104 PDF pages
The Playbook
The complete 12-phase process for choosing a customer, building an offer, pricing it, marketing it and turning it into a responsible venture.
The first-business kit · Ages 15–19
Their first business starts with a clear next step.
Two practical books to help them choose an idea, build an offer, set a price and ask for the sale. The Playbook explains it. The Workbook helps them put it into practice.
Both PDFs A$67
Instant digital access
Digital + printed A$97
Add printed books for A$30 at checkout
Playbook + Workbook · 100 exercises · No subscription
See inside the Workbook
Less guessing. A page to work through.
The Playbook explains the principle. The Workbook gives them a place to make the decisions and work out the numbers.
Exercise 54 · Know Your Numbers
- Monthly revenue (or target)
- Monthly costs
- Profit (revenue minus costs)
Three of the prompts on the page shown here.
- 104-page Playbook
- 125-page Workbook
- 100 practical exercises
- Instant digital access
If they keep saying, 'I want to start something'
Stop giving them more inspiration. Give them instructions.
Most young people do not need another motivational video, business podcast or course portal. They need to know what to do first, what to do second and what a finished step looks like.
Young Founders gives them the sequence: choose a customer, find a problem, create an offer, set a price, put it in front of someone and learn from the response.
You do not have to invent the business for them. Put the two books in front of them and let the pages tell them what to do next.
What they will build
They work through every part of a real first business.
- 01A target customer
One specific person they understand and can reach.
- 02A problem to solve
A real need that customer already cares about.
- 03An offer and price
What they will sell, why it helps and what it costs.
- 04A first sales action
A clear way to put the offer in front of a real person.
The exact curriculum
Twelve phases. From finding an idea to asking for the sale.
The 104-page Playbook teaches the process. The 125-page Workbook turns it into 100 exercises, decisions and real-world actions.
The Real World Is the Best Teacher
Start learning by making, testing and noticing what actually happens.
Ideas That Matter
Find possibilities worth pursuing and connect them to real people and real needs.
Offers That Work
Turn an idea into a clear offer somebody can understand and choose.
Brand Design That Stands Out
Shape a distinct identity people can recognise, remember and trust.
Marketing That Connects
Learn how to communicate with the people the venture is built to serve.
Make Money On and With Purpose
Understand value, pricing and the role money plays in sustaining meaningful work.
Build Systems, Not Chaos
Create repeatable ways of working so progress does not depend on constant improvising.
Make It Real, Make It Legal
Cover the practical foundations that turn a project into a responsible venture.
Momentum and Growth
Use feedback and focused action to keep moving and improve what works.
The Founder's Mindset
Build the resilience, judgment and self-awareness required to keep going.
The Integrated Founder
Bring purpose, offer, brand, money and operations together as one system.
Graduation Challenge
Put the learning into practice through a final venture-building challenge.
Exactly what arrives
229 pages. Two books. Two jobs.
125 PDF pages
The Workbook
100 prompts, checklists and working pages that require them to choose, write, calculate, test and take the next action.
Read the step in the Playbook. Complete the matching pages in the Workbook. Then take the action before moving on.
Download it in about a minute
No videos. No course portal. No subscription.
Both PDFs arrive immediately after checkout and are theirs to keep. They can read them on a device or print them at home. Add $30 at checkout if you want the real Playbook and Workbook printed and posted as well.
Young Founders by Faster Zebra
The complete offer
Both digital books are $67 AUD.
You get the 104-page Playbook, the 125-page Workbook and all 100 exercises as two instant downloads. There is no login and no recurring charge. If you want both books printed and posted, add the printed edition for $30 at checkout.
Who wrote it
Built by someone who has started, scaled, sold and rebuilt.
Charbel A. Zeaiter has built businesses since 1988 across hospitality, retail, streetwear, design, technology and education. He started Academy Xi as a Saturday class, grew it into Australia's first UX and service design school, raised $3.625 million across three rounds and sold his stake in 2019 for seven figures.
He built the way Young Founders teaches.
Customers and money were learned in a deli. Brand and attention in a cafe and streetwear label. Practical education at Academy Xi. Young Founders turns those lessons into one clear move at a time, on a real idea, with evidence before theory.
A complicated idea becomes useful the moment someone shows you the next step.
Charbel A. Zeaiter
- 1988
- Started his first business
- 8,500+
- People taught through paid learning
- $3.625M
- Raised for Academy Xi
- $22M
- Pre-money valuation before exit
- 7 figures
- Academy Xi exit
The businesses behind the books
Thirty-eight years of lessons, compressed into the next page.
- 1988
Swiss Deli
Customers, money, negotiation and building from evidence.
- 2003
The Love Project
Brand, attention and the difference between noise and an engine.
- 2010
Moose General Store
Word of mouth, invention and adapting when the rules change.
- 2013–19
Academy Xi
How to turn complicated business skills into practical steps people use.
★★★★★
This helped me lift my career to another level. Great knowledge and technique, and it helped me grow as a solution finder. Love the passion and energy from Charbel.
★★★★★
I came here to learn a range of skills, and I ended up learning about myself and life lessons. It went well beyond what I expected.
★★★★★
An amazing leader and teacher. Charbel brings warmth and a wealth of knowledge, and when mentoring he captivates your mind, always leaving you wanting to learn more.
★★★★★
His enthusiasm for people is contagious. He has deep experience to draw on and always has something current to share. You'll get more than you bargained for with Charbel.
What parents need to know
Before you put it in front of them.
The young person I'm buying this for doesn't have an idea yet. Is it still for them?
Yes. The opening phases help them notice possibilities, choose a person they want to help and find a problem worth solving. A polished idea is not the price of entry.
Will they actually use it?
It is built to be worked through, not watched. The Workbook contains 100 structured exercises across 12 phases. You can sit beside them for the first few pages, then let the system carry the work.
What age is it really designed for?
Young Founders is written for 15 to 19 year olds who want to start a business, test an idea or learn how an offer becomes something a customer can buy.
Do I need to help them build the business?
No. Your role is to back the effort, ask what they are testing and make space for the work. The Playbook provides the teaching and the Workbook provides the next decision.
What exactly arrives?
The digital kit lands in your inbox in about a minute, as two PDFs you can read on anything and print yourself. If you add the printed edition, a real Playbook and Workbook are posted to you as well.
How long does the printed edition take?
It's printed to order and usually takes about a week. Shipping is free to Australia, the UK and the USA.
Is there anything to log into?
No. No portal, no course, no drip feed, no subscription. You get the files, and if you take the printed edition you get the books. They're yours.
Give them the kit. Let them start.
Get the 104-page Playbook and 125-page Workbook with 100 exercises for $67 AUD. Both PDFs arrive immediately. Add both printed books for $30.
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