Budget Approval Skills That Actually Work
Most finance professionals struggle with getting budgets approved. Not because they lack the numbers, but because they don't know how to present them. We teach you the practical side of budget workflows—the stuff you won't find in textbooks.
Our program runs from July 2026, giving you six months to prepare. Whether you're transitioning into finance or sharpening existing skills, this is about real-world application.
Get Program Details
What You'll Actually Learn
Forget generic finance theory. We focus on the messy reality of getting stakeholders to sign off on your proposals. That means understanding psychology, communication, and the politics of budget decisions.
Stakeholder Mapping
Learn who really makes decisions in your organisation. We teach you how to identify key influencers, understand their priorities, and tailor your approach accordingly. This isn't about manipulation—it's about effective communication.
Data Storytelling
Numbers alone don't convince anyone. You need to build a narrative that connects financial data to business outcomes. We show you how to structure presentations that executives actually remember.
Objection Handling
Every budget proposal faces pushback. We prepare you for common objections and teach you how to address concerns without getting defensive. It's a skill that improves with practice, which is why we run live simulation exercises.
Workflow Automation
Manual approval processes waste everyone's time. You'll learn practical tools for automating routine tasks while maintaining necessary oversight. We cover software solutions used in Australian businesses right now.
Risk Assessment
Budgets fail when risks aren't properly identified. We teach you frameworks for evaluating financial risk that make sense to non-finance stakeholders. It's about clarity, not complexity.
Follow-Up Systems
Getting initial approval is just the start. You need systems to track performance against budget and communicate variances effectively. We cover reporting structures that keep everyone informed without overwhelming them.
How We Structure Learning
The program runs for twelve weeks starting July 2026. That's enough time to cover everything properly without dragging things out.
Sessions happen twice weekly—Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6pm to 8pm AEST. We know you're working full-time, so evening sessions just make sense. Each session combines instruction with hands-on practice.
You'll work with real budget scenarios from Australian companies. We've anonymised the data, obviously, but the challenges are authentic. By week eight, you'll be presenting full budget proposals to a panel that includes finance directors who've actually done this work.
Program Timeline
Foundations (Weeks 1-3)
Budget structures, approval hierarchies, and stakeholder analysis. You'll map your own organisation's workflow and identify improvement opportunities.
Communication (Weeks 4-6)
Presentation skills, objection handling, and data visualisation. We record your presentations and provide detailed feedback on what works and what doesn't.
Tools & Systems (Weeks 7-9)
Workflow automation, reporting dashboards, and tracking systems. You'll build templates you can actually use in your job.
Application (Weeks 10-12)
Final project presentations to industry professionals. This is where everything comes together—you'll defend a full budget proposal under realistic conditions.
Who's Teaching This
Both instructors currently work in finance roles. They've approved budgets, rejected budgets, and fixed broken approval processes. That practical experience shapes how they teach.
Callum Fitzwilliam
Callum spent eight years fixing budget processes at mid-sized companies across Sydney. He's seen every mistake you can make with approval workflows—mostly because he made them himself early in his career. These days he consults on financial systems while teaching part-time.
Ewan Blackwood
Ewan works at a government agency managing multi-million dollar budgets. He's dealt with every type of stakeholder imaginable—from ministers to department heads to procurement officers. His strength is breaking down complex approval chains into manageable steps.