Turn your idea into something real.
An online business course for ages 12-14. Eight clear steps: spot a problem, ask real people what they think, sketch a first version, work out the money, build a brand, get the word out, then pitch it and make it better. You finish with your own idea, tested and priced, and a pitch you have said out loud.
Go at your own pace · No card to start · £29 one-off access
- 8Steps, problem to pitch
- 22Tools for 12-14
- 251+UK founder role models
- £29One-off, no subscription
Start here
The course: eight steps, problem to pitch
Spot a problem, ask real people, sketch a first version, work out the money, build a brand, get the word out, then pitch it and improve. Module 1 is free.
Innovators Academy
Think like a founder: find a real problem, ask people what they actually want, sketch a prototype, work out whether the idea can make money and pitch it with confidence.
The journey
- 1Think like a founder
- 2Spot a problem
- 3Ask real people
- 4Sketch a first version
- 5Work out the money
- 6Build a brand
- 7Get the word out
- 8Pitch and improve
What you work through
+ 4 more modules
Do the work
Every tool for 12-14, in one place
Tools built for your age group, colour-coded by skill. Filter by what you need - sample tools are free, plus 3 AI uses a day.
All 22 tools for ages 12-14 - filter by skill
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AI coach
Blaze: ask the awkward questions
Price too high? Name rubbish? Pitch waffly? Blaze gives straight answers, is age-aware for under-14s and never asks for personal details.
Age-aware
Talks to your age group
Private
Chats aren't saved
Coaching
Questions, not answers
Blaze 🔥
AI Business Coach
Ask me anything about your idea - here's what people your age usually ask:
Is £4 too much for what I'm making?
My idea's name is rubbish - give me better ones
How do I ask people if they'd actually buy this?
251+ UK founders who started young
Searchable by sector, with how each one actually started - most without money, contacts or a plan. Handy for school projects, and for seeing that this is a normal thing people do.
- Find a founder in a sector you care about and read how she began
- Real UK examples for school projects instead of textbook case studies
Off screen
Dream it. Be it. Biz-it!
The write-in workbook for ages 10-14: ten missions that take you from a first idea to a finished business plan and pitch, with real UK female founder stories and badges along the way. 67 pages, paperback, £15.99 - bought separately from the shop and not part of the £29 digital access.
What you get out of it
What you'll have to show
Not a certificate of attendance. Things you made, that you can show someone.
- An idea you've tested, with what real people told you
- A sketch of a first version anyone can understand
- Your costs, price and profit in your own words
- A brand - name, colours, logo - and a 60-second pitch
Along the way
- Find a problem worth solving instead of guessing at ideas
- Ask real people what they think and change the idea based on it
- Work out costs, price and whether you'd actually make money
- Say your idea out loud in 60 seconds without waffling
Useful for
What it's for
Where this actually helps
Choosing GCSEs
See what business, design and computing subjects are really like before you pick them.
Enterprise days
Turn up to a school enterprise day or competition with an idea already tested and priced.
A first side hustle
Small and legal - things you make, tutoring, dog walking - with a grown-up involved in anything with money.
Confidence
Practise explaining an idea, handling questions and dealing with a no. It carries into everything.
GCSE Business builds on market research, competition, costs, pricing, marketing and pitching. You do all of it here on your own idea, so the lessons land before you sit the exam.
See the Innovators courseWorth reading
Guides for 12-14 year olds
Money, side hustles and AI - plus deep dives on UK female founders in tech and sustainability.
Swipe for more →
Free stuff
Free guides and idea starters
Grab these now - no card, no account required.
Answers
Questions 12-14 year olds ask
Six business ideas that suit 12-14 year olds
Skill first, kit second. Each of these can be started with a phone, a laptop or under £20 - and each one gives you something real to show.
- 1. Tutoring younger pupilsCharge per hour for maths or reading help. Highest hourly rate available at this age.
- 2. Social content for a local shopShoot and edit a week of posts for a cafe or salon. Real client, real deadline.
- 3. Print-on-demand designsUpload designs, no stock, no upfront cost. Learn margins and what actually sells.
- 4. Custom trainers or clothingBuy plain, customise, sell the transformation. Photos do the marketing.
- 5. Baking or bento cakes to orderTake orders a week ahead. Teaches quoting, ingredient costs and capacity.
- 6. Pet sitting or dog walking roundRepeat weekly income from neighbours, with a parent handling arrangements.
Straight answers about ages 12-14
What business can a 12, 13 or 14 year old start in the UK?
Skills-based work travels best at this age: tutoring younger pupils, social content or simple graphics for a local business, print-on-demand designs, custom trainers or clothing, baking to order, car valeting, pet sitting, reselling. In England you can do paid part-time work from 13 with a local council permit and set hours, but running your own small venture is usually simpler - a parent handles anything contractual.
Business ideas for teensCan a 13 or 14 year old legally earn money in the UK?
Yes. Employed part-time work is allowed from 13 in most areas with a council work permit, restricted hours and no work during school time. Money earned from your own small venture is different again - keep records, and a parent or carer holds any bank account and signs anything binding.
Does this help with GCSE Business or an enterprise project?
Directly. Market research, customer segments, the marketing mix, fixed and variable costs, break-even and pricing all appear here in project form, so the vocabulary is familiar before it is examined. It also gives you a finished project to point at in an application or interview.
How do I do market research as a teenager without a budget?
Ask ten real people the same five questions, record the answers, then look for the sentence that repeats. Our market research hub and customer interview tool script the questions so you do not lead people into telling you what you want to hear.
Try the market research hubHow much time does it take alongside school?
Modules run 30-40 minutes, tools take 15-25. One session a week finishes the track in a term and everything saves, so it fits round homework, clubs and matches.
You can make and sell things and keep the money, but you cannot be a company director until 16, and you need a parent's help for a bank account or any contract. Most 12-14 year olds trade informally with a grown-up's oversight - that is exactly what we teach.
Build the thing this term
Module 1 is free and takes about 35 minutes. £29 one-off unlocks the relevant digital courses, all interactive tools, unlimited Blaze coaching and every downloadable workbook and activity - for everyone in your household, forever. Printed books are sold separately.
£29 one-off unlocks the relevant digital courses, all interactive tools, unlimited Blaze coaching and every downloadable workbook and activity - for everyone in your household, forever. Printed books are sold separately.
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