Unlock your child’s business mind

Start early.Build something real.

What school doesn’t teach. A founder program that takes your teenager from idea to a real business with paying customers, mentored by someone who started his first business at 11 and made six figures before turning 18.

Founding cohort. 10 places.

  • First business at 11
  • Top 100 Kids and Family podcast in 8 countries
  • Founded clothing brand Axxa at 14
  • Six figures in revenue before 18
Question 1 of 9

Fill out your application.

What year is your teenager in?

The gap

School teaches them to pass. Not to build.

You can see it in your teenager. The ideas, the drive, the hours spent watching business content. But school teaches them to pass exams, not to find customers, price a product, negotiate with a supplier or run a business. Most online courses don’t fix that either: they’re videos teenagers watch once and forget. Potential that isn’t used doesn’t stay potential for long.

14 real-world challenges

  • 01The Marketplace Challenge
  • 02Find Your 5 Hours
  • 03The 10 Message Challenge
  • 04The Street Survey
  • 05The Announcement
  • 06The 48-Hour Brand Sprint
  • 077 Days, 7 Posts
  • 08The Water Challenge
  • 09The Paperclip Challenge
  • 10The Sample Challenge
  • 11Live in a Weekend
  • 12The First 10
  • 13Come Back For More
  • 14Founder Showcase

Why me

I was in your teenager’s position a few years ago.

I started my first business at 11. That same year my podcast reached the top 100 Kids and Family charts in eight countries. At 14 I started Axxa, a clothing brand I’ve now been building for four years: finding manufacturers, negotiating with suppliers, building the website, running ads, selling at markets and to retailers, hiring staff, and making plenty of expensive mistakes along the way. It made six figures before I turned 18.

I’m not a 45-year-old telling teenagers what I wish I’d done at 15. I was there recently. Early Pursuit is everything I learned, the wins and the trial and error, turned into a program that helps your teenager do it faster and with far fewer mistakes.

Axel, founder

It was never just about the business.

The business is the vehicle. What your teenager walks away with is confidence talking to adults, the ability to sell an idea, an understanding of money, the habit of finishing what they start, and proof that they can build something from nothing. Those skills follow them whatever they do next.

The path

From idea to first customer.

Your teenager’s business is the assignment. Progress is measured by real milestones, not videos watched.

  1. 01Idea
  2. 02Validated
  3. 03Brand
  4. 04Built
  5. 05Launched
  6. 06First customer
  7. 07First $1,000

Axel has already helped many young entrepreneurs reach their potential.

  • HHudsonLaunched surf brand
  • AAithanScaled golf brand
  • TTiffanyCreated candle business
  • JJoelLaunched a drinks company

The curriculum

How to actually run a business.

97 videos taking your teenager from finding an idea to growing a business with real customers. Short, practical lessons, a real-world challenge at the end of every module, and a playbook for parents.

97

Videos in total

Core videos
71
Parent videos
5
Vault videos
21
Challenges
14

The main journey, in order. Each module ends with a real-world challenge.

    1. 01Who is Axel and why we made this
    2. 02What makes a good first business
    3. 03Your skills, interests and unfair advantages
    4. 04Problems worth solving
    5. 05Product vs service vs digital
    6. 06How much money you need to start
    7. 07Scoring and picking your idea

    Challenge

    The Marketplace Challenge

    Sell your old stuff to raise your starting money.

    1. 01Business and school: making both work
    2. 02Planning your week around both
    3. 03Exams and busy seasons: pausing without quitting
    4. 04Energy, sleep and avoiding burnout
    5. 05Saying no and protecting your time
    6. 06Growing without burning out

    Challenge

    Find Your 5 Hours

    Track a week and find 5 hours for your business.

    1. 01Why you need people a few steps ahead
    2. 02Who to reach out to
    3. 03Writing the message that gets a reply
    4. 04Asking good questions and following up

    Challenge

    The 10 Message Challenge

    Message 10 people and land at least one conversation.

    1. 01Does anyone actually want this?
    2. 02Researching competitors (with AI)
    3. 03Talking to real customers
    4. 04Getting proof before you spend
    5. 05Who exactly is your customer

    Challenge

    The Street Survey

    Ask 20 strangers about your idea in one afternoon.

    1. 01Friends, school and online comments
    2. 02Feedback vs hate: when to listen
    3. 03Staying safe online
    4. 04Not being taken seriously, and changing that
    5. 05Emailing and speaking like a professional
    6. 06Using your age as an advantage
    7. 07Getting through setbacks and tough weeks

    Challenge

    The Announcement

    Tell the world you're building something.

    1. 01Naming
    2. 02Logo and visual identity, fast
    3. 03Brand story and tone
    4. 04Setting up your socials
    5. 05Securing your domain and a holding page

    Challenge

    The 48-Hour Brand Sprint

    Name, logo and socials done in 48 hours.

    1. 01Documenting the journey
    2. 02Hooks and the first 3 seconds
    3. 03Filming on your phone
    4. 04Your content ideas bank
    5. 05Consistency and reading your analytics

    Challenge

    7 Days, 7 Posts

    Post every day for a week, documenting the build.

    1. 01Pricing
    2. 02Costs and margins
    3. 03Making the numbers work

    Challenge

    The Water Challenge

    Buy low, sell high, calculate your margin.

    1. 01Sales confidence
    2. 02DMs and cold messages
    3. 03Pitching to adults and shops
    4. 04Handling rejection
    5. 05Following up and closing

    Challenge

    The Paperclip Challenge

    Start with a paperclip. Trade up in one day.

    1. 01Finding suppliers: Alibaba and trade shows
    2. 02Contacting and negotiating
    3. 03Samples and quality
    4. 04Print on demand
    5. 05Packaging a service
    6. 06Pre-orders to fund stock

    Challenge

    The Sample Challenge

    Three quotes and a sample, or your first real job.

    1. 01Shopify setup
    2. 02Product pages that sell
    3. 03Photos on a budget
    4. 04Shipping and packaging
    5. 05Payments, money and parent involvement
    6. 06The legal side: ABN, business name and tax

    Challenge

    Live in a Weekend

    Get your store live and process a test order.

    1. 01Launch plan and building hype
    2. 02Launch week content
    3. 03First customers and outreach
    4. 04Customer service and refunds
    5. 05What to do after launch

    Challenge

    The First 10

    Get your first 10 paying customers.

    1. 01Reorders and stock
    2. 02Cash flow
    3. 03Paying yourself vs reinvesting
    4. 04Raising your prices
    5. 05Repeat customers and email
    6. 06Intro to paid ads

    Challenge

    Come Back For More

    Get 3 customers to buy again.

    1. 01Your founder portfolio

    Challenge

    Founder Showcase

    Pitch your business live to the group and parents.

Module 017 videos

Ideation

One chosen business idea, scored and ready to test.

  1. 01Who is Axel and why we made this
  2. 02What makes a good first business
  3. 03Your skills, interests and unfair advantages
  4. 04Problems worth solving
  5. 05Product vs service vs digital
  6. 06How much money you need to start
  7. 07Scoring and picking your idea

Challenge

The Marketplace Challenge

Sell your old stuff to raise your starting money.

Inside the program

Everything they need to build it.

  • 01

    The course

    97 practical videos across the core path, the Parent Playbook and the Vault, covering everything from finding the idea to running ads, plus a real-world challenge at the end of every module.

  • 02

    1:1 and group coaching with Axel

    A mix of one-on-one sessions and live group calls to work through real problems in their business.

  • 03

    Behind the scenes of real businesses

    Unfiltered access to how actual businesses run, starting with Axxa. The real numbers, suppliers, mistakes and decisions that are normally kept private.

  • 04

    Real-world challenges

    Hands-on tasks that build confidence, like trading a paperclip up to something valuable or selling to strangers.

  • 05

    Parent updates

    Regular updates on where your teenager is up to, what they’re working on, and how you can support them without taking over.

Our guarantee

A real business and a first customer. Or we keep going, free.

We’ll work with your teenager to fully set up and launch their business and land their first paying customer within the program. If they haven’t got there by the end, we keep helping them for free until they do.

Read the full terms

How it works

Four steps. About two minutes to start.

  1. 1

    You apply.

    A few quick questions about your teenager. About two minutes.

  2. 2

    You book a time.

    I take every call myself.

  3. 3

    We talk it through.

    Thirty minutes on your teenager, their ideas and what they want to build. Bring them along if you can.

  4. 4

    You decide.

    If it’s a fit, I’ll explain what’s involved. If it isn’t, I’ll tell you.

This is for teenagers who want to build.

For

  • Ambitious 13 to 18 year olds with ideas and drive
  • Teenagers who’ve tried a side hustle and want to do it properly
  • Families who want real-world skills alongside school

Not for

  • Anyone looking to get rich quick
  • Teenagers only doing it because a parent wants them to
  • Anyone expecting results without doing the work

Questions

What parents ask.

How much time does it take?

Most students spend three to five hours a week. The program is built around school, including a module on balancing the two. Although, most love what they are building so much that they choose to spend their free time further developing it!

What does the coaching look like?

The young founders get access to an incredibly in-depth course + a mix of one-on-one sessions with Axel and live group calls, so your teenager gets personal attention and learns from other young founders.

What if my teenager doesn’t have an idea yet?

That’s where the program starts. The first module is about finding the right idea for them.

How much money do they need to start?

Very little. Students learn to test ideas and pre-sell before spending, and to raise starting money themselves.

What if their business doesn’t work?

It took Axel 4 businesses to find the one that “worked out”, and he’s only 18!! This course is about so much more than just creating a successful business. It teaches them lessons that take years of trial and error to learn. The skills they gain will put them far beyond their years and help them with all aspects of life, business or not.

Is it safe?

All communication runs through professional channels with parent visibility. Parents give consent and receive regular updates.

Do I need to be involved?

You’ll get updates and a guide on how to support them, but the business is theirs to build.

What does it cost?

to talk through price, and how we can help your teenager make the most of their high potential.

Give them the head start you wish you’d had.

The founding cohort is limited to 10 students so every one gets real attention.