GalleryContent StudioEvent VenueSouth Yarra · Est. 2025
A La Vita Nova program

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.

Cut-paper illustration of a launch night market stall: bunting, a striped awning, a table of the things the children made and a hand written price tag
12 weeksOne idea, built properly

One to one, or a small group · Online or in South Yarra · Ages 8 to 13

Enquire about a place → Visit the full program site →

Every place starts with a free introductory chat. No obligation either way.

Twelve weeksOne session a week
Two hoursEach session
Ages 8 to 13One to one, or a small group
South YarraOr online, anywhere in Australia

What it is

01Before you enquire
Flat illustration of a child at a work table with a lightbulb idea above them, a notebook and a pencil

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

02How it works
Foundations
Weeks 1 to 5

Find the idea. By the end: a locked-in business, a clear customer, and a simple way to make money.

Build the brand
Weeks 6 to 9

Make it real. By the end: a name, a logo, a full brand kit and their own printed business cards.

Launch
Weeks 10 to 12

Take it live. By the end: online for real, marketed, and launched to a live audience on the big night.

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

03The curriculum

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 5
Week 1Meet the EntrepreneurThey leave with a page of ideas they love.
Week 2Find the Big IdeaThey leave with their one big idea locked in.
Week 3Know Your CustomerThey leave with a picture of their dream customer.
Week 4Your SuperpowerThey leave with their standout edge in one line.
Week 5Make It Make MoneyThey leave with a starter price and a money plan.

Build the brand

Weeks 6 to 9
Week 6Find the VibeThey leave with a moodboard.
Week 7Name ItThey leave with their business name.
Week 8Design the LogoThey leave with their own logo.
Week 9Brand Pack and CardsThey leave with a brand kit and real printed cards.

Launch

Weeks 10 to 12
Week 10Build the WebsiteThey leave with a live website.
Week 11Marketing MagicThey leave with an advert and a piece of merch.
Week 12Launch NightThey leave with a proud pitch and a real launch night.

What they end up with

After twelve weeks
A brand

A name, a logo and a brand kit that is theirs.

Business cards

Properly printed, with their name on them.

A website

Live, online, and theirs to show anyone.

A product

The thing itself, priced and ready to sell.

Imagine what your child could build

04The venture library

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.

Games & apps
Game studio

Design a game with your own characters and levels, then release it under your very own studio name.

Games & apps
App idea

Sketch and design an app that solves a real problem for kids your age, and pitch it like a founder.

Craft & make
Candle co

Hand-pour candles with your own scents, labels and packaging, and a brand people remember.

Craft & make
Jewellery line

Make handmade jewellery with a real brand, a price list and a shop of its own.

Food & treats
Baking brand

Perfect one signature treat, then package and sell it under your own name.

Food & treats
Pet treats

Bake treats for pets and build a brand that pet-owners in your neighbourhood trust.

Digital & creative
A channel

Plan, film and grow a channel around something you love, with a real look and a plan.

Digital & creative
Art label

Turn your artwork into prints, cards and a little shop with your name on it.

Launch night

05Week twelve

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.

Flat illustration of launch night: a child presenting at a lectern in front of a screen showing their website, with bunting above and an audience in front

The Founders’ Fair

06Coming to Melbourne

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.

Cut-paper illustration of a market stall with bunting, a striped awning and a table of the things the children made

What your child really walks away with

07Why it matters

The brand and the website are the visible part. The lasting part is what they practise along the way.

Real confidence

They go from a quiet idea to standing up and pitching it out loud.

Money smarts

Pricing, value, and how a real business actually makes money.

Creative courage

Permission to dream something up and actually make it real.

A voice of their own

Presenting their thinking, explaining their choices, and backing themselves.

Grit and problem-solving

Trying, hitting snags, fixing them, and trying again.

Follow-through

The real, rare feeling of starting something and seeing it all the way to launch.

Jen, founder of La Vita Nova and The Founder’s Studio
Meet your guide

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.

01
I built my own business

AP Social Agency, where I help brands grow online through content and photography.

02
I’m helping build a brand new one

La Vita Nova, a business being built from the ground up right now.

03
Now I’m passing it on

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

08South Yarra, or online

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.

Flat illustration of the studio: an arched window, a framed piece on the wall, the long work table with chairs along it and a plant in the corner

Two ways to do it

09Choose the right fit

Both follow the same 12-week program. The difference is simply how personal, and how social, you would like it to be.

Available now
One to one mentoring

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.

Coming soon
Small group program

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

10Three steps
Apply below
Two minutes

Fill in the quick form with a little about your child and what they love.

A free intro chat
No obligation

We have a relaxed call to find the right fit and answer any questions.

Start building
Then they begin

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

Questions, answered
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.