Updated in May 2025.

This course now features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. This course focuses on equipping you with the essential financial literacy and technical skills necessary for running a successful business. You will develop the ability to interpret financial statements, create effective spreadsheets, and analyze data to make informed business decisions. Furthermore, you will learn how to visualize data and use financial insights to improve your business performance. The course starts with understanding the core financial statements—profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow—and how to leverage them to assess your business’s financial health. You will then move on to mastering spreadsheets, including key functions such as SUM and IF, which are essential for organizing and analyzing data efficiently. With these foundational skills, you’ll be prepared to make sound business decisions. Next, the course introduces you to the basics of data analysis and how to summarize, interpret, and visualize data. You’ll also gain insights into using Excel for creating impactful data visualizations, making it easier to communicate findings. Additionally, you’ll explore website fundamentals, such as validation, hosting, and domain management, to ensure your online presence is well-managed. This course is designed for beginners or anyone looking to enhance their financial and technical skills. No prior experience is required, but some basic knowledge of spreadsheets or finance would be helpful.