Participant view of a BIZ workshop |
 UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1:
Profit & Loss and Balance Sheets
If you
find Profit & Loss Statements and Balance Sheets a mystery,
this
practical workshop will help you improve your financial
skills. By the end of
this workshop you'll be able to read your
Profit & Loss Statement and Balance
Sheet, and understand the
common classifications and groupings within them.
Examples of topics covered in the workshop include:
- Why we use double entry accounting
- The
key elements of a Profit & Loss Statement
- The
important features of a Balance Sheet
- The
purpose of depreciation
UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2:
Analysis and
Interpretation
So you
can read your Profit & Loss Statement and Balance Sheet now, but
are
things really as good (or bad) as they seem? This workshop
builds on your
understanding of financial statements by looking
at the trends that unfold
over successive periods.
Topics
covered include:
- Cash
v Net Profit
- Profitability ratios
- Examining liquidity
- Debtors and Stock
- Remedial action
INTRODUCTION TO BUDGETS AND
CASHFLOWS
Too many businesses fail because there
is insufficient cash to pay bills as
they fall due. This workshop
explores the importance of budgets and sound
cashflow management
in a business and gives you some of the tools you need
to start
planning your future revenues and expenses. By the end of
this
workshop you'll understand the main budgets used in business
and how to
anticipate your future cashflows.
Examples of topics covered in the workshop include:
- Why
you should prepare budgets and cashflow projections
- Techniques for preparing simple (and not so simple)
budgets
- How
to prepare a cash budget (cashflow forecast)
PRICING AND COSTING:
Are you charging enough for your
Goods and Services?
Most
businesses have a range of products and services. Do you know if
some
of the items you sell are losing you money? By the end of
this workshop
you'll be able to go back to your business and
calculate how much you should
be charging for your products and
services.
Examples of topics covered in the workshop include:
- How
to calculate what it costs you to provide your products or
services
- The
most common methods of determining a selling price for your
products or services
- How
to calculate charge-out rates for employees (or how much
they really cost you an hour)
- How
to calculate break-even points in your business
SPREADSHEETS 1:
An introduction to using
spreadsheets in business
A
computer spreadsheet will assist you to manage your business
finances, and
allow you to create budgets and financial
forecasts. A spreadsheet will
help you analyse and recalculate
numbers quickly, and allow you to present
your data in tables or
in graphic format (including bar charts, line graphs
and pie
diagrams). This workshop is designed to expose small
business
owners to the functions of computer spreadsheets, and to
provide an
awareness of how they work. By the end of the workshop
you will understand
why the spreadsheet is such an important
business computer package.
Hands-on topics covered in the workshop include:
- Using a computer spreadsheet
- Creating a series of simple spreadsheets
- Designing spreadsheets to assist with a variety of
accounting activities
- An
introduction to more advanced spreadsheet functions
No
prior knowledge of spreadsheets is required, but it is expected
that
participants are comfortable using a mouse and keyboard and
are familiar
with the Windows or Macintosh
environment.
SPREADSHEETS 2:
Intermediate
spreadsheets
This
hands-on workshop picks up where Spreadsheets 1 finished, and
is
intended as an intermediate level course for small business
owners. It is
assumed that you have attended Spreadsheets 1
and/or that you have now
developed and use a few simple
spreadsheets in your business. The
spreadsheet module of
Microsoft Works is used during the workshop, but the
techniques
are applicable to all spreadsheet packages.
Topics
covered include:
- Using functions (particularly IF statements and LOOKUP
tables)
- Designing spreadsheets with input areas
- Exploring graphs and charts
- Linking with other spreadsheet files
- Customising Microsoft Works
- Comparing Microsoft Works to Microsoft Excel
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER
DATABASES
Computer databases allows you to organise information like
address books,
mailing lists, and inventories, and view your data
in many different ways.
They help you to find records that meet
specific criteria, and print labels,
envelopes or reports. This
workshop is designed to expose small business
owners to the
functions of computer databases, and to provide an awareness
of
how they work. By the end of the workshop you will understand how
a
database could improve the administration of your
business.
Hands-on topics covered in the workshop include:
- Using a variety of computer databases provided
- Creating a new database
- Printing labels, envelopes or reports
- Using a word processor with a database to generate
customised letters
No
prior knowledge of databases is required, but it is expected
that
participants are comfortable using a mouse and keyboard and
are familiar
with the Windows or Macintosh
environment.
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE: Will it Suit Your
Business?
Have
you thought about using your computer to handle the bookkeeping
for
your business? This hands-on workshop lets you try out a
popular
computerised accounting package for yourself. Note that
it is not possible
in one workshop to turn novices into
computerised accountants, and this
course makes no attempt to do
so. It is designed principally to expose
small business users to
the power of accounting packages, and to provide an
awareness of
how they work. By the end of the workshop you'll have a
much
better appreciation of how an accounting system may be able
to assist you,
and an overview of several popular
packages.
Examples of topics covered in the workshop include:
- The
types of accounting systems available
- Using a small business accounting package (hands-on
workshop)
- Demonstration of other accounting packages
- Tips
for buying a computerised accounting package
HOW TO USE A COMPUTER IN A SMALL BUSINESS
This
workshop is designed for people who have little or no experience with
computers, but are interested in the potential of a computer and
what it can do for their business. By the end of
the workshop you will understand the main computer applications used
in a small business, and what all those numbers in the adverts
mean.
Topics
covered in the workshop include:
- Important small business software functions, particularly
word processing, databases, spreadsheets, accounting, and email
(hands-on workshop)
- A
guided tour of the hardware
- Printers, modems, scanners and other accessories
- Hidden costs
- Guidelines for buying a computer
E-COMMERCE 1:
An introduction: How small businesses in New Zealand are using e-commerce
This workshop provides an introduction
to using e-commerce in a small businesses. You will discover the
benefits of e-commerce for your own business, and learn lessons from other New Zealand small businesses successfully using e-commerce.
Topics covered in the workshop
include:
- The difference between the Internet
and e-commerce
- How a small business uses e-commerce
now, without realising it
- The business problems that e-commerce can
help with
- The key barriers to e-commerce, and
their solutions
- Practical NZ case
studies.
This workshop is designed for small
businesses who are unsure whether they will get any benefits
from e-commerce.
E-COMMERCE 2:
Using email and a web browser to reduce business costs
This workshop will show how easy it is
to introduce e-commerce into your own small business, and how you can use the low cost internet services of email and web searching to drive down your business costs.
Topics covered in the workshop
include:
- Tips for using a web browser to find new customers and new suppliers
- Tips for using email to improve marketing
- Safety tips for using the Internet
- Ways to sell online without a website
- How to plan for the next level of e-commerce
- Practical NZ case
studies.
This workshop is for small businesses
that realise e-commerce can help them, but don't know how to get
the best out of what they've got.
E-COMMERCE 3:
Using a website to sell online
There's a lot more to successful e-commerce than just having a nice website. This course examines the various options for selling online and discusses the issues that arise.
Topics covered in the workshop
include:
- Options for selling online without your own website
- Alternative methods of handling payment, including credit card
- Other issues to address, including product delivery to customers
- Practical NZ case
studies.
This workshop is for small businesses
that want to take their Internet presence further by selling online to customers.
HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN
Research indicates that forward planning significantly increases the chances
of success of a small business. Preparing a business plan keeps your feet on
the ground by providing a realistic view of the future, helps you determine
what capital and outside assistance will be required, and provides a set of
goals to measure actual performance against. It is also a document that
banks and investors will want to see before giving any money to a small
business.
Topics covered in the workshop
include:
- Determining your competitive advantage
- Preparing information about your business and the industry you're in
- The important sections of a business plan
- Preparing financial forecasts.
No prior business planning or financial knowledge is necessary.
OTHER RECENT SEMINARS
Business Ethics
Business Plans for raising
development capital
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