working capital management | liquidity | treasury | operating cycle | financial forecasting | budgeting for managers
What You Will Learn:
- Build a rolling 13-week cash forecast and spot the week the money runs short before it does
- Calculate your cash conversion cycle and shorten it through receivables, inventory and payables
- Close a cash gap using factoring, invoice discounting, inventory financing or leasing
- Set up a monthly financial control rhythm that catches problems while they are still cheap
- Decide between debt and equity funding, and know what a credit rating does to your cost of money
- Find where the business leaks cash: bottlenecks, queues, downtime and duplicated work
- Run a cost-reduction programme in a downturn without destroying the team you will need afterwards
- Learn alongside 1.6 million Mike Pritula students from 185 countries
- Get the experience of an instructor who built finance and operations systems at Preply, Wargaming, iDeals and Alfa-Bank
- Build a board-ready working capital plan that links forecasts, funding and operations
Alright, let’s talk brass tacks about ‘Working Capital Management: Liquidity & Forecasting [EN]’. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably seen your share of finance courses promising the moon but delivering… well, let’s just say less-than-stellar satellite imagery. This one, taught by Mike Pritula, who’s got the street cred from building finance systems at places like Preply and Wargaming, actually cuts through the noise. It’s not just another dry academic lecture; it’s a deep dive into the practical realities of keeping a business afloat and thriving, especially when the waters get choppy. Think of it less as a course and more as a field guide to navigating the financial wilderness, providing the job-ready skills you need to make critical decisions.
Overview
What I appreciated most about this course is its unvarnished focus on the operational heartbeat of a business. It’s not just about crunching numbers; it’s about understanding the “why” behind every dollar in motion. We all know cash is king, and this program demystifies how to manage that kingdom effectively. You’re not just learning theoretical concepts like working capital management or the operating cycle; you’re learning how to proactively identify and plug financial leaks before they become torrents. It’s an invaluable perspective for anyone looking beyond traditional accounting into proactive financial forecasting and strategic liquidity management, whether you’re working at a startup or a multinational. The instructor’s extensive experience shines through, grounding every concept in real-world scenarios and practical application, which is a breath of fresh air compared to purely academic offerings.
Prerequisites
While the course covers ground that can benefit both beginner to advanced learners, having a foundational grasp of basic financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement) will definitely give you a head start. You don’t need to be a finance wizard, but a basic comfort with business operations and numbers is advisable. It’s less about complex calculus and more about logical financial thinking, so if you’re comfortable with spreadsheets, you’re likely good to go.
Skills & Tools
This course arms you with some seriously powerful tools and capabilities. You’ll master building a rolling 13-week cash forecast – a critical skill for any manager responsible for short-term financial health. The emphasis here is on spotting potential cash shortfalls weeks, even months, in advance, allowing for strategic intervention rather than panicked reactions. You’ll learn to calculate and, crucially, shorten your cash conversion cycle by optimizing receivables, inventory, and payables. The course also dives into tactical funding options, explaining how to close a cash gap using instruments like factoring, invoice discounting, inventory financing, or leasing. Furthermore, you’ll establish a robust monthly financial control rhythm, identify where a business genuinely “leaks cash” (think bottlenecks, downtime, duplicated work), and learn how to run effective cost-reduction programs without decimating team morale. A significant chunk of the learning involves hands-on application, primarily using industry-standard tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for financial modeling and analysis, making the skills directly transferable to your workplace.
Career Benefits & Job Roles
For anyone serious about genuine career growth in finance, operations, or even general management, this course is a solid investment. The real-world projects and practical exercises translate directly into tangible experience you can put on your CV. You’re not just learning theories; you’re building a board-ready working capital plan that links forecasts, funding, and operations. This skillset is invaluable for roles such as:
- Financial Analyst
- Treasury Manager
- FP&A Specialist (Financial Planning & Analysis)
- Operations Manager
- Business Owner/Entrepreneur
- Budgeting for Managers
- Consultant focusing on financial efficiency
Understanding the nuances of debt vs. equity funding, and how a credit rating impacts your cost of money, positions you as a strategic asset to any organization. It significantly boosts your ability to contribute to crucial business decisions, going beyond mere reporting to active value creation.
Pros
- Highly Practical & Actionable: This isn’t just theory. Every module is geared towards giving you immediate, applicable skills, from forecasting cash to strategic funding. It’s pure practical financial engineering.
- Experienced Instructor: Mike Pritula’s background is a massive plus. He’s been in the trenches building systems, so his insights are grounded in reality, not just textbooks. This translates into highly relevant content.
- Comprehensive Coverage: From micro-level cash forecasting to macro-level funding decisions and cost reduction, it covers the full spectrum of working capital management, making it a great alternative to lengthy and expensive certification prep.
- Focus on Proactive Management: The emphasis on spotting problems early and setting up control rhythms is crucial for preventing financial crises rather than just reacting to them.
Cons
- While robust, the course mostly uses general spreadsheet applications. For those hoping for deep dives into specific ERP systems or more advanced financial modeling software, the tool-specific training might feel less extensive than expected.