Launch Path · five phases to pitch

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Intro, terms, and tools

Launch Path is for Ontario teens turning a tiny idea into something you could try this month — lemonade-stand energy, not a billion-dollar startup. You will practice brand basics, produce an offer with honest numbers, prove the story with feedback, and present a 3-minute pitch artifact (deck, one-pager, or listing — not a required website). If you are still hunting for the idea, finish Ideation Path first and come back with a starred winner.

Learn these terms in plain language. Brand is how people recognize you — name, colours, and promise. Offer is what you give and what they get (price, time, tip jar, or trade). Break-even is how many sales or hours cover your costs before you earn anything extra. Audience is who pays and why. Channel is where you try selling once (DM, poster, neighbour door with a parent). Pitch is a short spoken story plus one artifact people can see.

Open Canva (free tier) or a Google Doc for your brand sheet and pitch script. Bookmark Google Sheets for the budget work in produce phase. Note whether you need Ideation Path — no shame in finishing ideas first.

You’ll know it when: one-sentence path goal + checked terms (brand, offer, break-even) + Canva or Doc open.

If stuck: No idea yet? Stop here and do Ideation Path Level 1. Have an idea but no Canva? Paper counts — snap a photo for your brand sheet.

Parent tip: Ask what they will actually try this month — scope beats fantasy.

Learn

Build a tiny brand

Pick a small idea you could actually try this month — lemonade-stand energy, not a billion-dollar startup. Write who it’s for, what problem you ease, and the promise you make them in one breath. If you’re still hunting for the idea, finish Ideation Path first and come back with a starred winner.

In Canva (or on paper), choose a name, two colours, and a simple mark that stays readable on a phone lock screen. Export a one-page brand sheet: name, audience, colours, and a 10-word promise. Skip AI logos unless a parent OK’s the tool — your handwriting is enough.

You’ll know it when: one-page brand sheet: name, who it’s for, colours, and a 10-word promise.

If stuck: Copy a brand you like, then change the colours and words until it feels yours. Stuck on a name? List ten silly options in two minutes and pick the clearest one.

Parent tip: Ask “who pays and why?” — not to kill the idea, just to keep it realistic.

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Write the offer and know your costs

Spell out what you give and what they get — price, time, tip jar, or trade. Draft a 30-second pitch you could say out loud without slides: hook, offer, ask. Keep the language concrete (“I mow one lawn for $25”) so strangers don’t need a website to understand you.

Pick one real channel — DM, poster at a community board, school club chat, or a neighbour’s door with a parent — and try it once. Screenshot or photo the outreach, then collect honest feedback from two people: what stuck, what confused them.

Set a price or a free/tip model that matches your offer line above. List costs in money and time — supplies, rides, printing, your hours. Round numbers are fine; honesty beats fake precision. If Money Path’s budget lab helps you think in categories, use it — but a one-page Sheet is enough here.

Write a simple break-even note: how many sales (or tip events) cover costs, or how many hours earn a small goal. Flag anything a parent must pay for — teens can practice business math without a credit card.

You’ll know it when: offer line + pitch script + outreach screenshot + one-page budget with break-even sentence.

If stuck: Practice the pitch to your phone camera three times, then show a parent one take. If nobody replies, rewrite the first sentence so the benefit lands first. Use round numbers first; refine after talking to a parent. Hidden costs often hide in snacks, gas, and “I’ll just use stuff we already own.”

Parent tip: Role-play the customer — ask one hard question kindly. Help them see hidden costs without lecturing.

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Feedback and honest numbers

Collect honest feedback from two people on your offer and pitch — what stuck, what confused them, whether the price feels fair. Treat feedback as data, not a grade.

Review break-even with a parent: are the numbers honest? Adjust price, costs, or scope if something is fantasy. Hidden costs often hide in snacks, gas, and "we already own that."

Fix one weak spot — clearer offer line, simpler price, or a better first sentence in the pitch. Write what you changed and why.

You’ll know it when: two feedback quotes + parent OK on break-even + one fix note.

If stuck: If nobody replied to outreach, ask a parent and a friend anyway — rewrite the benefit-first sentence.

Parent tip: Help them see hidden costs — ask what they'd pay themselves for an hour of work.

Learn

Package the pitch artifact

Package everything into one artifact: who, problem, offer, price, proof from outreach, and a clear ask. A five-slide Canva deck, a printed one-pager, or a simple marketplace/poster listing all count — you do not need a live website to finish Launch Path.

Practice a 3-minute pitch: hook → show the artifact → ask. Record one take, cut anything that drags, and write one thing you’d change next time. Invite family as the audience; treat feedback as data, not a grade.

You’ll know it when: pitch deck, one-pager, or listing plus a short reflection note.

If stuck: Record yourself once; if you freeze, read the offer line first, then improvise the rest. Screenshare a PDF if slides feel heavy.

Parent tip: Applaud the courage to pitch — detailed feedback can wait until after the clap.