A MUST ATTEND 1 DAY WORKSHOP FOR BUSINESS OWNERS AND NON FINANCIAL EXECUTIVES LOOKING TO INCREASE PROFITS AND DRIVE CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY.

Business acumen is a concept dealing with a person's capability to make good business decisions in order to be profitable and successful 

During a recent survey of C level executives it was determined that they all agree that the financial results of their organization would likely improve if:

1. the company consistently delivered what was promised
2. the level of accountability throughout the supply chain improved
3. managers were to have a deeper understanding of the financial implications of their decisions

Despite this admission, there remains a serious lack of accountability and business acumen skills in both small and large businesses alike. There are a number of reasons for this knowledge gap which according to our research includes 2 primary reasons:

1. Many non-financial operators “don’t know what they don’t know” not realising the financial  impact of many decisions
2. Finance for the non-financial professional is typically dry, boring and intimidating and has little or no connection to changing behavior in the workplace. 

 Methodology: 

The following outline details a learner-friendly way to support the learning objectives by delivering the language, tools, skills and confidence to stimulate dialogue, improve problem solving and make smarter decisions with operating results in focus.  AME’s courses focus on “cause and effect” by connecting various actions to the financial implications across silos and to the organization as a whole.

 Part 1: 

Building the foundation with the basics:  Using interactive, multi-sensory tools, we lay the foundation with personal financial statements (familiar, not intimidating, significant personal take-home value) then seamlessly bridge the principles to a business model.  Note: although many organizations believe that “personal financial statements” are too basic for their users, every organization we’ve worked with, including Harvard Business School that uses our program for the Executive Education program, have commented that the first part of the course was both essential and relevant for understanding more complex business principles.

Part 2: 

With this solid, experiential base, participants apply these financial concepts to a standard program or a custom-designed business model. 

Financial Acumen and Strategic Thinking (FAST):

We remember 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see and 90% of what we do. The patented AME system used multi-sensory tools to accelerate the learning curve. (Audio, visual, color coded and tactile).

Attendees work collaboratively which enhances the learning experience.  (AME is a controlled environment and not a game). 

Example of learning outcomes and time coverage

Part One:  Introducing personal financial statements (1.25 hours) - Mandatory

• The balance sheet and the principle of net worth
• The impact of revenues and expenses on net worth and the connection to the balance sheet
• Buying and selling assets and the impact on net worth
• Borrowing and repaying debt and the impact on net worth
• Accruals and the notion of revenue and expense recognition

 Part Two:  Linking personal financial principles to a business (1.5 hours including break) - Mandatory

• Link net worth to equity
• Revenue and expense recognition in a business and the importance of timely reporting
• Cost of Goods Sold and the notion of gross profit
• Cash flow versus profits

The balance of the workshop is dedicated to the 4 key disciplines that drive profit, cash flow and shareholder value.

Summary of Key learning outcomes:

1. Understand how all the components of financial statements link together
2. Cash flow versus profits
3. Creating and managing budgets (“Your Budget is Your Promise”)
4. Finding hidden pockets of profit through cross silo thinking (cause and effect)
5. The impact of discounting (how much volume must be sold to compensate for the loss of GP)
6. The principle of step up costs (how much volume/contribution is needed to cover the additional cost)
7. The importance and impact of financial accountability throughout the supply chain (Focusing on the Theory of Constraints)
8. Ratio analysis and how they connect to every day activity

Typical Audience:

1. Owners/operators: helps communicate with finance department and lenders and set realistic financial expectations
2. Senior management: helps create budget and manage resources and expectations
3. Sales professionals: especially useful to help them present a solid financial business case when writing proposals

Mr. Neville Joffe - Author & Lead Instructor