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Project H–02 / High School

The
Freelance
Run

9–12 / Five Weeks / 29 pages
BSG
Now Available / High School

Take a real skill. Sell it. Land the client.

Five weeks from picking the niche to delivering paid work. Real proposals, real scope of work, real invoices, an honest effective hourly rate at the end. The kit treats the student as a serious professional from day one.

Service Project Grades 9–12 5 Weeks 29 Pages

By week five the student has a paid client, a delivered piece of work, and a clear-eyed view of what an hour of their time is actually worth. The hardest page in the kit is the effective hourly rate calculator: it forces the kid to honestly tally hours and divide them into revenue. Most are surprised by what they find. That surprise is the lesson.

$18
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The Hard Skill

Holding the scope.

Most freelance work goes wrong in the same place: the gap between what was agreed and what got asked for halfway through. The hard skill underneath this kit is writing a clear scope of work and then defending it without becoming combative or panicked.

The Scope of Work template, the change request log, and the client communication scripts in this kit do that work. The student learns to say "that's a great idea, here's what it would take to add it" instead of saying yes to everything and burning out.

01
Inside the Kit

Twelve pages from the 29-page kit.

Not a teaser. The cover, the parent intro, the full scaffolding pattern, and the artifacts your teen will use to land a paying client. Grouped the way the kit teaches.

Group 01 / The Setup

Before the teen starts.

The brand sets the tone. The parent learns their job. Then the work begins.

Project H–02 BSG
High School / Service
The
Freelance
Run
Take a real skill. Sell it. Land a paying client.
9–12 / Five Weeks 29 Pages
p.01 / The Cover Editorial. Real. No stickers.
Front Matter p.03
For The Parent
How to use this kit.

Your teen runs the business. You're the silent partner: legal cosigner, sounding board, and the person they invoice nothing to.

W1 Help with the legal basics. Nothing else.
W2 Read their cold emails before they send. Comment, don't rewrite.
W3 Sit in on the discovery call. Don't speak.
W4 Hold the deadline. Don't rescue them from a slip.
W5 Help them calculate the real hourly rate. Discuss the result.
"The lesson is in delivering on a promise. If you save them from missing it, the lesson doesn't land."
p.03 / Parent Intro The roadmap before they start
Front Matter p.04
Kit Map
What's in this kit.

A map of every artifact, when it gets used, and what it teaches. Read this once, then put it down.

WhenArtifactWhat it teaches
SetupSkills ScaffoldingProposal craft
W1Niche DecisionPosition the offer
W2Cold EmailEarn the reply
W3Scope of WorkDefine the deal
W4Time TrackerHold the scope
W5Effective RateHonest math
W5InvoiceGet paid
Plus: Onboarding Workbook + Reflection Journal (universal across all BSG kits)
p.04 / Kit Map Every artifact, when it's used
Group 02 / The Teaching Layer

How the kit actually teaches.

A proposal that landed. One that didn't. A self-check. The pattern other curricula skip.

Skills Scaffolding p.05
What Right Looks Like
A proposal that landed.

An annotated proposal on a different niche. Margin notes explain why each section earns the work.

Project
Refresh website copy for Coastline Cafe so it ranks for "best brunch Half Moon Bay."
Deliverable
5 rewritten pages, mobile-tested, by Oct 18.
Investment
$340 flat. 50% upfront, 50% on delivery.
1. Outcome named, not hours. Buyer hires the result.
2. Specific count and date. No room for confusion.
3. Flat fee with milestone split. Protects both sides.
p.05 / What Right Looks Like Worked example, annotated
Skills Scaffolding p.06
What Weak Looks Like
The counter example.

Same client. Vague proposal. Why the client passed.

Project
Help with website stuff and SEO.
Deliverable
Whatever the site needs. Will know after starting.
Investment
Around $25/hr, depends on the work.
× "Stuff" is meaningless. Buyer can't picture the outcome.
× No date. No count. Open-ended scope.
× Hourly with no cap. Buyer doesn't know what they'll pay.
Vague proposals make a buyer's "no" the safest answer.
p.06 / What Weak Looks Like Why most proposals get passed on
Skills Scaffolding p.07
Self-Check Rubric
Score it honestly.

Five criteria. Three honest grades each. One revision prompt per row.

Criterion Good Getting Not Yet
Outcome named
Specific count + date
Flat fee or capped
Out-of-scope listed
Payment terms clear
If any row is "not yet": rewrite that section, then re-check.
p.07 / Self-Check Rubric How the teen grades their own proposal
Group 03 / The Work

What the teen actually does.

Six artifacts they run through across the five weeks. Two are shown filled in by a real client engagement.

Week 1 / Position p.09
Pick The Niche
The Niche Tree.

Three filters. Stop at the first "no." The niche that survives all three is the one you pitch.

Filter 01 / Skill
Can you do this work today, not in three months?
Filter 02 / Buyer
Can you name 10 specific people who'd consider hiring you?
Filter 03 / Outcome
Can you finish: "I help X get Y"? In one short sentence?
All three yes → that's your offer.
p.09 / Niche Decision Tree The offer that survives three filters
Week 2 / Pitch p.13
Earn The Reply
The Cold Email.

Annotated template. Five lines. Each one earns the next.

Subject: 15 min on your menu page?
Hi Sarah,
I had brunch at Coastline Saturday. The menu PDF didn't load on my phone.
I rewrite restaurant pages for mobile. Took 5 minutes to outline a fix for yours.
Worth a 15-minute call this week?
James
1. Subject is specific. Not "quick question."
2. Proves you actually looked at their business.
3. Tiny ask. 15 minutes. Easy yes.
p.13 / Cold Email Annotated template for the first reply
Week 3 / Sign p.17
Define The Deal
The Scope of Work.

A real one-page contract. Both parties sign. No mystery later.

Project
In Scope
Out Of Scope
Due By
Total
Client Sign
Freelancer Sign
p.17 / Scope of Work The one-page contract
Week 4 / Deliver p.20
Track Every Hour
The Time Log.

Log every working session. Honesty is non-negotiable. The numbers don't lie at the end.

DateWhat I DidHrs
10/12_____ __
__________ __
__________ __
__________ __
Total __
Round up, never down. Math should sting if it's going to teach.
p.20 / Time Log Honest hours, no rounding down
Real Teen's Page
Week 5 / Reckon p.24
The Honest Math
Effective Hourly Rate.

A real teen's filled-in calculation. The number that tells you if you priced the work right.

Project fee $340
Hours quoted 10
Hours actual 17.5
Quoted rate $34.00 / hr
Actual rate $19.43 / hr
What I learned
Underestimated by 75%. Next quote: 1.5x my honest estimate.
p.24 / Effective Rate (Real Example) The number that doesn't lie
Real Teen's Page
Week 5 / Get Paid p.26
Send The Bill
The Invoice.

A real teen's actual invoice. One page. Nothing fancy. Gets paid.

Invoice
No. 0001 / Oct 18, 2025
James L.
Freelance Copy
Bill To
Coastline Cafe
attn: Sarah Mendez
Description Qty Amount
Website page rewrites 5 $340.00
Total Due $340.00
Payable on receipt. Venmo @james-l or check to address on file.
p.26 / Invoice (Real Example) How a 16-year-old gets paid
Twelve of 29 pages shown. The full kit includes all artifacts plus the universal Onboarding Workbook and Reflection Journal.
02
Everything Included

What's inside.

A complete five-week professional services kit. 29 pages. Every artifact does one job. The work scales from positioning through paid delivery and honest reckoning.

01 / Front Matter
Setup & ground rules
  • Cover and welcome page
  • Parent intro and roadmap
  • How to use this kit
  • Tax & legal note for parents
  • Niche selection conversation prompts
02 / Skills Scaffolding
Proposal craft
  • What right looks like (annotated proposal)
  • What weak looks like (counterpoint)
  • Cold email anchor template
  • Self-Check Rubric, 5 criteria
03 / Week 1: Position
Pick the niche
  • Project Onboarding Workbook
  • Niche definition worksheet
  • Pricing benchmark research log
  • Portfolio piece (or replacement plan)
04 / Week 2: Pitch
Find the client
  • 10-prospect outreach list
  • Cold email anchor (5-line template)
  • Reply-rate tracker
  • Discovery call script
05 / Week 3: Agreement
Define the work
  • Scope of Work template
  • Change request log
  • Client communication scripts
  • Project kickoff checklist
06 / Weeks 4 & 5: Deliver
Ship and reckon
  • Time Log
  • Effective Hourly Rate calculator
  • Invoice template
  • Client thank-you and ask-for-referral script
  • Project Reflection Journal
  • Completion certificate
03
The Five-Week Arc

Week by week.

Week One
Position

Pick the niche. Define the offer. Research what comparable work charges.

Week Two
Pitch

Build the prospect list. Send 10 cold emails. Track every reply, no matter the outcome.

Week Three
Sign

Discovery call. Scope of Work. Get the agreement signed. Set the deadline.

Week Four
Deliver

Do the work. Track every hour. Hold the scope. Deliver on the agreed date.

Week Five
Invoice & Reckon

Send the invoice. Calculate the real hourly rate. Reflect honestly on what it taught you.

Get the Kit

The full 29-page kit, instant download.

$18
PDF / Instant Download
Get The Freelance Run

One-time purchase. No subscription. Yours to print and use.

Cost is genuinely a problem? Read our access policy →

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