A proven system to understand your money, build a budget that actually works, and make confident decisions — without becoming an accountant.
Three modules. Self-paced. Built for women who own their own business and want to stop guessing, start planning, and finally feel in control of the money side.
Take the Financial Lead — $497 AUD
I remember sitting across from a woman — smart, successful, running a business turning over half a million dollars — who told me she’d never looked at her P&L. Not once.
She wasn’t bad with money. She’d simply never been shown what to look for — or why it mattered.
Three weeks after going through this course, she called me. “Suzi, I found $40,000 in expenses I didn’t need to be paying.”
That’s not unusual. That’s what happens when someone finally shows you how to read your own numbers.
The missing piece was never talent. It was never effort. It was a system.
“Automatic 20% increase just on the measure and reporting process.”— Sonia Mitchell
Imagine opening your financial reports and knowing exactly what you’re looking at. Having a budget you built yourself — one that tells you whether you’re on track, where to cut, where to invest, and how to hit your goals.
Imagine sitting down with your accountant and asking the right questions. Knowing your margins. Understanding your cash flow. Making pricing decisions from data, not hope.
Not theory. Not jargon. A clear, practical system that takes you from “I have no idea” to “I’ve got this.”
A 12-month budget you create yourself — not a template you never open.
See what’s coming in and out — and plan 3–4 months ahead.
Learn how small shifts in three places create big profit gains.
P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow — finally make sense of them.
Make pricing, hiring, and spending decisions from data, not just gut feel.
Set financial goals and map out exactly how to reach them.
The Course
The Small Business Finance Course is a self-paced program built on frameworks tested with hundreds of women business owners through HerBusiness. Every lesson is under 10 minutes. No fluff. No filler. Just the stuff you actually need to know.
Presented by Suzi Dafnis (CEO of HerBusiness) and PJ (Peter Johnston), who between them have spent 30+ years helping women build more profitable businesses.
You don’t need an accounting background. You don’t need to be a “numbers person.” You just need to be willing to learn.
9 lessons · ~60 minutes
The problem it solves:You feel overwhelmed by financial jargon and don’t know what reports to look at, how often, or what any of it means.
This module strips away the confusion. You’ll learn the three financial reports that matter (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow), what they actually tell you, and how often to review them. We decode the jargon into plain English and show you how to have smarter conversations with your bookkeeper and accountant — starting this week.
“For the first time my business is feeling like a real business instead of a hobby!”— Esther Espinoza
8 lessons + guided working time · ~70 minutes
The problem it solves:You don’t have a financial plan. You’re reacting to what’s in your bank account instead of working toward a goal.
This is where everything changes. You’ll set real financial goals, map out your product and service mix, and build a 12-month budget from scratch — step by step, with templates we provide. By the end you’ll have a working budget you can transfer into a template from your accounting software — ready to upload.
“Creating a budget has been so intimidating, and this helped me see it’s so accessible!”— Cher Albrecht
10 lessons · ~75 minutes
The problem it solves:You’ve done the work before but it never stuck. You don’t have a system to stay on top of your numbers week after week, month after month.
Module 3 turns your budget and reports into decision-making tools you’ll actually use. You’ll learn what to look for in your reports, how to spot red flags early, and how to build a simple “Money Rhythm” — three recurring meetings that keep you in control all year round.
“I learned great new stuff and have a solid draft of my budget.”— Jacki Short
Take a business doing $100,000 in revenue with $40,000 in cost of sales, $50,000 in expenses, and $10,000 in profit.
Now increase revenue by just 1%. Reduce cost of sales by 1%. Cut expenses by 1%.
Profit jumps from $10,000 to $11,900 — a 19% increase. Not from working harder. From paying attention.
This is what happens when you know your numbers. Small, smart adjustments compound into serious results.
Now that you’ve seen this, you can’t unsee it.
Every time you glance at your bank balance instead of your P&L, you’ll know there’s a better way. Every time you guess at a price instead of calculating your margins, you’ll feel the gap.
The question isn’t whether you need this. It’s whether you’re ready to stop leaving profit on the table.
“Since paying myself a salary, I can now decide to increase profit or pay myself more. Brings a lot of confidence.”
“I’ve worked out how many clients I need and how many referral partners. This is actually fun!”
You walked onto this page wondering if it was time to face the numbers. You’ve read the modules. You’ve seen what a 1% shift can do.
You already know more than you did ten minutes ago.
The woman who started reading this page isn’t the same woman reading this now. This time is different — because you are.
Whether you’re a service provider, product seller, coach, consultant, creative, or freelancer — if money flows through your business, this course will change how you manage it.
Two people who’ve spent decades helping women build more profitable businesses.
CEO, HerBusiness
Suzi didn’t grow up with money. She grew up watching her parents navigate it — sometimes well, sometimes not.
By 36, she’d built herself to financial freedom. By 40, she’d also experienced what it feels like to lose almost everything and rebuild.
That combination — the wins and the scars — is why she teaches differently. 30+ years building businesses, 20+ years leading Australia’s largest network for women business owners, and a deep belief that understanding your money isn’t optional. It’s the foundation everything else sits on.
Suzi brings the big picture, the mindset, and the practical exercises that connect your values and vision to your numbers.
Subject Matter Expert
PJ has spent 15+ years mentoring women through HerBusiness — including the Boardroom, where members run seven and eight-figure businesses.
He’s the person in the room who makes the numbers make sense.
He’ll be the first to tell you: he’s not an accountant. He’s a business strategist who believes that when you understand your numbers, you stop reacting and start leading.
His frameworks are plain English, zero condescension, and built from thousands of real conversations with real business owners.
Map exactly what you sell, at what price, in what quantities, to meet your revenue target. Includes a worked example.
A clean, ready-to-use 12-month budget. Fill it in during Module 2, then transfer your numbers into a template from your accounting software (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, etc.) — ready to upload.
Forecast 3–4 months ahead so you can plan around slow periods and invest during strong ones.
Every term you’ll encounter — from gross profit to accrual accounting — translated into plain English.
Sole trader, partnership, company, trust — understand the basics so you can have a smarter conversation with your accountant.
A one-page diagnostic you can complete in 15 minutes to see exactly where your business stands financially before you start Module 1.
Every concept explained in plain language. No prerequisites. No assumed knowledge.
You’ll build a real budget, use real templates, and walk away with tools you can use tomorrow.
Every lesson is under 10 minutes. Watch on your lunch break, at school pick-up, or late at night. Self-paced, lifetime access.
Fear, avoidance, overwhelm — we name it and work through it. This course meets you where you are.
Built on methods refined with hundreds of women through HerBusiness workshops, masterclasses, and the Boardroom program.
YouTube and podcasts give you tips — but tips without a system just create more overwhelm. You end up with 47 bookmarked episodes and still no budget.
Your accountant focuses on compliance and tax — but they’re not there to teach you how to think about your money strategically. That’s your job, and this course shows you how to do it.
Generic business courses cover money as one module in twelve — a surface-level drive-by. This is the full system, built exclusively around the financial side, with templates that actually work.
A single pricing adjustment — informed by what you learn in Module 2 — could add thousands to your bottom line.
One unnecessary expense you catch in your first budget review could pay for this course twice over. (Remember the woman who found $40,000 she didn’t need to be spending? That’s not unusual.)
Compare your investment to:
Now compare it to the cost of doing nothing: another year of guessing your margins. Another year of paying expenses you don’t need. Another year of leaving the pricing conversation to “gut feel.”
This isn’t a cost. It’s the investment that pays for itself the first time you make a smarter decision — and you’ll make hundreds of them.
“I leave inspired every time. I come away with something new and more confidence to run my business.”
Cher Albrecht
“I am finally getting a budget down on paper … unbelievable!”
Clare Vandine
“First time including my salary in the budget — this feels amazing!”
Esther Espinoza
“I hit those goals I thought were out of reach.”
Loren Bartley
“Don’t know what you’ve done to me. I’m freaking loving this budgeting!”
Leesa Shannon
“I learned great new stuff and have a solid draft of my budget.”
Jacki Short
Our Promise to You
Complete all three modules. Do the exercises. Build your budget.
If you finish the course and genuinely feel you haven’t learned anything that changes how you manage your business finances, email us within 60 days of enrolment for a full refund.
No awkward conversations. No hoops.
We just ask that you actually do the work — because we know it works when you do.
No. The course works whether you use Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, a simple spreadsheet, or nothing at all. We provide all the templates you need.
That’s exactly who this course is for. Every concept is explained in plain language with real examples. No prior financial knowledge required.
Lifetime. Many participants come back each financial year to refresh their budget and revisit the frameworks.
The core frameworks are universal. Around 95% applies directly in New Zealand, the UK, and most other markets. Adjust for local tax and compliance.
Your accountant focuses on compliance and tax. This course focuses on you — understanding your numbers so you can make better decisions and lead your business proactively.
Yes. This is the complete, refined version with short, rewatchable lessons and all the tools and templates included. Designed to go deeper, at your own pace.
Every lesson is designed to stand on its own, with clear instructions and worked examples. The templates guide you step by step. If you’re a HerBusiness member, you can also bring your questions to any live session or the community.
Yes. Complete all three modules, do the exercises, and build your budget. If you finish the course and genuinely feel it hasn’t changed how you manage your business finances, email us within 60 days for a full refund. We ask that you do the work — because we know it works when you do.
Yes. That’s a fraction of the $2,129 in value inside — and a fraction of what one smart financial decision will return to your business.
But ask yourself this: if nothing changes about how you manage your money, where will your business be in 12 months?
Now imagine having a clear budget, understanding your reports, and making every big decision from data instead of gut feel. That’s what’s on the other side of this course.
It starts the moment you decide.
Take the Financial Lead — $497 AUD One-time payment · 60-day completion guarantee
The moment she opens her P&L and actually understands what she’s looking at. The moment she finishes her budget and realises she can pay herself properly. The moment she sits down with her accountant and asks the right questions — for the first time.
It doesn’t take months. It takes three modules, a willingness to learn, and a few hours of your time.
You + this system = clarity. Not maybe. Every time.
“Since paying myself a salary, I can now decide to increase profit or pay myself more. Brings a lot of confidence.”
— Adrianne Miller