Financial Analysis Fundamentals
We've been teaching people how to read financial statements and make sense of business numbers since 2018. Our approach focuses on practical skills you'll actually use, not textbook theory that sits on a shelf gathering dust.
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What You'll Actually Learn
This isn't about memorising formulas. We teach you how to look at a balance sheet and understand what's really happening in a business. Can they pay their bills? Are they growing sustainably? What risks are hiding in the footnotes?
Most people who join us work in small businesses or are thinking about starting their own. Some are already running companies but realised they need to understand the numbers better. A few are career-changers who want something more concrete than their previous roles offered.
The program runs for fourteen weeks starting September 2025, with sessions twice weekly in the evenings. We keep groups small—usually around twelve people—because financial analysis gets confusing fast when you're just watching someone else do it.
How the Program Works
Weeks 1–4: Reading Financial Statements
We start with the three main statements—income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow. You'll learn what each line means and how they connect to each other.
By week four, you should be able to pick up any company's annual report and understand the basics of what they're telling you.
Weeks 5–8: Ratio Analysis and Benchmarking
This is where things get interesting. We teach you how to calculate and interpret the ratios that matter—liquidity, profitability, efficiency, and leverage.
You'll also learn how to compare companies in the same industry and spot red flags that suggest trouble ahead.
Weeks 9–12: Cash Flow and Forecasting
Cash flow analysis is probably the most practical skill we teach. Many profitable businesses fail because they run out of cash. We show you how to spot cash problems before they become critical.
You'll also build basic financial forecasts and learn what assumptions to challenge.
Weeks 13–14: Real Case Studies
The final two weeks are spent analysing real Australian companies. You'll prepare a full analysis report and present your findings to the group.
Past students have analysed everything from retail chains to construction firms to tech startups.
Who's Teaching You
Petra Lindqvist
Lead Instructor
Petra spent fifteen years as a financial controller for manufacturing companies before switching to teaching. She's particularly good at explaining complex accounting concepts without the jargon overload.
Siobhan Cavanaugh
Case Study Coordinator
Siobhan worked in corporate finance at several ASX-listed companies. She brings in real examples from companies she's analysed over the years and helps students understand industry-specific nuances.
Program Format and Logistics
Classes run Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:00 PM. We know that's a long evening after work, but spreading the content over two sessions per week helps prevent overwhelm.
Each session combines short explanations with hands-on practice. You'll spend more time working through examples than listening to lectures. We've found people learn financial analysis by doing it, not by watching someone else do it.
Between sessions, expect about three to four hours of homework weekly. This usually involves analysing company statements, calculating ratios, or reading short case studies.
The program is held at our Baulkham Hills location. There's parking available, and we're about a fifteen-minute walk from the train station.