Core Financial Concepts and Management Strategies

For Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

If you are creative and enterprising, and realize how important it is to really understand business Finance, but are too busy to earn a Finance MBA or to attend technical seminars for finance professionals, this seminar series is for you. You will learn the most important and useful finance concepts and tools, with a process that make this anxiety-producing subject easy to relate to, understand and apply.

You will learn: The “nuts and bolts” of financial theory and accounting How careful financial planning helps you create the business you visualize How good planning gives you confidence and control when procuring capital from investors and lenders How to combine planning with intelligent tracking and analysis, to gain real insight about the health and

progress of your ventures - so you can focus with confidence on the areas that add value to your business and your lifestyle.

This innovative learning system is visual, systems-oriented, experiential, story-based, interactive, and largely non numbers-oriented. It was developed over thirty years, while designing financial plans for entrepreneurs, and teaching them to understand the financial dimensions of their own ventures, and while presenting/explaining and “selling” their business and financial plans to investors and lenders.

The complete curriculum requires a total investment of three days’ time. It can be broken down into three (3) one-day, or six (6) half-day, sessions. You will learn what even many MBA students, and accounting and financial professionals never do. This is one of the best investments you can make, to gain critical knowledge for success during your entire life in business.

Three Main Topics THEORY – Structure and Dynamics PLANNING – Modeling and Analysis MANAGEMENT – Strategic Information Systems

Who can benefit: Business owners and entrepreneurs who need to create a business plan and raise capital Changing and growing businesses that need to raise capital to survive and thrive Accountants who want to learn more about strategic future-oriented financial planning Mid-size private companies that want all of their executives to be more attuned to, and perhaps involved

with, financial planning and management Planners and managers – financial and non-financial Investors who want to really understand venture or corporate finance Public sector planners, managers and policy makers who want to better understand financial concepts

KEY TOPICS

Financial Structure:o Business enterprises as economic/financial systems consisting of entrepreneurs, investors, lenders and

business operations

o Ventures Forms - their various structures, operations, development processes and conclusions, and their common universal underlying structures and relationships

o Financial Statements – how they capture financial structures, relationships and events o The simple relationship between the Sources and Uses of Funds (aka “Cash Flow”), and Balance Sheetso Financial leverage - the two most important financial ratios which drive business investment,

entrepreneurship and growtho Financial leverage - the various forms/levels of leverage at work in a business enterpriseo Financial Ratios - The financial ratios which describe business structure and vitalityo Cash flow - the most important issues faced by startups and growing businesseso Financial planning - the powerful way in which it produces more effective management, healthier

organizations, greater entrepreneurial ownership and control, and more successful relationships with investors and lenders

Financial Planning/Modeling: o What kind of situations call for the use of quality Strategic Financial Planning (SFP)o Leadership, culture and resources required for effective SFPo How SFP works when functioning at its very best.o How Strategic, Tactical and Financial planning are intertwinedo Using SFP to improve organizational performance and cultureo Learning to see the development of any enterprise from a strategic, big-picture economic perspective.

How this is organized and presented in a quality financial plano What a high quality financial plan actually looks like. Modeling best practiceso The role of the financial plan in a complete strategic financial management systemo “Financial engineering” for a strong and resilient financial structureo Using SFP to gain the respect of quality investors and lenders. Taking proactive control of negotiations

regarding enterprise structure, ownership and control.o Exercising/supporting leadership to develop “financial intelligence” in an organizationo Practical steps for the incremental development of financial planning capabilities within an organizationo For accounting and consulting professionals - Encouraging and supporting organization leaders, planners

and managers in their efforts to develop and sustain a quality SFPo Several comprehensive, detailed financial models of business ventures and projects will be examined.

Complete Financial Planning and Management:o Strategic Financial Planning and Management (SFPM) practice – Evolution from 1980 to the presento When SFPM is neededo The SFPM process within an organization – leadership, cultural and resource requirements. o SFPM process stepso Benefits of SFPM systems – for entrepreneurs, organization, management, lenders, investors, and ordinary

citizenso Accounting and reporting systems – purpose, development process, challenges, limitationso Future-oriented Strategic Financial Planning/Engineering – purpose, development process, challenges,

benefitso Strategic Progress Monitoring - systems design, resources, implementation, protection from corruption,

challenges

o Strategic progress/performance information feedback – system design, implementation, protection from corruption, challenges

SESSION SCHEDULES

SESSION 1 – FINANCIAL STRUCTURE: PART 1

o Participant introductions – goals, projects, interests, concerns 0:30

o Seminar introduction and overview 0:15

o Financial/economic structure and process – UCFC© (Universal Cash Flow Flowchart©)

1:00

o Example enterprises applied to UCFC© universal model 0:15

Break 0:15

o Example enterprises applied to UCFC© universal model 0:30

o Financial Statements 1:15 4:00

SESSION 2 – FINANCIAL STRUCTURE: PART 2

o Business startup and growth issues/relationship of S&U of funds and balance sheet - Lemonade stand interactive activity

1:15

o Financial leverage – various types/levels. NOI/Assets and Weighted Average Cost of Capital

0:30

o Other important financial ratios 0:30

Break 0:15

o Financial modeling/planning – Financing, startup and operation of a recurring revenue business venture

1:00

o Comprehensive Strategic Financial Management Systems 0:30 4:00

SESSION SCHEDULES

SESSION 3 – FINANCIAL PLANNING: PART 1

o Class participation – introductions, goals, projects, interests, concerns.

0:20

o Overview of seminar structure 0:10

o The need for high quality Strategic Financial Planning (SFP)o Situational conditionso Example situations

1:00

o The SFP process when working at its best 0:45

Break 0:15

o Benefits of SFP – for entrepreneurs, organizations/management, lenders and investors

0:30

o Understanding financial structure and dynamics - from a strategic, big-picture, “venture” perspective

1:00 4:00

SESSION 4 – FINANCIAL PLANNING: PART 2

o Example financial models: 2:00

o Recurring-revenue business: financing, pre-operational organization, startup and operation

o One time venture: Real estate development of income producing property

o Manufacturing businesses

Break 0:15

o Financial modeling/planning Best Practices: 1:30

o For effective strategic and tactical management

o For raising capital and building relationships

o For strength and resilience

o Quality financial plan presentations

o Q & A 0:15 4:00

SESSION SCHEDULES

SESSION 5 - FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: PART 1

o Class participation – introductions, goals, projects, interests, concerns.

0:20 - 0:30

o Overview of seminar structure 0:15

o Introduction to comprehensive Strategic Financial Planning and Management (SFPM) – history, need, present day 0:45

o The SFPM process within an organization – leadership, cultural and resource requirements, process steps

1:00

Break 0:15

o Benefits of SFPM systems – for entrepreneurs, organization, management, lenders, investors, government, society

0:45

o Class sharing – SFPM experiences, successes, failures, lessons 0:30 4:00

SESSION 6 - FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: PART 2

o Accounting and reporting systems – purpose, development process/challenges, limitations

0:30

o Future-Oriented Strategic Financial Planning/Engineering – Process, benefits, example, development challenges

1:15

Break 0:15

o Strategic Progress Monitoring systems – design, resources, implementation, protection from corruption

0:30

o Strategic progress/performance information feedback 0:30

o Workshop activity – situations, goals, leadership, resources, planning, progress monitoring, progress feedback

1:00

4:00