Premium project-based curriculum · Entrepreneurship

Pitch to
Profit

Find a real problem. Build the fix. Make a first real sale.

For grades 7–12 · Entrepreneurship for the AI Age · 18 weeks

Coming soonStart with Lessons 1–2

Pitch to Profit

Pitch to ProfitEntrepreneurship for the AI Age

Lesson 1, page 1. The introduction and Lessons 1–2 are included with an active Pharos Terminal subscription.

One idea.
A real sale.

18 weeksOne lesson a week, about five sessions of 45–60 minutes.
7 unitsFrom mission and problem to the launch paperwork.
15+ interviewsCustomer discovery with real people, and a survey.
Five briefs3 slides, then 2, 5, 8 and 10 minutes, then the capstone.
A real saleThe course is finished when a real customer pays.

Two ways to work

Online or on paper.
Or both.

Every purchase includes every lesson, the worksheet pack and the course guide as PDFs. Pharos Terminal subscribers also work the course online.

Online · For Pharos Terminal subscribers

In Pharos Terminal

The course inside Pharos Terminal, with the parent’s sign-off on every lesson.

The introduction and Lessons 1–2 included with an active Pharos Terminal subscription.
Enter each lesson’s score and sign it off in Pharos Terminal.
Sign-offs, scores and uploaded work are kept in your family’s private Pharos Terminal storage.
Each unit pairs with a type of current event from the Nexus Point desks.

PDF · Included with every purchase

The course PDFs

The introduction, all 18 lessons, the worksheet pack and the course guide, yours to keep.

Print them, or read them on any device.
A part “For the parent or teacher” in every lesson: what to look for and when to sign off.
A scoring table in every lesson: 200 points across seven units.
The briefing rubric, the AI rules agreement and the sale record.
The purchase stays yours if the subscription ends.

Left: the course in Pharos Terminal. Right: Lesson 1, page 1, as it appears in the PDF.

The course

Seven units. Eighteen weeks.

Each unit ends with something real: a mission, interviews, a prototype, the numbers, a pitch and the paperwork.

Weeks 1–2Lessons 1–2Mission and Problem. A mission of 30 words or fewer and a 3-slide introduction.
Weeks 3–5Lessons 3–5Customer Discovery. A log of 15 or more interviews and a survey chart.
Week 6Lesson 6Stay or Pivot. A 2-minute brief with three reasons from the evidence.
Weeks 7–9Lessons 7–9Prototype and Brand. A prototype or service catalog, a logo, a one-page site and feedback from 5 people.
Weeks 10–12Lessons 10–12Revenue Model. A cost sheet, a breakeven and a six-month projection.
Weeks 13–16Lessons 13–16Script and Briefings. 5-, 8- and 10-minute briefs, a script and a rehearsal and AI-use log.
Weeks 17–18Lessons 17–18Launch Paperwork. A start-up worksheet, the capstone pitch, a launch dossier and a first sale.

The 18-week schedule in the Pitch to Profit course guide.

Every lesson

Eighteen lessons.

Each lesson is one week. A student needs 90% of a unit’s points before the next unit opens.

Lesson 1 · includedYour MissionWrite the mission that will carry you through 18 weeks, and sign the AI rules.

Lesson 2 · includedFrom Problem to OpportunityTurn one problem into a first business idea and present it in three slides.

Lesson 3Learn to InterviewLearn the empathy interview, practice it, and run your first five.

Lesson 4Interviews in the FieldRun five more interviews and start seeing patterns.

Lesson 5Survey and PatternsReach 15 interviews, run a short survey, and chart what you found.

Lesson 6Stay or PivotDecide from the evidence whether to keep your idea or change it.

Lesson 7Build the First PrototypeMake the simplest version a customer could react to.

Lesson 8Test with Five Real PeoplePut the prototype in front of five people and change it.

Lesson 9Name, Logo and One-Page SiteGive the business a face customers can find.

Lesson 10Choose Your Revenue ModelPick how the business will make money.

Lesson 11Count the CostsEstimate what it costs to start and to run for a month.

Lesson 12Breakeven, Price and the Six-Month ProjectionSet a price, find breakeven and project six months.

Lesson 13The Nine-Slide ArcBuild the full deck by the slide rules.

Lesson 14Write the ScriptWrite your script and give a 5-minute brief.

Lesson 15Rehearse and the 8-Minute BriefMemorize by slide section and give an 8-minute brief.

Lesson 16The 10-Minute BriefGive the full 10-minute brief from memory.

Lesson 17Make It Real: The Start-up WorksheetWork through the paperwork a real business needs, with your parent.

Lesson 18Capstone: Pitch, Launch Dossier and First SalePitch to a real audience, hand over your dossier and make your first sale.

The capstone

Pitch it live.
Then sell it.

Ten minutes, from memory, live to an audience of 30 or more that includes three or more local business owners, then questions.

The pitchAll nine slides, from memory, recorded with your approval of who appears and where it is shared.

The launch dossierDeck, script, cost sheet, breakeven and projection, start-up worksheet, ledger and three business contacts.

A real saleMoney paid by a customer outside your household, at your price, with a receipt your parent checks.

If no sale happensIt’s not a failure; it’s evidence. The student goes back to Lesson 6, picks a new idea and works Lessons 6–18 again.

Included with an active Pharos Terminal subscription

Start with Unit 1.

An active Pharos Terminal subscription includes the introduction and Lessons 1–2: one complete unit, ending with the student’s first briefing. Buy the full course for Lessons 3–18, the worksheet pack and the course guide.

Lesson 1Your Mission. Write the mission that will carry you through 18 weeks, and sign the AI rules.

Lesson 2From Problem to Opportunity. Turn one problem into a first business idea and present it in three slides.

Lessons 3–18Customer discovery, the prototype, the numbers, the briefs and the capstone are part of the full course.

See Pharos TerminalComing soon

AI is an assistant

Never the author.

The student and a parent sign the AI rules in Lesson 1. Every fact is checked in a primary source the student actually opened.

Disclose itEvery use of AI goes in the AI-use log: the tool, what was asked and what was kept.

Never fake itNo made-up customers, data or quotes, with AI or without it.

Their wordsThe words on stage are the student’s own. AI may critique the script, but it never writes it.

Your guide

Zac Northup

Zac has written and published under his own name since 1996. From 2016 to 2021, he ran an educational nonprofit that taught rural high school students to launch their own small businesses. He holds an M.A. in History from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Pricing

The whole course.
One payment.

Pitch to Profit$350One payment. One family license.
No subscription needed.

Included

The introduction and all 18 lessons as PDFs
The worksheet pack
The course guide with the 18-week schedule
The briefing rubric, AI rules agreement and sale record

Not included

Prototype materials, on a budget your family sets
A capstone venue and transportation
Any business registration or fees
Legal or tax advice

Pharos Terminal subscribers: $249 — the full course at the subscriber price.

Coming soon

Pharos Terminal is $399 a year for one student ($299 for each additional student) and includes the introduction and Lessons 1 and 2. Refund policy

Questions? Answers.

Who is it for?

Students in grades 7–12. It is one track for every grade, with a parent or teacher scoring and signing off each lesson.

Do we need a Pharos Terminal subscription?

No. On its own, the full course will be $350 for every lesson, the worksheet pack and the course guide as PDFs. Active Pharos Terminal subscribers will pay $249. The introduction and Lessons 1–2 are included with an active subscription.

What counts as a real sale?

Money paid by a customer outside your household, at your price, for your product or service, with a receipt your parent checks. Gifts, family purchases and money you lend someone to buy from you do not count.

What if there’s no sale?

No sale is not a failure; it is evidence. The student goes back to Lesson 6, writes at least three new or revised ideas, runs five more interviews and works Lessons 6–18 again with the new idea. Lessons 1–5 keep their scores. The course is complete at the first real sale.

How is AI used?

As an assistant, never the author. Every use goes in the AI-use log. No interviewee’s name, contact details or story goes into an AI tool, and students follow each platform’s age terms or use the tool through a parent’s account with the parent present.

What does the parent do?

Chaperone interviews and tests with anyone the family does not know, approve anything identifying before it is posted, create or approve every online account, and handle every legal and money step: EIN, registration, accounts and payment apps.

How long does it take?

Eighteen weeks, one lesson a week, about five sessions of 45–60 minutes each.

Make the first sale.

Pitch to Profit · $350 · For grades 7–12 · Coming soon