The eight paths

Eight identities · Twenty milestones each · 160 total

Each path is an identity a kid can claim by doing the work. Milestones are ordered roughly by difficulty — the first five are the opening moves, the last few separate the committed from the serious. Earn five in a path and claim the identity. Earn all twenty and you are Proven.

The Entrepreneur/20The Builder/20The Creative/20The Athlete/20The Treasurer/20The Communicator/20The Leader/20The AI Pilot/20

The Entrepreneur

An Entrepreneur · 20 milestones
Proven at 10 · Mastered at 20
“AI can generate a business plan. It can't knock on a neighbor's door, ask for the sale, and handle the first complaint.”
  • №01
    Lemonade Stand
    Ran a one-day pop-up business — stand, stall, pop-up booth, bake sale — and ended the day with more money than you started with, after costs.
    Ahead
  • №02
    Launched a Campaign
    Created at least one real marketing campaign — flyers, posters, social posts, ads, or a landing page.
    Ahead
  • №03
    First Sale
    Sold something you made, grew, or sourced to a real customer who paid you real money, and kept the receipt.
    Ahead
  • №04
    Customer Interview
    Interviewed 10 potential customers about a problem they have, and wrote up what you learned about what they'd actually pay to solve.
    Ahead
  • №05
    Unit Economics
    Calculated the real cost and profit on one product you sell — materials, time, fees, everything — and can explain the math to an adult.
    Ahead
  • №06
    Repeat Customer
    Had the same customer buy from you twice without being asked, proving they came back on their own.
    Ahead
  • №07
    First Ten Customers
    Sold to 10 different paying customers who were not family or close friends.
    Ahead
  • №08
    First $100
    Earned $100 in total revenue from a business you built — documented, not gifts or allowance.
    Ahead
  • №09
    First $1,000
    Earned $1,000 in total revenue from a business you built, with records showing where it came from.
    Ahead
  • №10
    Referral
    Got a customer to bring you a new paying customer without you asking — proof the thing is good enough to recommend.
    Ahead
  • №11
    First Contractor
    Paid another person to do work for your business — friend, sibling, freelancer — and the work got done.
    Ahead
  • №12
    Brand Built
    Designed a name, logo, and simple visual identity for your business that you actually use in public.
    Ahead
  • №13
    Online Storefront
    Set up a working online storefront — website, Etsy, Shopify, Instagram shop — that has taken at least one real order.
    Ahead
  • №14
    Cold Outreach
    Sent 50 cold messages pitching your product or service, tracked response rates, and converted at least one into a sale.
    Ahead
  • №15
    Pitched to Ten
    Pitched your product or service directly to 10 real potential customers — in person, on a call, or over video — and logged each one: who they were, what you said, and what they said back.
    Ahead
  • №16
    Bookkeeper
    Kept clean books for your business for 6 straight months — every sale, every expense, reconcilable to your bank account.
    Ahead
  • №17
    Legally Real
    Registered your business as a legal entity — LLC, DBA, sole proprietorship — and opened a business bank account under its name.
    Ahead
  • №18
    Contract Signed
    Signed a written contract with a customer, supplier, or partner that you negotiated yourself, with an adult reviewing the terms.
    Ahead
  • №19
    The Operator · Any one of three
    Built a business that makes real money.
    • Reached $25,000 in total lifetime revenue from one business
    • reached $2,500 in a single month, three months in a row
    • employed another person for 3+ consecutive months from business income
    Capstone
  • №20
    The Founder · Any one of four
    Built something with institutional weight.
    • Raised outside funding — investment, grant, or crowdfunding — of $5,000 or more with a signed agreement
    • sold a business you built to a real buyer for real money
    • won a recognized youth entrepreneurship competition (e.g., Conrad Challenge, Diamond Challenge, regional equivalent)
    • had your business covered by a real publication with editorial independence
    Capstone