How my 15 year old sister built her own design agency (with no experience!)

💡 I built BETA Camp for my sister

I founded BETA Camp because I wanted a program like this to exist for my little sister, Jane, so she could find her purpose, explore her passions, and get real-world experience.

There are so many terrible, outdated career exploration programs that don’t understand how fast the world is moving.

There are also dozens of programs that try to teach real-world problem-solving through cases and worksheets. I remember being in business school and pulling numbers from my behind and coming up with ridiculous plans without understanding at all how to execute them.

My sister loved art, but she thought the only path forward was to be a starving artist. I wanted her to see that there were so many more possibilities to blaze her own path.

At first, I tried setting her up for coffee chats with my friends who had different careers. But it was boring to listen to someone talk about their work on Zoom. It’s hard to find anything interesting without context, so I set out to help Jane experience different roles for herself.

This was how BETA Camp was born: A place where kids get to experience every role within a company - by actually doing it as an entrepreneur.

After the program, my sister started her own design agency at 15. Her passion became her first business — and that’s the story I’m so excited to be sharing with you today.

BETA Camp has since gone on to help hundreds of kids start their own businesses — and I still think of all of them as my little brothers and sisters.

How my little sister built her own design agency — with no experience!

Starting from square one: My sister Jane had no experience in building businesses, but she was passionate about art. She didn’t have a website, an email marketing campaign, or even her own Paypal because she was underage (thanks, Dad!).

Even so, she was still able to build a successful business, turning her passion into her career.

Strategy: Jane rallied her friends, made a team, and started out doing cold outreach to small beauty brands on Instagram.

She told them she was a high school student and a graphic designer charging $15 for any design needs. A price that makes many small brands want to take a chance.

Then, she designed logos, product packaging, and other creative for them.

The result: Jane made thousands of dollars in just a few months in high school. As she built her portfolio, she raised her prices. From $15 to $40 to $99.

Looking ahead: Jane is now in her first year of college and interning in UX and Product design.

Through building a business, she found herself and what she loved — a story I’ve been lucky to see again and again with all the students who go through BETA Camp.

And here's a snippet of a rare message of appreciation (because you know how siblings are):

Show your kid what’s possible — watch them pull off something bigger than they ever could’ve imagined.

Sign up for BETA Camp’s next cohort to help your kids discover what they want to do, carve their own path, and learn valuable skills.

DEMO DAY for our July cohort is today!

Kids have built businesses that sell STEAM kits for kids, a modest fashion line for teens, reusable insulated bags for butchers, AI-generated curriculum for homeschoolers, doula chatbots for expecting mothers and more!

You can join our demo day today if you want to listen in as these teens pitch VC judges LIVE!

4 ways to help your kids carve their own path

Carving her own path taught Jane so many valuable skills, like how to problem-solve, communicate, manage a project, and become an expert.

Problem-solving: Jane figured out how to receive payments herself, navigating Stripe and PayPal documentation to earn money for her work.

• When your kids run into obstacles, whether that’s at school or in a video game, don’t let them give up — teach them to use whatever resources they have to get through. This is how kids build confidence.

Communication: Jane refined her cold DM over time to get more and more responses from new brands.

• The best way to learn what will work is by getting out there and trying it. Starting a business and mastering their selling skills will make sure your kid is ready when it’s time to write their college essay or land an internship

Project management: Jane had to juggle multiple different projects and team members at once — and since she was so new, she couldn’t afford to let her clients down with missed deadlines or letting deliverables fall through the cracks.

• Does your kid only meet their homework deadlines because you nag them about it? If your kid can’t manage their workload at school, they’re going to struggle when there’s no one around to remind them.

• Set strong expectations, like “I expect you to maintain a B average in school.” Then, instead of nagging them to study for a test, ask, “What’s your plan to maintain that expectation?” This will teach your kid to start thinking like a project manager for themselves.
  

Becoming an expert: Over time, Jane streamlined her services with a client questionnaire and branding document.

• The best way for your kids to get better at whatever they want to do is by iterating and improving steadily over time. Whenever your child completes a project, no matter the outcome, get in the habit of asking: “What went well?” and “What do you want to do differently next time?”

Most importantly, Jane gained confidence when she learned that she could create her own path — which was the greatest benefit of all.

Community highlights & links

🖼️ How to Use AI Image Generation to Build a Business

🍎 Asim Zaidi, a senior software engineer at Apple, joined us as a panelist at BETA Camp — here’s what he had to say about our students.

🌟 Stephanie, a BETA Camp alumni, shared about her experiences with the program.

Thanks for reading!

👋 New here? Welcome! You’ve just joined a community of over 100,000 (🥳!!!) other parents who are learning how to help their kids thrive in an ever-evolving, unpredictable future.

Until next time,

Ivy
CEO Prequel, BETA Camp, Apollo
Follow my journey on LinkedIn