Building Business Confidence Through Financial Knowledge

We started qulivon in 2018 because we noticed something. Small business owners were making critical financial decisions without proper guidance. Not because they lacked intelligence, but because traditional finance education felt inaccessible and intimidating.

Our approach is different. We translate complex financial concepts into practical frameworks that business owners can actually use when they're evaluating opportunities, assessing risks, or planning their next move.

How We Got Here

qulivon emerged from countless conversations with entrepreneurs who felt overwhelmed by financial planning. They had brilliant business ideas but struggled with cash flow analysis, investment evaluation, and growth funding strategies.

We built our programmes around real scenarios these business owners faced. Not textbook theory, but actual decision points where understanding finance made the difference between scaling successfully or running into avoidable problems.

Our first cohort in autumn 2019 had twelve participants. By 2024, we'd worked with over 800 business professionals across Australia, refining our methods based on what actually helped them make better decisions.

What Matters to Us

Seven Years

We've spent nearly a decade refining how we teach financial concepts to busy professionals who need practical tools, not academic lectures.

Real Application

Every module we develop is tested with actual business owners first. If they can't apply it within two weeks, we rebuild it until they can.

Honest Limits

Finance education won't guarantee your business success. But understanding these principles gives you better information when you're making tough calls.

Three Principles That Guide Everything We Do

Context Over Theory

We teach financial concepts within the context of actual business decisions. You won't spend weeks on abstract formulas. Instead, you'll work through scenarios similar to what you're facing in your own business.

Progressive Complexity

Start with foundational concepts like cash flow management and break-even analysis. Then build toward more sophisticated topics like investment valuation and strategic financial planning when you're ready.

Collaborative Learning

Our programmes bring together business owners from different industries. You'll gain perspective from retail operators, service providers, and product businesses. The cross-pollination of ideas often proves more valuable than the curriculum itself.

Sienna Thornbury

Programme Director

I spent twelve years in corporate finance before moving to education. What struck me most was how differently small business owners think about money compared to large corporations.

Big companies have entire departments analyzing financial data. Small business owners need to make similar decisions but with far less time and support. That gap is what qulivon addresses.

My background is in financial modeling and risk assessment, but what I enjoy most now is helping someone understand why their pricing strategy isn't working, or how to evaluate whether they should hire their first employee.

Outside of qulivon, I advise several regional business networks and occasionally write for publications focused on small business finance. My own consultancy practice informs our curriculum development.

Our Educational Philosophy in Practice

When someone joins a qulivon programme, they're not signing up for traditional lectures. Our approach centers on case-based learning where participants analyze real financial scenarios and make recommendations.

Consider how we teach investment evaluation. Rather than starting with net present value formulas, we present three business opportunities and ask participants to determine which one makes financial sense. They work through the analysis themselves, make mistakes, and understand why certain factors matter more than others.

What Makes Financial Education Stick

Research on adult learning shows that people retain concepts when they immediately apply them. Our programmes are structured around this principle. You learn a financial tool one week, apply it to your business the next, then discuss your findings with peers who attempted the same application in their contexts.

We cover topics like cash flow forecasting, profit margin analysis, break-even calculations, funding options comparison, and financial risk assessment. But we teach them through problems you're likely facing rather than abstract examples.

The autumn 2025 cohort begins in September, with sessions running through November. Spring programmes typically launch in February and run into April. We keep groups intentionally small so everyone gets individual attention when they're working through their specific business challenges.

Business owners collaborating during qulivon workshop session

Financial planning materials and analysis tools used in qulivon programmes

Learn More About Our Approach

If you're considering financial education for yourself or your team, we're happy to discuss whether our programmes match what you need. No pressure, no sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about where you are and where our methods might help.

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