Accounting and Finance for Entrepreneurs

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to key topics in accounting and finance for those involved in new ventures. It reviews financial accounting basics, including GAAP Principles and financial statements, and also covers key issues in finance, broadly defined as any financial or monetary activity that involves a company.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the learner should be able to:

• Understand and explain the assumptions and principles that underlie Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Understand and explain the rules of double-entry accounting
• Calculate the balance of the account
• Define the steps that make up the accounting cycle
• Describe the relationship between the major financial statements that make up an annual report
• Explain the role of finance in the entrepreneurial process
• Understand the importance of budgeting and financial planning
• Identify and explain the three major pricing strategies
• Define and distinguish between fixed and variable costs
• Calculate the components of a master (static) budget
• Prepare a cash budget
• Prepare and analyze pro forma financial statements
• Develop a basic financial plan
• Use pro forma financial statements to evaluate a new venture
• Explain the factors and assumptions involved in break-even analysis
• Calculate Return on Investment (ROI) and payback period