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Financial Statements 101
Basic principles of accounting to understand your enterprise’s financial health
Financial Statements 101
Learn How To
Read basic financial statements – balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement – to unlock vital insights into your enterprise’s performance
Spot strengths and weaknesses and plan for immediate and future cash needs
Use cash and accrual accounting to gain an understanding of your enterprise’s financial position
Begin making informed decisions to maintain financial health, and plan for growth
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Course Syllabus
Introduction to the Course
Video: Welcome to the Course by Brian Trelstad
Video: The Importance of Understanding Financial Statements
Resource: Workbook for the Course
Financial Statements
Video: What are financial statements?
Exercise: Introduction to a Fictional Case Study
Balance Sheets
Video: About Balance Sheets and Their Importance
Exercise: Creating a Balance Sheet
Video: Insights from a Balance Sheet
Accrual Accounting
Video: Basics about Accrual Accounting
Income Statements
Video: About Income Statements and their Importance
Exercise: Creating an Income Statement
Video: Insights from an Income Statement
Cash Flow Statements
Video: About Cash Flow Statements and Their Importance
Exercise: Creating a Cash Flow Statement
Video: Insights from a Cash Flow Statement
Bringing It All Together
Exercise: Determining Immediate Cash Needs
Video: Interactions between Financial Statements
"Understanding my financials was critical. It helped me determine my price point to ensure profitability, when to fundraise and how much, and when I would run out of stock."
Sahar Jamal,
Founder & CEO, Maziwa Breastfeeding
Course Description
Amid efforts to operationalize their vision, entrepreneurs sometimes overlook or deprioritize an essential aspect of their enterprise’s long-term sustainability – its financial health.
Monitoring and maintaining your enterprise’s financial health requires a foundational understanding of financial statements. This introductory course demystifies complex concepts and presents them in a way that is approachable and easy-to-understand no matter your current level of financial knowledge. Through an illustrative case study, you will learn to read balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements - and understand the basics of how they fit together to inform an enterprise’s strategic choices.
You will be supported on this journey by Brian Trelstad, a senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School and former Chief Investment Officer at Acumen, who brings his financial expertise from years in the industry. If you want to gain a basic understanding of your enterprise’s finances, make informed strategic and fundraising choices, and build trust with stakeholders through financial transparency, this course is a great place to start.
Featured
Brian Trelstad
Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School,
Partner at Bridges Fund Management
Sahar Jamal
Founder & CEO,
Maziwa Breastfeeding
Arooj Ismail
Co-Founder,
GharPar
Featured
Brian Trelstad
Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School,
Partner at Bridges Fund Management
Sahar Jamal
Founder & CEO,
Maziwa Breastfeeding
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