Our vision

Getting started

Let's rewind to 2004. I'd been trying to learn French for a few years. I'd spent a lot of time doing everything that language learners are "supposed" to do:

• I stocked up on textbooks
• I attended classes
• I tried software program after software program

But nothing seemed to work. I wasn't much further than when I'd started—unless being able to say, "The cow is on the car," is progress!

I guess I wasn't the ideal candidate for learning a second language:

• The school I went to didn't offer language classes.
• I didn't have access to any French speakers.
• I was, and still am, tone deaf. :)
• I felt nervous about making mistakes whenever I spoke to French people.

I knew I couldn't be the only person having trouble. So at the start of 2004, my friend and co-founder, Mark Ling, and I put our heads together.

What other challenges were holding people back from successfully learning a second language? And how could we help them overcome them?

We did a lot of research, including:

• Surveying several polyglots (people who speak several languages).
• Hiring linguistic experts.
• Researching practical learning strategies.
• Bringing in technical experts.

Within 12 months we had created both Rocket Spanish and Rocket French by combining:

• Engaging listening activities.
• Easy-to-follow grammar lessons.
• Useful vocabulary.

Both courses were instant hits. Users sent us rave reviews, saying how much better our courses were than anything else on the market.