Don’t just learn about business. Launch a real one.
In 12 weeks, your child builds a real business around something they love, with a brand, a website and a launch night. 12 weeks, ages 8 to 13, South Yarra and online, ending in a real launch.
There is also a Sunday hour
A smaller way in, and you can book it for this week.
Every Sunday at 3pm we run The Founder’s Studio as a single one-hour class for ages 8 to 12, alongside three other Sunday classes. A child takes something they already care about and works on one real piece of it: what it is, who it is for, what to call it, what to charge. They leave with a thing made rather than a theory learned.
It is not the twelve-week program. The program is one child, one idea and a real business at the end of it, with a brand, a website and a launch night. The Sunday hour is a standalone class, and plenty of families use it to find out whether the longer program is for them.
Or four classes for $160, which is $40 a class. Booked through Square.
What it is
Not a class about business. A studio where they build one.
Most programs teach children about entrepreneurship. This one hands them the wheel. Every week they build a real piece of their business, and by week 12 they have launched it to real people.
- Built on what they love. We begin with what your child is already passionate about, from gaming to art to animals, so they stay engaged for all 12 weeks
- They make something every week. Idea, brand, logo, website, pricing, marketing: real deliverables, not worksheets that get forgotten
- It ends in a real launch. Week 12 is launch night, where they present the business they built to family and friends
- Sessions are led in person by our own team, and everyone working with children here holds a current Working with Children Check
Everything we do to keep children safe here is written down and public. Read our child safety commitment →
The 12-week journey
Find the idea. By the end: a locked-in business, a clear customer, and a simple way to make money.
Make it real. By the end: a name, a logo, a full brand kit and their own printed business cards.
Take it live. By the end: online for real, marketed, and launched to a live audience on the big night.
- Two hours a week
- Working with Children Check
- Online or in person
- Everything supplied
The same five-step rhythm every session: hook, explore, teach, make, share. It does not change, so a child always knows where they are in the session.
The other half of what we run for children is Masters in the Making, our Sunday art workshops for ages 8 to 12. See that program →
Week by week
Twelve sessions, three stages. Every week has one job and one thing to show for it at the end, so the business is further along when your child walks out than when they walked in.
Foundations
Weeks 1 to 5Build the brand
Weeks 6 to 9Launch
Weeks 10 to 12What they end up with
A name, a logo and a brand kit that is theirs.
Properly printed, with their name on them.
Live, online, and theirs to show anyone.
The thing itself, priced and ready to sell.
Imagine what your child could build
These are just a few examples to spark ideas, not a fixed menu. Honestly, almost anything is possible. Every child builds around something they already love, so no two studios ever look the same. And if your child dreams up something that is not here, even better.
Design a game with your own characters and levels, then release it under your very own studio name.
Sketch and design an app that solves a real problem for kids your age, and pitch it like a founder.
Hand-pour candles with your own scents, labels and packaging, and a brand people remember.
Make handmade jewellery with a real brand, a price list and a shop of its own.
Perfect one signature treat, then package and sell it under your own name.
Bake treats for pets and build a brand that pet-owners in your neighbourhood trust.
Plan, film and grow a channel around something you love, with a real look and a plan.
Turn your artwork into prints, cards and a little shop with your name on it.
Launch night
It all builds to one big night.
Every child finishes the program with a real launch night. Your child stands up in front of family and friends and presents the business they built, from the very first idea to a live website, and answers questions like a real founder. They finish with their own Founder’s Certificate and a night the whole family remembers.
- The founder’s story 3 min
- The problem & the big idea 3 min
- Meet the customer 2 min
- The brand reveal: name, logo & cards 5 min
- The website, live 5 min
- “Ask the founder anything” 5 min
- Celebrate & Founder’s Certificate 2 min
The stretch goal is a real market stall, where your child takes the business to a genuine kids’ fair and makes their first real sales. We are bringing one to Melbourne, and founding families hear first.
The Founders’ Fair
Make it. Sell it. Keep it.
A market run by children, for children. Young founders take a stall, sell what they made, talk to real customers and keep what they earn. It is open to ages 6 to 17, it runs once a semester, and there are friendly awards on the day for the stalls that stand out.
Founder’s Studio families hear about dates first, and a stall is the natural next step after launch night for a child who wants to keep going.
What your child really walks away with
The brand and the website are the visible part. The lasting part is what they practise along the way.
They go from a quiet idea to standing up and pitching it out loud.
Pricing, value, and how a real business actually makes money.
Permission to dream something up and actually make it real.
Presenting their thinking, explaining their choices, and backing themselves.
Trying, hitting snags, fixing them, and trying again.
The real, rare feeling of starting something and seeing it all the way to launch.
Hi, I’m Jen, and I’m a founder too.
I don’t teach entrepreneurship from a textbook. I have built it. That is the whole point of the Studio: your child learns from someone who is actually doing the work, and builds something real alongside me.
AP Social Agency, where I help brands grow online through content and photography.
La Vita Nova, a business being built from the ground up right now.
I created the Studio to give children the confidence, creativity and real-world skills that most of us only pick up as adults.
Where it runs
In-person sessions and launch night are held at La Vita Nova, our gallery and studio on Grosvenor Street. One to one sessions can also run entirely online.
Two ways to do it
Both follow the same 12-week program. The difference is simply how personal, and how social, you would like it to be.
One child, fully tailored, online anywhere in Australia or in person in South Yarra. The whole program is shaped around the thing your child is already obsessed with, scheduling fits around your family, and you get an update after every session.
Four to eight children building alongside each other as a founder cohort, term by term, with peer feedback, pitch practice and a shared launch night. Suited to schools, holiday programs and homeschool groups. Register your interest and we will let you know when a cohort opens.
Fees are talked through on the introductory chat, once we know which format suits your child and how often you want to meet.
Getting started is easy
Fill in the quick form with a little about your child and what they love.
We have a relaxed call to find the right fit and answer any questions.
Pick a time that suits your family and your child begins their 12-week journey.
Your details come straight to Jen and are never shared. This is just the start of a conversation: nothing is booked or charged until after the intro chat. Our privacy policy sets out how we handle what you send.
Good to know
Is it online or in person?
Both. One to one mentoring runs online anywhere in Australia, or in person at the studio in South Yarra. The small group program will run in South Yarra only.
How long is each session?
About two hours, once a week, across the twelve weeks. The rhythm stays the same each session so your child always knows what is coming.
Does my child need to be good with technology?
No. We use straightforward tools and work alongside your child rather than handing them software and hoping. Curiosity matters more than any existing skill.
What if my child is shy, or has no idea what to build?
That is where most children start, and it is what the first few weeks are for. We begin from something they already like and shape it into an idea together.
What ages is it for?
Eight to thirteen. If your child is close to that range, get in touch and we will talk about whether it suits them.
What do they actually end up with?
A named business with a logo and a brand kit, printed business cards, a simple website that is live, a price list, one piece of marketing, and a launch night where they present the whole thing.
What if we miss a week?
Scheduling is flexible and we pick up where we left off. Tell us as early as you can and we will move the session.
Do we need to buy anything?
No special equipment. For online sessions a laptop or tablet with an internet connection is all your child needs. Printing of business cards is included.
How do we start?
Send the enquiry form on this page. We will arrange a free introductory chat to work out whether it is the right fit, with no obligation either way, and only then talk about dates.
Not every child starts with an idea
Some start with a picture. For them there is Masters in the Making, our sister program: Sunday art workshops for ages 8 to 12, a different great artist every week, and a piece of their own to take home.