Business Finance Training That Actually Makes Sense
Running a business means dealing with money decisions every single day. Most finance courses throw theory at you – we focus on what actually happens when you're managing cash flow, planning budgets, or trying to understand what your accountant just said.
Our autumn 2025 program starts in September and runs for six months. It's designed for people already working in business who need practical financial skills, not academic theory.
Real Business Scenarios
We use actual case studies from Australian businesses. You'll work through problems that happened to real companies, not made-up examples from textbooks.
Flexible Learning Schedule
Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30-9pm. Plus weekend workshops once a month. You can keep working while you learn – that's the whole point.
Tools You'll Actually Use
Forget complex software you'll never touch again. We teach you to build financial models in Excel and Google Sheets that you can use the next day at work.
Common Problems We Help You Solve
What People Struggle With
Cash Flow Confusion
Your business shows profit on paper but there's never enough money in the bank. Understanding the difference between profit and cash is crucial, but most people learn it the hard way.
Budget Planning Paralysis
You know you need a budget, but where do you even start? Last year's numbers plus 10%? That's what most people do, and it rarely works out well.
Financial Reports That Confuse
Your accountant sends monthly reports that might as well be in another language. You nod along in meetings but don't actually understand what the numbers mean for your business.
Pricing Without Strategy
You set prices based on gut feeling or what competitors charge. But you're not sure if you're actually making money on each sale once you factor in all the costs.
How We Address These Issues
Build a Working Cash Flow Model
Week three, you'll create a 13-week cash flow forecast for your own business. We'll show you where the gaps are and how to plan around them before they become problems.
Create Budgets That Work
Learn to build budgets from the ground up using driver-based planning. Instead of guessing, you'll base projections on actual business metrics like customer growth and average sale values.
Spend time with our instructors going through your actual financial reports. Learn what ratios matter, what trends to watch, and which numbers you can safely ignore.
Calculate True Product Costs
We'll teach you activity-based costing so you can see what each product or service really costs you. Then you can price strategically instead of hopefully.
People Teaching the Program
All three instructors run their own businesses or consult with companies on financial strategy. They understand the practical side because they deal with it themselves.
Rhys Fitzpatrick
Financial Planning Lead
Spent twelve years as CFO for mid-sized manufacturing companies before starting his consulting practice in 2019. Rhys has a talent for explaining complex financial concepts using plain language and real examples.
Cash Flow Management
Declan Thorne
Business Analysis Instructor
Runs a small accounting firm that specializes in retail and hospitality businesses. Declan focuses on teaching people how to spot problems in their numbers before they become crises.
Financial Reporting
Magnus Lindström
Strategic Finance Advisor
Former investment analyst who switched to helping small businesses with financial planning and growth strategy. Magnus teaches the budgeting and forecasting modules with a focus on practical application.
Budget PlanningStarting the Program in September 2025
We keep groups small – maximum 18 people per cohort. This way everyone gets direct feedback on their work and can ask questions without feeling lost in a crowd.
Program Structure
Six months of evening classes, starting September 9th. Two sessions per week plus monthly Saturday workshops where we tackle bigger projects. You'll work on your own business numbers throughout – no generic assignments.
What You Need
Basic Excel skills and access to your business financial data. If you're employed, you'll need approval to use anonymized company data for coursework. Most employers are fine with this since you're improving skills they benefit from.
Investment
Program fee is ,400 total, or 0 per month over six months. Materials and software access included. We don't offer job placement services – this is about building skills you can apply immediately in your current role.