.​

A single solution

By registering with My Aone Learning, a user can be:

• a learner, booking a lesson or posting a teaching job and hiring instructors;
• an instructor, creating a profile and applying for a teaching job; and
• a learning center, recruiting both learners and instructors.

The site vets its users in varying degrees. First off, all users’ personal information are verified. For instructors who teach lessons that involve safety such as swimming, a certification is mandatory. My Aone Learning’s staff also pays learning centers regular visits. There’s no concern about the qualifications of the centers as most are duly registered businesses in Malaysia.

The site provides value to learners by helping them decide whom to hire through a rating and review system for each lesson and lesson provider.

The value for instructors, on the other hand, is less cost in promoting their classes and skills. “They usually search for different channels to market their diverse skill sets. For instance, Amy is a home tutor and a yogi. She has no way to promote both in one profile. We allow that,” says Gouk. Instructors register on the site for free and will only be charged when a student successfully enrolls. It’s the same story for learning centers. According to Gouk, these centers spend a lot of money for offline and online advertisements just to get a lead. Some of them don’t even have websites to attract students.

“We created a single solution for all these users,” he says, adding that a user can be a learner, instructor, and a learning center all in one account.

My Aone Learning takes a 20 percent commission from each enrollment. It also offers lesson providers the option of subscribing to premium membership, which is a recurring revenue stream. Premium membership gives providers more exposure on the site, increasing their conversion rates.