Build Models That Actually Get Used
Real financial modeling training from someone who's spent years fixing broken spreadsheets in corporate finance departments.
Look—there's no shortage of people teaching Excel formulas. But here's what I noticed after a decade working with analysts: most training focuses on functions and shortcuts, not on building models that survive contact with actual decision-makers.
Our fall 2025 program takes a different approach. You'll learn to construct valuation frameworks that hold up under scrutiny, forecast models that account for real-world messiness, and documentation practices that keep your work comprehensible six months later.
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Three Stages Most Analysts Go Through
I've watched hundreds of finance professionals develop their modeling skills—and the progression tends to follow a predictable pattern.
The Formula Collector
You know your way around Excel. VLOOKUP, INDEX MATCH, maybe some basic macros. But when it's time to build a full three-statement model or defend your assumptions in a meeting, something feels off. The pieces don't quite connect.
The Template Modifier
You've downloaded models from your firm's shared drive or found templates online. You can adapt them for new scenarios—changing inputs, updating formulas. But you're not entirely confident about why certain structures exist or how to rebuild from scratch when the template doesn't fit.
The Builder
You construct models that match the specific needs of each project. When someone questions your revenue growth assumptions or asks about sensitivity scenarios, you can walk them through your thinking. Your models become tools that actually inform decisions rather than just artifacts that get filed away.
What You'll Actually Build During the Program
DCF Models That Stand Up to Questions
Not the simplified academic version. You'll build discounted cash flow models that account for working capital changes, handle mid-year conventions properly, and include sensitivity tables that matter. When your CFO asks "what happens if growth slows in year three?" you'll have an answer ready.
Three-Statement Integration
Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow—all properly linked so changes flow through correctly. This is where most self-taught modelers get tripped up. We spend serious time on making sure your statements balance and your circular references resolve cleanly.
Comparable Company Analysis
Learning which multiples to use is straightforward. Knowing which companies actually belong in your peer set—and how to adjust for differences in leverage, growth rates, and market conditions—that takes practice. We work through real examples where the obvious comps turn out to be misleading.
Scenario Planning Frameworks
Base case, bull case, bear case—everyone does this. But how do you structure scenarios that capture the right variables without creating an unmaintainable mess? We'll build scenario frameworks that remain useful as assumptions change throughout a deal or planning cycle.
Why I Started Teaching This
Kasper Elmquist, Program Lead
After spending eight years in corporate finance—first at a mid-size manufacturing firm, then at a private equity shop—I kept seeing the same problem. Smart analysts who could handle complex Excel work but struggled to build models that executives trusted.
The issue wasn't technical skill. It was judgment. Knowing when to use a WACC calculated from scratch versus accepting a market benchmark. Understanding which historical periods matter for forecasting revenue. Recognizing when your model has become too complicated to defend.
Our September 2025 program runs for eleven weeks—not because the technical content requires that much time, but because developing sound modeling judgment does. We work through case studies from real deals (sanitized, obviously), review each other's work, and spend time on the messy decisions that textbooks gloss over.
Sessions run Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30 to 8:45 PM Central, starting September 9th, 2025. We cap enrollment at eighteen participants so everyone gets feedback on their models. That's important—this isn't a watch-and-replicate course.
Who This Program Works For
Corporate Finance Analysts
You handle budgeting, forecasting, or capital planning at your company. You want to build better models for board presentations or investment proposals—ones that senior leadership actually finds useful rather than just professionally formatted.
Consultants Moving Into Valuation Work
Your firm is expanding its financial advisory practice and you need to get up to speed on modeling conventions quickly. You're comfortable with business analysis but haven't built many valuation models from scratch.
Career Switchers From Adjacent Fields
Maybe you came from accounting, operations, or business development. You understand finance conceptually but need hands-on practice building the models that investment teams and strategy groups rely on. You're willing to put in evening work to develop a new skill set.
If you're looking for beginner Excel training or an introduction to finance fundamentals, this probably isn't the right fit. We assume you're already comfortable with spreadsheets and understand basic financial statements. What we focus on is judgment—the modeling decisions that separate adequate work from models people actually rely on.