Financial Literacy Learning Pathway

 

Financial Fundamentals Level I

 

Commit to 10 weeks of learning to leverage your financial reporting to make better business decisions.

One of the best tools business owners can use is their own financial reporting. Join us for this multi-week workshop series to learn the fundamentals of these influential reports and how to use them to make data-driven decisions. Learn what the information tells you about your business, what changes to make to get more accurate data, and key ratios to analyze your company’s financial health.  

 

 

 

Topic 1: The importance of regularly reviewing monthly financial statements to analyze your business

  • A comparison: where most companies are with their financials and where they need to be
  • What can your monthly financial statements tell you
  • What does good financial ‘hygiene’ or discipline mean
  • What is the right timing for reviewing prepared financial statements
  • Intro to monthly financial statements (focus on reporting with the cost of goods sold (COGS))
  Topic 2: Intro to Profit & Loss (P&L), Balance Sheet (BS), and Chart of Accounts (COA)
  • Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet – introduction and overview of both
  • Key elements of a Profit and Loss (P&L)
  • Introduction to two companies – good vs poor P&L with margin analysis view
  • What is a Chart of Accounts (intro including GL codes)
  Topic 3: In-depth P&L
  • A Revenue breakdown – how to better understand your revenues
  • COGS – Matching Revenue (indirect/direct expenses)
  • Expenses – why they are different
  • How to leverage your P&L to make better business decisions
  Topic 4: Margins and ratios 
  • Gross Margin / Net Income
  • Gross margins and margin targets
  • How to calculate and set financial targets
  • Analysis on a single P&L month
  Topic 5: TTM (Trailing 12 Months) and Analyzing Trends 
  • Month-over-month comparison (TTM on P&L)
  • Analyzing the trends – good habits become rituals
  • How to reduce volatility in your reporting  (prepaid expenses, deposits, amortization, normalizing)

 

Program Details


  • 10-Week Program starting February 16th ( ends April 20th ) (approx. 3 hours per week) – Full schedule will be sent out once approval of entry is confirmed.
  • Occupancy: Limited to 10 participants
  • Delivery: Virtual series with participants attending online via Zoom or Teams
  • Program Instructors:
    • Denise MacDonald
    • Steve Fisher
Client Required Expectations: 
  • Bi-weekly group live session (60 min class and 15min Q&A/discussion) (Thursdays at 9:00 am – 10:15 am PST)
  • Alternative weekly group working sessions (60 mins) (Thursdays 9:00 am – 10:00 am PST)
    • Weekly homework
  1.  
Qualification Requirements:
  1. Minimum company annual revenue over $100,000
  2. Open to service or product-based companies. 
    1. The best fit is product-based companies with multiple products or service-based companies with multiple services
    2. and at least one employee involved in delivering services or making products.
  3. Ability to produce or get financial reports from your accounting system like QuickBooks or Wave (Profit & Loss/Income statement and a Balance Sheet)
  4. Bookkeeping up to date (within last quarter) 
  5. Working knowledge of excel
  6. Time – 3-hour commitment per week (class and homework time)
  Applications are being accepted until February 2nd. Space is limited, and specific business requirements are required. Please fill out the application by clicking below, and a BBA Program Representative will contact you.