Need a completely different approach to build staff competence on finance matters?

Hard-wiring financial fundamentals

CFO’s continually seek intelligent input at meetings from their work colleagues on financial matters, but that’s not always possible as many team members haven’t had sufficient opportunity to start to build the basic skills on this topic. Help is essential, if they are going to start to deliver real value to the business.

Ian has taken a new stance to develop programmes to deliver increased competency in senior staff and directors.

His new approach is aimed at delivering results that work and are cost-effective.

                       MIMIC² is the solution

1. Staff need to be able to NAIL THE BASICS if they are ever going to make a positive impact.
2. Content needs to business specific – not delivered to a wide-ranging audience
3. Your own accounting staff need to be involved in the delivery

My role is to deliver the basic finance principles to small groups in 3 half day courses (in-house) and will work with your accounting team and support them in delivery of any additional content. This will include working with your own accounting staff to deliver material and support attendees on any on-going issues or guidance  towards introducing new systems (including spreadsheet development), if it’s needed.

Maximum number of staff at each initial sessions will be three. A half day involving work on NAILING THE BASICS is usually sufficient for most starters, and this involves a little bit of ‘not too onerous’ preparation for the remaining sessions.

MIMIC² is shorthand for

Make it memorable … interesting …. and through building confidence, attendees develop a much higher curiosity to go on to learn more.

The flexibility of such a  programme is that, having nailed the basics, attendees are much better placed to see the bigger picture and target  specific learning needs (if required) on matters they see as directly relevant to improving results (costings, sales, production, distribution etc.)

If you want to know more about how this course could be delivered to your organisation -  and the content of the three ‘Nail The Basics’ sessions, please give me a call. for informal discussions

NOTE – ALL traditional courses shown below are now on hold.

‘Finance for Non-Financial Managers’  Course

Busy work schedules also prevents them from getting on the right type of programme to help move finance understanding from a ‘should know‘ to ‘NOW know‘ position.

If you don’t use it, you lose it

Some courses that are attended, can often fail to create the permanent ‘seed change’ that CFO’s need, and any knowledge that is acquired, often gets quickly lost, under the pressure to meet other deadlines and challenges.

Our coaching/training service is geared to address these specific concerns and is delivered in a fun and engaging way (see below for more details in the ‘how to’ section).

If knowledge is power, then any hard-won new knowledge, including gaining financial expertise, has the potential to create and sustain significant competitive advantage for your company.

Armed with new finance competence

• Business opportunities can be seized positively and fully exploited.
• Directors and managers will be able to play their full role in the strategic decision-making process – simply because they will possess better understanding of the financial impact and potential consequences of any decisions being made.
• Managers will be better placed to:
• ask searching questions of the ‘financial experts’ and be better informed to
• identify less drastic alternatives or
• if the impact on business continuity demands it, they will support, not fight against the difficult decisions that need to be made.

UK clients have included:

Skipton Building Society, BAE Systems, Capital One, Visa Europe, DHL,  National Grid, Signet Trading, Rolls Royce and Bank of England.

He is a very resilient character with a tremendous enthusiasm for all his projects and a terrific ability to teach people the basics of accounts and finance where others have failed. He is always patient, rarely phased and popular with clients.

I have hired Ian as a trainer and coach since 1999, and have use him on a regular basis.

Brinley Platts CIODevelopment

other testimonials

What attendees achieve from Ian’s services

1. Read financial statements with confidence
2. Interpret balance sheets and profit and loss accounts correctly
3. Establish the key ratios relevant to their business and monitor internal change
4. Create and maintain an effective working budget to keep operations on track
5. Be able to assess different investment options within own and other departments/divisions
6. Be willing to ask awkward questions to get to the heart of complex issues
7. Become a key player in building the long-term success of the business.

Call 07973 330324 to find out about how the Taster Day could be adapted for in-house use. Or check out some of the links below for more details.

1. How we do the delivery – Learning by Doing
2. Overcoming the fear factor – It ain’t Rocket Science
3. Sample programme Day 1 – Finance and Day 2 – Budgeting and Costing – Programme Outline
4. About the coach

Starter Deal

Call now for details about a special starter deal costing £400, plus travel expenses (VAT included) – up to 4 users.

This special price  will provide CFO’s and/or the HR team, with a low risk / high benefit opportunity to assess the merits of the unique approach that’s offered.  The coach recommends an initial trial with two directors/executives – suggesting one from IT and the second from sales or HR.

Call for further discussion. Mob 07973 330324.

For staff who are not Excel literate, a ‘softer’ version of the course can be delivered. 

ALL the required spreadsheet work is completed by the coach in Q&A-type sessions with the group. Hard copies of the results are then distributed for further analysis (as case studies or discussions led by the coach).