The Money Club.Org
🕘 A Typical Day
Every day follows a predictable rhythm—so students can focus on learning and building.
9:30-9:45 — Standup
Goals for the day, quick wins, what’s stuck, who needs help.
10:00-10:30 — Instructor Presents
The “one new idea” for the day—money, pricing, sourcing, marketing, or storytelling.
10:30-12:00 — Build Time
Students build: spreadsheets, research, prototypes, copy, packaging, pricing.
12:00-12:45 — Lunch
12:45-2:15 — Project Work
Teams execute. Instructors run mini check-ins, reviews, and stage-gates.
2:15-2:45 — Standup
Short pitches, product explainers, and “talking like an operator.”
2:45-3:30 — Build Time
Advance insights gained from standup.
🚀 Week 1 — Decision Bootcamp
Week 1 is a guided crash course in how money and work actually function—so students can build with confidence in Weeks 2–4.
Themes
- Reading real-world agreements
- How wages work (and what life costs)
- How businesses survive (rent, labour, margins)
- The basics of pricing, unit economics, and break-even
- Evidence-based market research (field trip + data capture)
Core Workshops (samples)
- Contract Reading Lab: How to spot “red flags,” understand obligations, and ask smart questions
- Job Reality Lab: Compare jobs (grocery clerk vs barista vs gallery attendant) and model take-home pay
- Business Breakdown Lab: Deconstruct a restaurant’s economics (rent, labour, insurance, volume, margins)
- Unit Economics Lab: Fixed vs variable cost, COGS, pricing ladders, break-even
- Market Research Field Trip: Observe products, pricing, packaging, and private-label strategy in the wild
Skills Earned
- Money math without fear
- Asking better questions
- Turning confusion into a simple spreadsheet
- Building “proof” before committing time and budget
Outputs by Friday
- A simple personal budget model
- A break-even / unit economics sheet
- A market research evidence board (notes + photos + insights)
🧪 Week 2 — Control Brand Sprint
Students build a “control brand” version of an existing product category—so they learn how real operators make decisions: positioning, packaging, price, and margin.
What students do
- Choose a category (example: garbage bags)
- Study competitive sets (store brand vs premium vs value)
- Build a product concept with a clear customer promise
- Cost it, price it, and justify why it wins
Skills Earned
- Packaging + positioning
- Pricing ladders + margin thinking
- Simple sourcing and BOM logic
- Presenting a product like a founder
Outputs by Friday
- Product concept + positioning statement
- Cost model + pricing rationale
- Packaging / messaging draft
- Presentation Day: short pitch + Q&A
🛒 Week 3 — Marketplace Build
Week 3 is a student-driven build and sell experience. Students create their own product idea and prepare it for a controlled marketplace simulation.
What students do
- Identify a customer + problem (or desire)
- Validate with quick research (survey, interviews, observation)
- Pass stage gates (evidence → economics → build plan)
- Prototype, cost, price, and prepare to sell
Skills Earned
- Market research and validation
- Procurement + packaging thinking
- Margin discipline
- Sales, persuasion, and iteration
Outputs by Friday
- A validated product concept
- A cost + pricing plan
- A launch plan (how it sells + to whom + why)
- Presentation Day: product pitch + operator review
🎤 Week 4 — Scale + Showcase
Week 4 is where students level up: refine, improve, and prepare a final showcase that proves they can explain what they built and why it works.
Two Paths (students choose)
Path A — Scale a proven idea
Improve packaging, pricing, or positioning based on feedback and results.
Path B — Build a new idea using the system
Use Week 2/3 lessons to design a new offer with stronger economics and clearer demand.
Skills Earned
- Iteration and decision-making under constraints
- Storytelling + public speaking
- Ownership and leadership
- “Operator thinking” (what to do next and why)
Outputs by Friday
- A refined product story (what changed + why)
- A simple “next steps” plan (how to improve or scale)
- Final Showcase: students present to parents/guests with Q&A