Four sessions. One teen. A brand and a real business plan.
For the motivated teen, the unmotivated teen who needs a spark, and the teen staring at college applications with no idea why. It doesn't have to be a trade: mowing or detailing, sure, but also baking, editing videos, reselling, tutoring. The idea is theirs to pick. The ownership thinking is what I teach, one-on-one, with a parent in the loop the whole way.
The Spark Check
Six questions about your teen. Answered by you.
Two minutes, no email wall, scorecard on this page. Nothing you click leaves this page unless you decide to send it at the end. Answer about the teen you actually have, not the one report cards describe.
Where Your Teen Stands
A six-question read on where your teen is, not a diagnosis. Retake it anytime.
Talk it through on a free 30-minute introductory call
You and me, no charge, no pitch-fest. We talk about your teen, I tell you honestly whether the four sessions fit, and your teen joins for the last 15 minutes if we get that far. If it's not a fit, I'll say so and point you somewhere better.
Ready to skip ahead? The application is below, and the intro call is part of it either way.
I'm not here to talk your teen out of college. I'm here to help your family make a real decision instead of a default one.
I went to college. It never fit. I learned more managing restaurants to pay for it than I did in any lecture. Then I spent fifteen-plus years owning small businesses and built a chimney & fireplace company in Bucks County into a multi-million-dollar operation. So I've lived both sides of this question, and I don't have an axe to grind with either one.
Here's what I see from where I sit. AI tools are quietly taking over a lot of the entry-level tasks that new graduates used to get hired to do. That doesn't make a degree worthless. It makes "get any degree and figure the rest out later" a riskier plan than it used to be. Building something of their own, even just the plan for it, teaches a teen what no classroom grades: ownership, follow-through, and how to hear "no" without folding.
College is a fine road. The trades are a fine road. The only wrong move is drifting onto either one without a plan.
How it works
Four sessions, one-on-one, live video. Every session ends with a piece of the plan built, not just something learned.
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Session 1
Growth mindset & a healthy relationship with AI
Clearing out the negative noise: the voice that says it's a dumb idea, the friends who'd laugh, the fear of asking. What perseverance actually looks like when something doesn't work on the first try. And navigating a healthy relationship with artificial intelligence: using it as a tool that sharpens your teen's thinking instead of a crutch that replaces it. This session is why the unmotivated teen belongs here as much as the driven one.
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Session 2
Brand brainstorm & devil's advocate
Pick the idea and build the brand around it: the name, who it serves, and why they'd pick your teen. Then I switch sides and play devil's advocate, and we poke every hole in it now, while holes are cheap. "No idea yet" walking in is fine; nobody walks out without one.
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Session 3
The bad stuff: legal, tax & compliance
The unglamorous part nobody's free videos cover honestly. What licensing, taxes, and compliance mean at this size, what they'd mean at the next size, and when to call a CPA or an attorney instead of guessing. Educational, in plain English; the professionals get the final word.
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Session 4
Business plan & monetization
How the idea actually makes money: what to charge, what it costs, and profit as a line item you decide on, not whatever's left over. Then the whole thing, brand and plan together, assembled and presented to the family. You green-light the launch when your family is ready, not because a program said so.
- First openings October 2026; the waitlist hears about new openings first
- End goal: a brand and a deliverable business plan, presented to the family
- On purpose, nothing launches and no money changes hands during the program
- A parent signs the enrollment; every session is recorded with parent access
- Full refund after session 1 if it's not a fit
- Optional ongoing advisory afterward, month to month, when your family decides to launch
There are plenty of free videos about starting a business. What they don't do is sit your teen down, session after session, with someone who's actually built one, and hold them to a finished plan.
Before you enroll your teen, check my homework
You should expect all of this from anyone who works with your teen. Here's mine:
- A parent signs the enrollment. Minors can't contract, so you're my client too
- Every session is recorded, and parents get access to every recording
- Parents are welcome to sit in on any session, any time, no notice needed
- No private DMs or texts between me and any minor. All communication runs through a parent-visible channel
- My PA clearances are complete, with copies provided to every enrolled family before any student's first session
- The guarantee: come to session 1, and if it's not a fit for you, your teen, or me, every dollar comes back. Leave before the halfway mark and the refund is pro-rated. Pro-rated means simple math: the price divided by the number of sessions, refunded for every session you didn't attend
Questions parents actually ask
My teen doesn't have a business idea yet. Should we wait?
No. "No idea yet" is a fine answer on the application. Session 1 clears out the noise, and session 2 is the brand brainstorm where the idea gets picked, named, and stress-tested. What matters is that your teen is willing to show up, not that they already know what to build, or even that they're motivated yet. The unmotivated teen is half the reason this exists.
What happens after we apply?
You get a free 30-minute introductory call with me. Your teen joins for the last 15 minutes. If they don't want this, I won't sell it to you. We both decide, and nobody pays a dollar before that call.
What if it turns out to be a bad fit?
Come to session 1. If it's not a fit for you, your teen, or me, every dollar comes back, no forms, no hard feelings. Leave before the halfway mark and the refund is pro-rated. Pro-rated means simple math: the price divided by the number of sessions, refunded for every session you didn't attend.
How do I know my teen is safe?
Check my homework instead of taking my word. Every session is recorded with parent access, one-on-one never means private: a parent can sit in live at any time, there's no contact between sessions except through you, a parent signs the enrollment, and my PA clearances are complete, with copies provided to every enrolled family before any student's first session. The full list, with the honest status of each item, is on the safety page.
Will my teen actually make money?
Not during the program, and that's on purpose. Asking a teenager to launch and earn on a deadline is a risk your family doesn't need yet. The goal here is a brand and a deliverable business plan your family can green-light. When you decide it's time to launch, ongoing advisory exists for exactly that: month to month, your teen and you together.
Apply for teen mentorship
This isn't a checkout page. You apply, we have a free introductory call, and we both decide. October 2026 founding-family openings are taking applications now.
Rather talk before you apply? Book a free 30-minute introductory call and we'll sort out fit first.
Request a family session
This session is built as a follow-up to my talks and workshops. It goes deeper on what we covered in the room, with your specific teen in mind. Haven't seen me speak yet? Bring a workshop to your group first, or start with the free Conversation Check.
75 minutes, parent and teen together. You leave with the plan; the written copy follows within a week.