Based on an MBA,
Built for foresters.
ACF brings you the newest resource, teaching the foundations of a traditional MBA curriculum in the new ACF Business Academy.
Learn, understand, and apply the best practices of people management and business finances to immediately improve your consulting forestry business.
Learn, understand, and apply the best practices of people management and business finances to immediately improve your consulting forestry business.
ACF Business Academy is a 10-week fully digital program for both current & aspiring leaders of the forestry industry to learn the fundamentals of people management & business finance to grow in their careers.
Join the spring program, sign up today!
PRICING
Blending self-paced learning with live virtual sessions to learn & discuss with your ACF peers.
virtual facilitations
Every 2 weeks, join live facilitated conversations with your cohort, guided by our guest experts.
Self-Paced eLearning
After the 10-weeks you will have lifetime access to the learning portal to continue your learning journey.
HEAR FROM YOUR PEERS
ACF Business Academy Certification
-
Participants can earn up to 34 Category 1 Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) credits!By the end of this course you will have the knowledge, skills, and resources you need to be more successful so let the world know it!
Upon completion of this program you will receive the ACF Business Academy Certification, this will also be a digital badge you can add to your LinkedIn. -
ACF Member Rebate!
ACF members who complete the course will receive a rebate for 20% of the registration fee.
Meet Your Instructors
John Cioffi
John Cioffi, the Chief Content Officer at GoalMakers, has spent the last 30-years, coaching hundreds of clients to success. He previously ran a subsidiary of Amoco Oil subsidiary, a Fortune 100 company, and held executive positions at several other companies in a wide variety of industries. John received his MBA from The Wharton School and holds a Master’s in from Dartmouth.
Jeremy Wall
Lead Facilitator
Jeremy is GoalMakers lead facilitator, and has worked with hundreds of learners, helping them not just learn but implement during our live sessions. Jeremy has founded, grown, and exited businesses before and will work with you and your team as you look to do the same.
Save These Dates!
PROGRAM ONBOARDING AND KICK-OFF
March
5
VISION GOALS & PLANNING PROCESS
March 19
THE RIGHT TEAM & CUSTOMER
April
2
AN EMPOWERED SYSTEM OF MANAGEMENT
April
16
DEMYSTIFYING THE FINANCIALS
April
30
APPLYING THE FINANCIALS
May
14
THE GOALMAKERS GUARANTEE
We believe in our material, so much that we offer a money-back guarantee if you don't find value after the first two weeks.
Fundamentals of the
ACF Business Academy
Here are the key takeaways of each section in the program:
Set Goals All The Time
- Set a company-wide vision.
- Learn how to create good goals.
- Create goals for the company, departments & each employee.
Focus On The Process
Not a Plan
Not a Plan
- Measure current company state.
- Replace the business plan.
- Create strategies for a constant planning process.
Coach The Right People
- How to build the right team.
- Learn to identify natural abilities.
- Create position descriptions for yourself and every employee.
Serve The Right Customer
- Identify your good customers.
- Define your generic strategy.
- Create a sales process & refine your operations processes.
Empower Your Entire Team
- Learn the life-cycle of a manager.
- Build an empowerment culture.
- Create an organization of 'Wide Boulevards, High Curbs'.
Do The Right Things Right
- Learn the six tools to measure & manage goal achievement.
- Create a system of management for your team.
Just say no to ineffective training.
No travel costs | No missing work | No wasting time | No travel costs | No missing work | No wasting time
Optimized for the busy professional working full-time. This eLearning course is completely virtual, the most efficient way to learn, providing an easy with anywhere, anytime accessible learning experience.
Set Goals all the Time
We begin by crafting a vision for the company, our long-term goal 3-5-years from now. This will be the North Star for our entire team. Then we learn what makes a 'good goal' and create company-wide, department-level, & individual goals that align with our vision.
Focus On the Process Not A Plan
We’ll get a baseline of our company's current status by collecting valuable information. Using that as a baseline we will adopt a planning process so our company can adapt to today’s ever-changing conditions.
Coach the Right People
We’ll clearly define positions at our business, and create position descriptions for ourselves and key roles within the organization. Then we identify the right natural abilities needed for these roles, and if we have our people in the best place for success currently.
Serve the Right Customers
We begin by identifying our right customers, then determine how we find more of these right customers, building a sales process to serve them, streamlining our operations processes around them, and finally fostering a culture & strategies necessary to serve the right customer.
Empower Your Entire Team
Learn how managers empower their team members by establishing clear goals and allowing people to achieve those goals in their own way, through our system of “wide boulevards, high curbs”.
We determine if our team members meet the criteria required to work in an environment of empowerment.
Do the Right Things Right
We will use six tools to monitor and manage our company’s performance and build our own System of Managing—a clear and effective means of providing clarity and purpose to team members while steering everyone to accomplish their individual goals, as well as the company’s goals.
Demystifying the Financials
Using a case study, we will understand how to read and use financial statements. With the case study as real-world context, we will also learn about projections, inventory, accounts receivable, and cash flow and how to use this information to build stronger businesses.
Using the Financials
With a new understanding of the basics, we will focus on specific elements that grow the bottom line. We start by calculating our own financial ratios, and how to set realistic goals for your business with them. From there we learn how to easily use break-even analysis to inform everyday decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Program for?
This information is beneficial for everyone, from the CEO to the Site Supervisor, the more of your team that understands these fundamentals, the better off your business will be. However, if you want to start slow, we suggest that owners, managers, future leaders, site supervisors, and high-potential employees go through this program together as a unit for the most impactful outcomes.
How many people from my team should participate?
Beyond being a great learning program this is an organizational alignment tool meaning that the more people who participate together, the better the impact you'll see when looking to implement these learnings.
What if I miss the live sessions?
While you will get the most out of joining them and participating in the conversation with both your peers and industry experts, if you can't make one do not worry! All sessions are recorded and uploaded into the eLearning to review later.
How long will I have access to the program?
Great question, while the program runs in a synchronous timing with your peers after the 10-weeks you will retain access to the eLearning for a full calendar year after we wrap up.
Are there assignments & testing?
You won't get a certificate just for signing up, no participation trophies here!
Throughout the program there are 6 end-of-section knowledge checks at the end of each of the management sections, and then a cumulative exam at the end. All must be completed and passed in order to receive your certificate.
How long will I have access to the live program?
Great question, while the program runs in a synchronous timing with your peers after the 10-weeks you will retain access to the eLearning for a full calendar year.
How long will it take me to complete?
While this program is self-paced, timing is based on averages, some will take much longer and others will take less.
The average learner progresses through this in about ~2.5 hours per week, so we suggest earmarking at least that much time. Then bi-weekly we have 60-minute long live sessions with your peers and industry experts.
The average learner progresses through this in about ~2.5 hours per week, so we suggest earmarking at least that much time. Then bi-weekly we have 60-minute long live sessions with your peers and industry experts.
Overall, you should expect anywhere from 20-40 hours over the 10-weeks. (Some learners spend much longer than this and some a little less, but it depends on where you are at in your professional journey)!