Financial Control Fundamentals Programme
Look, managing money isn't something most of us learned at school. And honestly? It shows. We've built this programme around the questions people actually ask when their business accounts start looking messy.
Next intake begins September 2025, with weekend sessions designed around real schedules.
What You'll Actually Learn
This isn't theory. We're talking about the spreadsheets you'll use next Monday, the reports your accountant wishes you understood, and the financial decisions that keep business owners up at night.
You'll work with real scenarios—because textbook examples never quite capture the mess of an actual P&L statement when revenue fluctuates and expenses pile up unexpectedly.
Core Topics
Cash Flow Reality
Understanding where money goes, why profitable businesses still run out of cash, and building forecasts that actually help.
Financial Statement Literacy
Reading balance sheets and income statements without your eyes glazing over. What the numbers really mean.
Budget Planning That Works
Creating budgets you'll actually follow, adjusting when reality hits, and making decisions with incomplete information.
Tax Planning Basics
Australian tax obligations, quarterly planning, and working effectively with your accountant throughout the year.
Why This Approach Works
Small Group Sessions
Maximum twelve participants. Everyone gets stuck on different parts—and that's when the best discussions happen. We've found that eight to twelve people creates the right balance between personal attention and diverse perspectives.
Your Own Numbers
By week three, you're working with your actual business data. Anonymized if you prefer, but real. Because generic examples only get you so far when you're trying to figure out your specific situation.
Practical Tools Included
Spreadsheet templates, forecasting models, and dashboard setups you can start using immediately. No fancy software required—just Excel or Google Sheets and some guidance on how to use them properly.
Ongoing Support Access
Questions don't stop when the programme ends. You'll have access to monthly Q&A sessions for six months after completion, because implementing this stuff raises new questions as you go.
Who's Teaching This
Three professionals who've made their share of financial mistakes and learned from them. They teach what works, not what sounds good in theory.
Callum Whitmore
Financial Planning
Spent fifteen years helping businesses recover from cash flow crises before deciding to teach prevention instead. Previously with three different accounting firms across Sydney and Melbourne.
Freya Donnelly
Budget Management
Built and sold two businesses—one successfully, one not so much. The second failure taught her more about financial control than the first success ever did. Now she shares both experiences.
Saskia Brennan
Tax Strategy
Former ATO auditor who switched sides to help businesses navigate tax obligations proactively. Believes most tax problems stem from poor planning rather than complicated rules.
Petra Lindholm
Guest Sessions
Joins for specialized modules on growth financing and investor relations. Works with early-stage companies daily and brings current market perspectives to the programme.
How Sessions Actually Work
Twelve weeks, Saturday mornings from 9am to 1pm. Coffee provided, bring your laptop. Each session starts with a thirty-minute review of concepts from the previous week—because financial literacy builds on itself.
Then we dive into new material with real case studies. Some from our own experiences, others contributed by past participants who've agreed to share their challenges anonymously.
Live spreadsheet work where everyone follows along and builds the same models
Group problem-solving sessions with scenarios that don't have one right answer
Take-home assignments that force you to apply concepts before the next session
Optional one-on-one reviews if you're struggling with specific concepts
September 2025 Programme
We're accepting applications now for the autumn intake. Space is genuinely limited—twelve spots, and we typically get twenty to twenty-five applications.
Selection isn't about your current financial knowledge. We're looking for people who are ready to engage with the material and willing to share their learning process with the group.