Practical business learning

Understand
the numbers.
Know what to
check next.

Beyond the Numbers is a place to practise understanding how a business works and how everyday decisions affect its results.

Work through realistic business situations in short, interactive exercises. Have a go, see the reasoning behind an answer and try again. Build the confidence to read the figures, ask better questions and decide what to check next.

Try the profit challenge

Free. No sign-up. Help whenever you need it.

Make your expensive mistakes here. They’re free.

The Numbers Table · Challenge 01

What happens to profit?

Seven moments from a working day. Does profit increase, decrease or stay the same?

Take your time. Count each sale and expense once. Use accrual accounting method. Ignore GST.

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Choose a training room.

Start with a problem you recognise.
Have a go. See what changes.

Start here

The Numbers Table

Start with gross profit. Sort a few everyday examples and work out what is left from a sale, one small step at a time.

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The Trading Room

Not every good deal is good for business. Explore pricing, purchasing and commercial opportunities, and discover the hidden costs of your choices.

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The Workshop

Small changes can make a big difference. Tackle everyday problems, improve productivity and find practical ways to increase profit.

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The Cash Room

Sales are growing, but where's the money? Investigate cash shortages, manage competing demands and decide what needs attention first.

Enter the Cash Room

The Decision Table

There's rarely one perfect answer. Work through realistic business dilemmas, weigh your options and make decisions you can stand behind.

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About

I'm Scott Richards.

  • I was a CPA for more than 25 years.
  • I've run Beyond the Numbers for 16 years, helping business owners and leaders understand their numbers and work through the decisions that come with them.
  • My work connects the figures with what happens in a business: the work people do, the choices they make and the results they get.

What you can get from the exercises

It can be hard to make sense of financial information when it's just a page of numbers. The exercises give you a situation to work through, a decision to make and a chance to see why an answer makes sense.

With practice, you can get better at:

  • Recognising how everyday activities affect profit and cash.
  • Knowing what to ask and what to check before making a decision.
  • Explaining what the numbers mean in a conversation at work.

Have a go, read the explanation and see what you notice next time. Getting an answer wrong is part of the practice.

Work with me

If you'd like help making sense of your business numbers or working through a decision, get in touch. We can talk about what you're trying to work out and whether I can help.