Young CEO: a business game for teens that makes profit make sense
Five Saturdays, one lemonade stand and a cash box that has to last. A short, safe game that turns money words into decisions a young person can see and feel.
- Written for ages 12 to 16, in plain, friendly language
- Price, stock, help, adverts, saving and a bike for deliveries
- Weather forecasts that are usually, not always, right
- About 12 minutes, with a debrief that explains every result
Not sure yet? Try the free 3-round Price War first: no sign-up, about five minutes.
What is a good business game for teenagers to learn about profit and money?
Young CEO is a 12-minute Bodhih Arena business game for ages 12 to 16. Players run a lemonade stand for five Saturdays: they set the price, decide how many cups to make, choose whether to advertise, save part of each day’s profit and, from Saturday 3, deliver by bike. A friendly debrief explains profit.
What is Young CEO?
Young CEO is a single-player business simulation from Bodhih Arena written for students aged 12 to 16. The player is the boss of Sunny Cup, a lemonade stand, with a small pot of birthday money. Over five Saturdays they make choices about price, stock, a helper, adverts, saving and a bike for deliveries, while the real weather and a school fair stay uncertain. A score and plain-language debrief teach profit, demand and saving.
Young CEO at a glance
| Format | Micro-sim, single player |
|---|---|
| Length | About 12 minutes per play |
| Players | One person; every play is a new seeded scenario |
| Devices | Any modern browser on a laptop, tablet or phone |
| Scoring | Scored on the server out of 100, with sub-scores and a debrief |
| Credential | Open Badges 3.0 micro-sim credential at a score of 80 or more, with a public verification page |
| Competencies | Commercial Acumen (SPN.4.5), Decision Making (SPN.4.3), Planning and Prioritisation (SPN.5.1) |
| LMS | LTI 1.3 launch from Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard or D2L, with grade passback; usable as a Bodhih pathway stage |
| Price for one person | $12 |
| Price per seat | $12 per seat, volume pricing by seat count |
Money lessons stick when young people make the choices themselves
Profit is a word, not an idea, for most teenagers
Many young people can say that profit is sales minus costs but have never had to choose a price, buy stock and watch what is left.
Worksheets do not show cause and effect
A worksheet asks for the right answer. Real businesses reward good guesses and punish waste, and that is hard to show on paper.
Clubs and programmes need activities that work in one session
Teachers and youth leaders want something short, self-explaining and age-appropriate that still starts a real conversation.
Here is the situation you walk into
Your child, or your student, becomes the CEO of Sunny Cup, a lemonade stand at the end of a driveway, with 30 dollars of birthday money in the cash box. Lots of people walk past to the park on Saturdays, if the weather is kind.
Each Saturday they choose a price, how many cups to make, whether their friend Ravi helps, whether to put up posters or flyers, and how much of the day’s profit goes into a savings jar, where Grandma adds 10% every week. Lemonade left over goes flat and is poured away. Run out, or serve alone on a busy day, and people walk off.
From the third Saturday, neighbours start asking for deliveries, so there is a choice: borrow a cousin’s bike for the day or buy a used one and sell it at the end. One Saturday the school fair comes to the park. Which one? That is part of the game.
5 decisions, one debrief
- STEP 1
Saturday 1
Read the forecast, pick a price, decide how many cups to make and whether to advertise. See money in, money out and profit.
- STEP 2
Saturday 2
Adjust using what happened: cups wasted, people missed out, how happy customers were. Decide how much to save.
- STEP 3
Saturday 3
Deliveries open up. Borrow a bike for the day or invest in one, and plan enough cups for the stand and the orders.
- STEP 4
Saturday 4
Use what you have learned about the weather, prices and your street. Keep enough cash for next week’s lemons.
- STEP 5
Saturday 5 and the debrief
A final day, then the total: profit, cash box, savings jar, best day, and what a strong plan could have made.
Who Young CEO is for
- Parents and carers. A short, positive way to talk about money, saving and effort with a 12 to 16 year old, ideally played side by side.
- Teachers of business, economics and maths. A ready-made lesson starter on profit, demand and stock, with a debrief that does the explaining for you.
- School enterprise clubs. Gives a club a common first experience before students plan a real stall, fair or mini-company.
- Summer programmes and youth organisations. A self-contained 12-minute activity that works as an opener, a rotation station or a quiet independent task.
Who should skip it
It is not designed for children under 12 or for adults looking for a business course; adults will get more from the other Bodhih Arena simulations.
What a young person can do after Young CEO
In twelve minutes they will have run a tiny business from start to finish, and they will be able to explain why their best day was their best day.
Work out profit
Explain profit as money coming in minus money going out, and see that a busy day is not always a profitable one.
See how price and weather change demand
Notice that more people buy on hot days and fewer when the price rises, and that a lower price can sell more but earn less per cup.
Plan stock to avoid waste
Understand that making too much wastes money and making too little means lost sales and unhappy customers.
Balance saving and spending
Save a steady share of profit while keeping enough cash to buy next week’s lemons.
Think about investing
Weigh borrowing a bike against buying one that earns more over time and can be sold at the end.
Learning goals
- Work out profit: money coming in minus money going out
- See how price and weather change how many people buy
- Plan saving and investing so the business can grow
Skills practised: Financial literacy, Decision making with uncertain information, Basic budgeting, Early strategic thinking, Customer focus, Numeracy in a real context.
Competencies scored
Sub-scores map to the open Bodhih Competency Spine, so results sit beside your other learning records.
What the debrief shows
- What happened: total profit, the final cash box and savings jar, the best Saturday, cups poured away and people who missed out.
- Why: demand, waste, queues, saving and investing explained in short, friendly sentences.
- What strong players do, and the reveal: the real weather each Saturday, how much the street cared about price and the fair day.
- Three sub-scores (profit, happy customers, smart saving) and the key concept: profit.
Profit
The money a business has left after paying its costs. Profit = money coming in (sales) minus money going out (costs such as lemons, cups, help and adverts). A busy day is not always a profitable day.
Use Young CEO with a team
Seats are $12 each. Buy up to 25 seats online and assign them from your company admin; above that, or for a facilitated programme or an institution licence, request a quote and we activate your seats after payment.
Lesson starter
Students play individually, then compare prices and profits. Ask why two people with the same weather got different results.
Enterprise club kick-off
Use it before students plan a real stall or school fair stand, then return to the debrief when they set their own prices.
Summer programme rotation
A 12-minute station that needs no supervision beyond logging in, with a debrief that gives each student a talking point.
Family money conversation
Play side by side, then talk about saving jars, pocket money and what investing really means.
Volume pricing
| Seats | Per seat | How to buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $12 | Online |
| 2 to 10 | $10.80 | Online |
| 11 to 50 | $9.60 | Online up to 25, then quote |
| 51+ | $8.40 | Quote |
Young CEO compared with a case study or slide-based lesson
| Compared on | A case study or slide-based lesson | Young CEO |
|---|---|---|
| What students do | Read and answer questions | Run a business and make every choice themselves |
| Feedback | Marked later | Money in, money out and profit after every Saturday |
| Uncertainty | All facts given | Forecasts that are usually right, a fair day to discover and changing demand |
| Replay | Same worksheet every time | A new seeded week of Saturdays each play |
| Explanation | Depends on the teacher | A built-in debrief in plain language |
| Time | A full lesson | About 12 minutes |
What to pair with Young CEO
My First Money
The natural next step after the savings jar: a friendly money kit written to teens, with budgets, goals and savings trackers.
See the kit →Pro KitCareer Compass for Teens
For teens of 14 and over who enjoyed being the boss and want to explore where that interest could lead, with their parents.
See the kit →Pro KitThe Teen Success Bundle
Money, confidence, exams and career planning kits together, for families who want to keep the momentum going.
See the kit →Related simulations
How much does Young CEO cost?
One person can buy Young CEO online for $12. It is sold on its own, with no subscription to other simulations. You can try the free 3-round Price War first to see how Bodhih Arena games work.
How does pricing work for a school, club or programme?
Schools and programmes buy seats at $12 per student, with volume tiers by seat count. Up to 25 seats can be bought online; for larger groups or a whole school, request a quote and pay offline, and we activate the seats.
What age is it for?
It is written for ages 12 to 16, in short sentences and plain words. The money amounts are small and the setting is a lemonade stand on a home street.
How long does it take?
About 12 minutes for five Saturdays, plus a few minutes to read the debrief. It fits easily in one lesson or club session, with time to discuss.
Is it safe and suitable for young people?
Yes. It is a single-player game with no chat, no messaging and no contact with other players. The content is a family-friendly lemonade stand story with invented characters.
Who sets up the account, and what data is held?
Playing needs a Bodhih account. For a young person, a parent, carer or school should set it up. Please read the Bodhih privacy notice at bodhih.org/privacy first; it explains what is held and why.
Can they play more than once?
Yes. Each play is a new seeded set of Saturdays: different weather, a different fair day and a street that cares more or less about price. Playing again is the best way to test what they learned.
Is there a certificate?
A score of 80 or more earns a Bodhih Arena micro-sim credential, a digital Open Badge with its own verification page.
Can teachers use it inside the school’s learning platform?
Yes. Bodhih Arena is an LTI 1.3 tool, so schools using Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard or D2L Brightspace can launch it from a course and send the score to the gradebook.
What devices does it need?
A web browser on a laptop, desktop or tablet. There is nothing to download or install.
How is it different from a textbook case study?
A case study describes someone else’s business. Here students make the choices, see the result straight away and get a debrief that explains why. That makes the ideas easier to remember and discuss.
What if it is not right for us?
Refund terms are set out at bodhih.org/refunds. Trying the free Price War first is a simple way to check the style suits your young person or class.
Five Saturdays to understand profit for good
Small money, real choices and a debrief that explains everything in plain words. Sit down together this weekend and see who makes the better lemonade plan.
Want a feel for Arena first? Play the free 3-round Price War.
- Play it as often as you like for 12 months: every play is a new scenario
- A debrief after each play: what happened, why, and what strong players do
- A verifiable credential when you score 80 or more
- Scored on the server, mapped to the Bodhih Competency Spine
Not sure yet? Try the free 3-round Price War first, no sign-up.
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