Business Models That Actually Work in Practice
Most finance courses teach theory. We focus on what businesses need today — the models, frameworks, and decision-making processes that drive sustainable growth in Australian markets and beyond.
View Our Programs
How We Approach Finance Education
Look, finance education has a problem. Too many programs teach spreadsheet mechanics without context. They hand you formulas but skip the part where you understand when to apply them.
We started areqlunanbion because we saw this gap repeatedly. Businesses hire people who know the theory but can't bridge it to actual decision-making. Someone who understands revenue models but can't explain why subscription beats transaction for certain contexts.
Our programs run over 8-10 months starting in autumn 2025, giving you time to absorb concepts and test them against real scenarios. You'll work through case studies from Australian businesses — some succeeded, others didn't, and you'll analyze why.
We won't promise you'll be a CFO by graduation. What we will do is give you frameworks that help you think through financial decisions with more confidence. The kind of thinking that helps when someone asks "should we expand now or wait?" and you can walk them through the considerations rather than just guessing.
Core Business Models We Explore
Each model has strengths and weaknesses depending on your market, resources, and timing. We dig into when each makes sense.
Subscription Revenue
Predictable cash flow sounds great until you calculate customer acquisition costs and churn rates. We look at when subscription models create value versus when they just delay revenue recognition.
Marketplace Dynamics
Two-sided marketplaces are everywhere now, but getting both sides balanced requires understanding network effects, pricing psychology, and platform economics that most courses barely touch.
Freemium Conversion
Free users cost money. Converting them to paying customers requires understanding not just pricing tiers but behavioral triggers, value perception, and timing. The math gets complicated fast.
Transaction Models
Sometimes the simplest model works best. Transaction-based businesses have different unit economics, scaling patterns, and cash flow characteristics that suit certain contexts better than recurring revenue.
Hybrid Approaches
Many successful businesses blend multiple models. Understanding how to structure hybrid approaches without creating confusion or operational complexity separates good strategy from messy execution.
Asset-Light Scaling
Growing without proportional cost increases sounds ideal, but it requires rethinking value creation, margin structures, and competitive advantages. We analyze companies that managed this transition successfully.
Who Teaches These Programs
Verena Stromberg
Business Model StrategySpent 12 years analyzing business models for venture-backed companies across Australia and Southeast Asia. Now teaches the frameworks she wishes someone had explained to her earlier — the patterns that actually predict which models will scale and which won't.
Callista Winterbourne
Financial OperationsBuilt financial systems for three startups that reached profitability. Her focus is translating strategy into operational reality — the unsexy work of setting up systems, tracking metrics, and making sure financial decisions actually get implemented properly.
Program Structure
We break learning into phases that build on each other. Each section takes roughly 6-8 weeks.
Foundations and Context
Start with financial statements and accounting basics, but quickly move to interpreting them for business decisions. You'll learn to read between the lines — what metrics actually matter for different business types.
Model Analysis
Deep dive into specific business models. For each one, you'll analyze real companies, calculate unit economics, map cash flow patterns, and identify the structural advantages or constraints each model creates.
Decision Frameworks
Learn structured approaches for common financial decisions — pricing changes, expansion timing, cost structure optimization. These frameworks help you evaluate tradeoffs systematically rather than relying on gut feel.
Applied Projects
Work through comprehensive case studies where you'll recommend specific actions based on financial analysis. Projects cover scaling decisions, market entry timing, and operational improvements with financial impact.
Next Cohort Opens August 2025
We're accepting applications for our autumn 2025 intake. The program runs 9 months with weekly sessions and self-paced project work. If you're looking to strengthen your financial thinking for business contexts, this might be worth exploring.