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The Entrepreneur · № 19 · Capstone

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.

The idea

The Operator capstone is durability, not novelty. By now your kid has a real business and the question is whether they show up to it after the founding excitement is gone. Revenue, months in a row, payroll: those numbers prove the discipline. Most businesses die when it stops being fun. The Operator is the kid who kept opening the spreadsheet anyway.

Steps
  1. Pick one of the three paths: $25K lifetime, $2,500/month three months, or one paid employee three months.
  2. Build the spreadsheet that proves it: receipts, timesheets, bank entries.
  3. Have an outside adult review the books before submitting.
  4. Write a one-page summary of what the business does and how it makes money.
What counts

Documented proof of one of the three thresholds, plus a short writeup. The records and summary are plenty.