Commonly Asked Questions
Who should play?
This course is designed for anyone who affects the
profitability of the company.
What is the overview of the game?
The finance game is an interactive, hands-on workshop that is centered on a learn-by-doing approach. Participants run their own small businesses, comparing key financial information to their company’s actual numbers throughout the workshop.
This “big picture” course ensures participants will “speak the same language” when discussing finances. They will learn about and experience working with financial statements: assets, liabilities, and net worth; revenues, costs, profits, and margins; cash management, cash turns, and the present value of money; accounting ratios and how employees can drive them; employee and management level cost/benefit analysis scenarios; and finally identifying ways to “release” hidden profits.
BONUS: Participants may be asked to identify a specific opportunity to apply the learnings of this course over the subsequent twelve weeks. They will calculate the cost savings/increased profitability of the project if achieved, as well as identify who else would need to be involved.
What are some of the sample objectives in playing the game?
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Learn how a business runs: How to find money, make money, lose money, and use money in a dynamic board game business simulation.
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Understand and analyze a Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement and discuss your company’s Quarterly and Annual Reports.
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Build financial decision making skills by evaluating workplace and management-level case studies using cash flow, cost, and profit considerations.
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Learn the key financial metrics that drive profitability in your department and what you can do to improve them.
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Recognize areas where you can release "hidden" profits through increased efficiency and cash management.
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Develop leadership skills for building financial success.
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Identify strategies to turn your new financial savvy into bottom-line profit for your company
Is there any advanced preparation to play the game?
How long do employees or key personnel play the game?
No, our company has solid proven game playing principles that make it easy for you.
What outcome can I expect?
Who is Sally Robinson?
The most common course length is one or two-day courses, depending on how much time you would like to allow your employees to practice and assimilate the information.
Some companies have enjoyed it so much they ask us to come back and play regularly. Others leave participants with a CHALLENGE and schedule a follow up celebration 12-14 weeks later to check in on how participants have applied their learnings to create increased profits within their departments.
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A heightened interest and comfort level in discussing, reporting on, making decisions about, and working with your company's financial issues.
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A familiarity with the vocabulary used in discussing corporate finances.
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A basic understanding of how money flows through your company and how employees fit into and affect that money flow.
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An understanding of the three financial statements, how they are structured, and how to read them. A look at your company's current corporate statements.
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An understanding of the importance of good cash and asset management to profitability.
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A heightened awareness of the importance of cost savings to profitability, and new ideas and motivation on how to increase revenue growth and decrease costs and expenses for your company
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A basic understanding and familiarity with ratios and ratio analysis along with how changes in asset base, equity, liabilities, and income affect ratios.
Sally founded the company and created the finance game board game. She has over twenty-five years experience training and consulting with companies across the USA in business finance and communication skills. She loves to develop training that creates fast results in a fun format. It is no wonder this is her career.
Her clients have included Fortune 500 and other large growth companies such as Shell Oil Company, Jiffy Lube, Kaiser Permanente of Colorado, Medtronic, Luminex Biotech Corporation, Motorola, Motorola-Freescale, Water Pik, StorageTek, Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies, Eastman Kodak, and Advanced Energy Industries.
She has also delivered valuable training in government, university, health care, and small business environments including Colorado State University, the State of Colorado Forest Service, the State of Colorado Municipal and County Clerks, Larimer County, the Cities of Fort Collins and Loveland, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Saint Joseph’s Medical Center, Lutheran Medical Center, Lehigh Valley Healthcare Network, and the Presbyterian Hospitals of New Mexico.
Ms. Robinson has played the game with over 3,000 employees throughout the nation. Sally holds a Master’s Degree from Colorado State University and is a published researcher in the area of identifying workforce skill needs in the 21st century.
Your company can expect at least TRIPLE your investment back in increased profits to your bottom line if your participants implement their CHALLENGE projects.
Participants will leave the class with the following information and skills: