Financial SMARTS for Small Business

November 8, 2006 Written by Frances Schagen

Financial SMARTS for Small Business workshop

Do you want the freedom that comes from being in control of your business?

Do you want to know how you are really doing in your business?

Would you like to know what to work on in your business to give you the best results?

Would you like to spend less time and get more results?

Do you know how to use this business principle: what gets measured gets done?

The first time humans traded a fish for a rabbit or salt for berries or sea shells for shiny rocks, small business was born. As a group we’ve been doing this for almost a million years. So why are we still struggling? It’s really only about trading: products and services for the modern version of shells and shiny rocks.

Business is not financial science; it’s about trading, buying and selling. It’s about creating a product or service so good that people will pay for it. – Anita Roddick

To really understand your business you need the language of business – Numbers. You will learn how to speak it during this workshop and how to use it to make your life easier.

The 1st day, Hidden Treasures Inside

Everything you do in your business is reflected on your financial statements. They are a map of the way your business works. If you know how to read this map, the hidden opportunities stand out like a big “X marks the spot”. We will spend more time playing the Lemonade Stand Game to practice, have fun and really lock in the learning. You’ll be able to get a clear understanding of how your business is doing from your statements.

Agenda:

Success Factors after working with 100’s of small business owners, I’ve identified 3 success factors
Life and Business Goals If you don’t know where you are going any road will do.

Improving Business Performance

Financial Statements What are they and why do you need so many – or do you?

Lunch

The Lemonade Stand Game Using the example of a lemonade stand, you will see how what you do in business shows up on your financial statements. Have fun and lock in the learning.

Specific Measurements Which numbers are important to your business?

Commit to your Action Plan You’ll start seeing changes immediately.

Wrap up

The 2nd day, Cashing In On Those Treasures
We will push up our sleeves and get elbow-deep into the Financial SMARTS for Small Business tool:
Deciding what Statements to use
What Measurements to track
What Assessments are necessary
What Results you should expect
What specific business practices you can Tackle
What Success means to you.
You’ll get a clear understanding and plenty of practice in how to use the Financial SMARTS for Small Business tool so you will get more results in less time.

Agenda:

Financial SMARTS for Small Business

Critical Business Practices What are the business practices that are critical to your business?

Financial SMARTS self assessments How much of this do you do already? Most do some!

Lunch

Your Business Improvements What can you work on to give you the best results?

Your Business Financial SMARTS How can you make sure it is working?

Commit to your Action Plan You’ll start seeing changes right away

Wrap up

The second day builds on the first, but feel free to take either day because they are each complete workshops.

I realize the value of discussion, but I see that there is a time and place (see Business Owners Success Club and Crystal Clear Lunch & Learn). As a group we will agree to stick with the agenda and cover everything within the time frame.

You will learn:

Ø What information on your financial statements is important for your business.

Ø What business practices will give you the most improvement.

Ø How to assess your results and make changes to continue to improve.

Ø You will leave with a plan to improve one aspect of your business and the specific information you will use to measure its effectiveness.

Your Satisfaction Is Backed By My…

“Take-It-To-The-Bank” 100% Guarantee.

I want you to be as confident as I am, and many others are. But just in case you have any lingering doubts whatsoever, I want to make it foolproof for you. You see, I completely guarantee your satisfaction. Not for 30 days. Not for 90 days. Not even for 6 months. But for an entire year!

Let me be more specific. Here’s my 12-Month Guarantee…

If after you have taken this course and applied the concepts to your business for up to one full year, you aren’t completely over-the-moon satisfied, I will gladly refund you the full price of the course, and you can keep the free lunch and your workbook

Here’s what some workshop participants said

“Frances cares about you and your business. She’s dedicated to creating a workshop environment that will really and truly empower you with financial SMARTS.”

– Deborah Nicholson, Photographic Artist and Director of dnPhotoWorks (http://dnphotoworks.com/)

“Doing the work – writing it down – forces you to ‘see’ it”

– Penny MacBride, Changes Day Spa

“Financial SMARTS was thought-provoking and informative. Great workshop to set goals to work towards”

– Debi Chapman, Your Source for Travel Sears Travel Agent

“Very easy to understand and apply it to you.”

– Colleen McKinley Specialty Tour Company

Know Where You Are Going
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