Business Finance Wizardry

Description

Fast foundations and power-filled knowledge. One hour that changes how you read your own numbers.

This course is built for three people, and you’re probably one of them.

The founder who’s been running the firm for years and still feels like the financial statements are in another language. You’re smart. You’re capable. The statements were just never built for you.

The buyer — the incoming owner of a firm you either just acquired or are preparing to acquire. You need to read the numbers the way a principal reads them, not the way an employee reads them. Fast.

The appointed leader who’s now responsible for the results. A LS promoted to principal. A manager asked to run a branch. You’re expected to make decisions that move the P&L (Profit & Loss or Income Statement), and nobody has taught you what the P&L actually says.

What you’ll be able to do after one hour:

• Read your financial statements and know what you’re looking at — not just the numbers, but which questions each statement answers and which it doesn’t.
• Tell the difference between the reports your accountant makes for the CRA and the reports your bookkeeper should be making for you.
• Name the three financial KPIs that matter — revenue, gross margin, cash — and explain why each one on its own can lie.
• Set a useful target for a KPI. Know the difference between salience and relevance. Understand when a dashboard is decoration and when it’s doing its job.
• Understand EBITDA — what it is, why outside parties use it to value your firm, and why it changes how you think even if you’re not selling.