Finance for Non-Finance Professionals
Learn to read a set of financial statements, work out whether a business is really making money, build a budget, find a breakeven point and talk confidently about cash flow, financing and working capital.
R199 once-off. Study on your phone, at your own pace. Get a certificate when you finish.
Start for R199 →We will never ask you to pay for a job. R199 pays for the course, once.
What you will be able to do
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Explain the different types of business and the financial goals a company can have
- Tell the difference between financial accounting, management accounting and financial management
- Read the annual financial statements and know who uses them and why
- Use ratios to judge how a business is doing and compare it with others
- Build a budget, separate fixed and variable costs, and work out a breakeven point
- Explain the time value of money, and how businesses decide on big spending (capital budgeting) and choose between debt and equity
- Explain working capital and the cash conversion cycle, and why a profitable business can still run out of cash
| Level | Beginner. No finance background needed |
| Duration | 2 to 3 days, at your own pace |
| Format | Online, self-paced. 8 modules, each with a short quiz, and a final assessment |
| What you need | A phone or computer with internet, and basic maths (adding, percentages) |
| Price | R199 once-off. No monthly or registration fees. |
| Certificate | Purple Growth certificate of completion, ready to download when you pass. |
Who this course is for
- Office workers, supervisors and managers who deal with budgets but never studied finance
- People who run a small business and want to understand their own numbers
- Anyone planning to start a business or ask a funder or bank for money
- Anyone who wants to make better money decisions at work and at home
Where these money skills help you
Money decisions happen in every kind of workplace, not only in the finance department. Supervisors, managers, admin and office staff, and people who run their own business all have to read budgets, explain costs and plan for cash. Funders and banks also ask to see proper numbers, and the SA MSME Access to Finance Report 2025 found that only 36.8% of micro and small businesses have formal financial statements (quoted in our bookkeeping and payroll guide). If you can read and explain the numbers, you stand out.
Will this course get you hired?
No course can promise you a job, and anyone who does is not being honest with you. What this course does: it gives you the words and the basic methods to read an income statement and balance sheet, compare businesses with ratios, set a budget and work out a breakeven point. You can talk about these in an interview or a meeting, and use them in your own business.
After you finish
- Add it to your CV under “Courses”, for example: Finance for Non-Finance Professionals, Purple Growth eCampus (2026): reading financial statements, ratio analysis, budgeting and breakeven, cash flow and working capital.
- Use it in the job you have, or the one you want: mention budgeting, breakeven and reading financial statements when you apply for supervisor, office, admin or team-lead roles, or when you ask for more responsibility at work. Never pay anyone for a job or an interview.
- Get job alerts. JobAlertsZA is a free tool that finds office and admin jobs near you.
The certificate you get when you finish
Your full name, the course name and the date you finish. Download it as a PDF as soon as you complete the course and add it to your CV.
- R199 once-off. No monthly fees and no registration fee.
- Secure payment through PayFast.
- Start straight away once your payment goes through.
- Study on your phone, at your own pace.
- 1,800+ people have signed up to Purple Growth eCampus.
Questions people ask
Is this a scam? Will you ask me to pay for a job?
No. R199 pays for the course, once. We will never ask you to pay for a job, an interview or a placement. You pay through PayFast and the course opens as soon as your payment is confirmed.
Do employers accept this certificate?
It is a Purple Growth certificate of completion that shows you finished the Finance for Non-Finance Professionals course and passed its assessments. It gives you proof of the skills you trained in and something concrete to put on your CV.
I’m bad at maths. Can I still do this course?
Yes. It is made for people with little or no finance background. You work with simple sums like adding, subtracting, percentages and ratios, and each module explains the idea before you use it.
Will this teach me to do bookkeeping or use accounting software?
No. This course is about understanding and using financial information: statements, ratios, budgets, breakeven, the time value of money, financing and working capital. If you want to capture transactions and run a payroll, our Bookkeeping & Payroll course covers that.
Do I need matric or experience?
No. You don’t need matric or experience to do this course. Some employers ask for matric for their jobs, so check each advert.
How long does it take?
The course page gives it as 2 to 3 days. You study at your own pace, with no deadline. Your progress is saved.
What if I fail a quiz?
If you don’t pass a quiz the first time, you can retake it as many times as you need.
Can I get my money back?
Yes, within 7 days, as long as you haven’t opened any course content. See our refund policy.
Course Content
About Instructor
+420
enrolled
Course Includes
- 8 Lessons
- 64 Topics
- 9 Quizzes
- Course Certificate
Responses