Ready to Diagnose and Strengthen Your Business Financials? This hands-on course introduces the FinanceEDGE Tool—a structured, four-step framework designed to help small business owners analyze financial health, identify root causes of financial stress, and implement actionable solutions. Whether you’re facing rising costs, uneven cash flow, or stagnant revenue, this course equips you with the tools to move forward with clarity and confidence.
Learn how to:
- Assess your business’s financial health using key indicators
- Diagnose common financial challenges like poor margins or cash-flow gaps
- Generate targeted solutions based on your operational reality
- Create an action plan you can implement and track
- Use benchmarking and ratios to evaluate performance over time
Who this is for:
This course is best suited for business owners, managers, or financial decision-makers who are comfortable reading financial statements and ready to move beyond the basics. You should have:
- Working knowledge of core financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow)
- Familiarity with basic accounting terms and financial ratios
- Awareness of your business’s current financial and operational challenges
- A willingness to dig into your numbers and apply what you learn
What to Bring:
Please bring your most recent Profit & Loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement (if you have them) so we can apply the tools directly to your business.
No financials? No worries— sample case study data will be provided so you can fully engage with the exercises.
Registration Spring 2026
Location: Online (link will be sent to participants shortly before the session date)
Schedule: 10:00 am – 11:45 am
Date: April 21, 2026
There are seats available for operating, for-profit businesses under 500 employees. Please register at the link here:
Businesses <500 employees, Register here for Spring 2026
We have a limited number of seats available for nonprofits, pre-venture (not yet started) businesses, and those participants from a company of over 500 employees thanks to the generosity of UW-Madison SBDC’s supporters. These organizations should use the link below to register.
Businesses >500 employees, Pre-venture, or nonprofit, Register here for Spring 2026
Cancellation Policy: Due to program costs and space limitations for these programs, participants are expected to cancel their registration at least 24 hours ahead of the program. Cancellations that occur less than 24 hours prior to the start of the program will be considered no-shows and may be removed from future programming and/or charged a course fee.
Disability Statement: Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW-Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu to request accommodations.
Instructor
Michail Walker
Michail “Mike” Walker, MBA is the founder of MW Business Consulting LLC, where he helps entrepreneurs and organizations make smarter financial decisions through practical, hands-on training. With 15+ years of experience in business strategy, financial planning, and government contracting, Mike specializes in simplifying complex financial concepts into tools leaders can use immediately. He’s presented for statewide business academies and economic development groups, and is the creator of the FinanceEDGE™ framework.