In-company training, dates on request

Cash and working capital training: manage your company's cash

Tailor-made in-company training: in our catalogue, cash and working capital are covered in module 1 (Financial diagnosis and planning) of the Finance for managers programme.

A profitable company can run out of cash: profit tells you whether the business creates value, cash tells you whether it survives next month. Yet working capital, which ties up that money, is rarely managed as a lever in its own right. This training gives your teams the method to measure, forecast and free up cash: cash cycle, DSO, DPO and DIO ratios, cash forecasting and working capital optimisation levers.

Upcoming sessions

0 scheduled sessions

Sessions held in French

This programme is delivered in-company: dates are set with you, on your premises, in Brussels, elsewhere in Belgium or in Luxembourg.

Why a training dedicated to cash?

Working capital requirement (WCR) is the money tied up in the operating cycle: inventory plus trade receivables minus trade payables. When it grows faster than the business, every additional sale consumes cash instead of generating it. Managing it requires precise reflexes, which can be learned.

Profitable companies go bankrupt for lack of liquidity at the wrong moment, not for lack of profit. The good news: working capital can be measured, benchmarked and optimised with simple tools, provided the people who negotiate payment terms, manage inventory and chase customers share the same reading grid.

The programme: from cash cycle to working capital levers

The programme covers the full cash management chain: understanding the cash conversion cycle, measuring it with DSO, DPO and DIO ratios, projecting it with a reliable cash forecast, then activating the working capital optimisation levers.

Cash cycle: from supplier payment to customer collection, where money gets tied up.
DSO, DPO and DIO ratios: calculation, interpretation, comparison over time and against the sector.
Cash forecasting: construction, horizon, updating, reading the variances.
Working capital levers: payment terms, invoicing, customer follow-up, inventory management.
Short-term financing trade-offs and the dialogue with your banker.

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Case studies on real annual accounts

Exercises are based on real annual accounts filed with the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), which are public data. You calculate the ratios of existing companies, compare them and identify at-risk configurations: the method is anchored in reality, not in textbook cases.

For whom, in what format?

The training is aimed at SME executives, CFOs, management controllers and finance managers. It is delivered in-company, at your premises, with dates set on request and case studies adapted to your sector.

If your immediate need is an action plan rather than upskilling, our advisory team also works on cash diagnosis and optimisation: tell us about your situation.

Your trainers

Professors at the Solvay Brussels School (ULB) and corporate finance practitioners. Participants rate our training programmes 5/5 on Google.

The programme is designed and delivered by Mathias Schmit, founder of Sagora, professor of finance at the Solvay Brussels School (ULB) and PhD in management science. Cash and working-capital management is at the heart of the Financial diagnosis and planning module, which he designs and delivers.

Pr. Mathias Schmit

Founder and Managing Director of Sagora (company founded in 2006), Professor of finance and Director of Executive Education Programmes at Solvay Brussels School (since 2003), independent director. Mathias teaches module 1 "Financial diagnosis and planning" of the "Finance for managers" programme.

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Going further

Frequently asked questions

Is prior finance knowledge required?

Basic notions of reading accounts help, but are not essential: the trainer covers the necessary fundamentals before moving on to ratios and forecasting. The level adjusts to the group, which is one of the advantages of the in-company format.

When and where does the training take place?

Dates are set on request, according to your availability. The training is delivered in-company, at your premises, in Brussels, elsewhere in Belgium or in Luxembourg.

Who is this training for?

SME executives, CFOs, management controllers and finance managers. It is also useful for sales and procurement teams, whose decisions on payment terms weigh directly on working capital.

Can my company benefit from training subsidies?

In Luxembourg, yes: Sagora is INFPC-accredited, so Luxembourg companies can benefit from public co-financing. In Belgium, accreditation is in progress: regional aid schemes will be available shortly.

Training or advisory assignment: which to choose?

Training transfers the method to your teams so they can manage cash autonomously. An advisory assignment produces a diagnosis and an action plan delivered by Sagora. The two combine well: many companies start with a diagnosis, then train their teams to anchor the reflexes.

Give your teams mastery of cash

Describe your context: we will build the in-company format suited to your cash challenges.

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