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John Cousins, a best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker, investor, and professor who has taken two companies public shares all the theory, strategies and thinking patterns he picked up along the way.
Your instructor has verified degrees from MIT, Wharton and Boston University.
Your new instructor is not just an instructor
Meet the author
John Cousins, a best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker, investor, Y Combinator alumni, and professor who has taken two companies public shares all the theory, strategies and thinking patterns he picked up along the way.
Your instructor has verified degrees from MIT, Wharton and Boston University.
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Hours of step-by-step on-demand video classes ready when you are.
The harsh truth behind MBA degrees.
Instantly become more valuable in your career
Information you'll—actually—use to make better business decisions.
How and why understanding how to read financial statements will put you head and shoulders above your colleagues and open up career and investment opportunities that are guaranteed to change your life.
Understand the revenue and cost of “ingredients” that go into creating and delivering products to determine how much money is left over to pay for business operations.
Learn how the three financial statements relate, interconnect and flow. This knowledge will unlock accounting and finance and make you more intelligent and valuable as an entrepreneur, employee, consultant, or investor.
If you aspire to start a business, invest successfully, or advance your career you need to know how to write and understand financial statements. They are the lingua franca of business.
After completing this course you'll have a firm understanding on how to make data-driven business decisions. You'll know how to spot financial weak spots and learn how to turn them into opportunities.
Understand how much money investors have put into the business in exchange for ownership and how much money the company has retained from its own profits to grow the business.
Micro MBA Syllabus
Duration: 6 hours of on-demand coursework.
Course Objectives
- Gain essential business skills that can lead to a promotion, a new job, or launching your own successful business.
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of financial statements.
- Learn to analyze financial ratios to assess company health.
- Understand the time value of money and its implications in valuation and decision-making.
Modules and Sessions
Module 1: Introduction to the Course
• Session 1: Course Overview
• Session 2: Introduction to Vital Skills in Financial Management
Module 2: Understanding Financial Statements
• Session 3: Overview of Financial Statements
• Session 4: The Role of Accounting in Producing Financial Statements
• Session 5: Detailed Exploration of the Income Statement
• Revenue
• Expenses
• Net Income
• Session 6: Introduction to the Balance Sheet
• Session 7: Overview of the Cash Flow Statement
• Session 8: Interconnection and Flow of Financial Statements
• Session 9: Recap of Income Statement and Balance Sheet
• Session 10: Differences Between Capex and Opex
• Session 11: Whiteboard Summary of Financial Statements
• Session 12: Quiz and Review on Financial Statement Flow
Module 3: Financial Ratio Analysis
• Session 13: Evaluating Company Health Through Ratios
• Session 14: Comparison of Company Ratios for Competitive Analysis
• Session 15: Gaining Financial Insights from Ratios
• Session 16: Understanding Solvency and Liquidity Ratios
• Session 17: The Importance of Financial Ratios in Business
Module 4: The Time Value of Money and Its Applications
• Session 18: Fundamentals of Finance Related to Time Value
• Session 19: Applying Financial Statements for Decision Making and Free Cash Flow Analysis
• Session 20: Introduction to Discounted Cash Flows and Present Value
• Session 21: Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)
• Session 22: Calculating Net Present Value (NPV)
• Session 23: Understanding Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
Assessment Methods
• Final Exam: Use to assess your learning. Pass with >80% for a certificate of completion and a LinkedIn badge.
Required Materials
• Course slide decks and reading materials provided.
• Access to a financial calculator or spreadsheet software.
Recommended Reading
• Supplementary books and articles included.
Constant Course Communication
- Your instructor is here to help! If you need assistance with the course material, you can reach out to him for an asynchronous video chat. He usually gets back to you within a few hours.
Greg Johnson
Los Angeles
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