Scaling Operations, Finance, and Branding

This capstone unit integrates advanced operational, financial, and marketing skills needed to scale a small business and prepare for real-world challenges. Students consolidate accounting and budgeting practices, evaluate financing and tax strategies, and apply hiring, procurement, inventory, franchising, and branding tactics to support sustainable growth.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze financial statements and accounting records to identify unusual gains/losses, reconcile balance sheet and income statement accounts, and detect misleading reports or budget variances
• Apply accounting and bookkeeping procedures to set up and maintain a chart of accounts, differentiate debits and credits, record inventory and merchandise transactions, and prepare budgets and forecasts
• Evaluate financing options, tax strategies, and external advisor costs to recommend funding plans and compliance approaches that support business growth
• Develop and defend hiring, branding, marketing, and franchising strategies — including onboarding, training, positioning, and growth-hacking tactics — to increase market share and protect brand value