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Basics of Business Accounting (Udemy.com)

A practical introduction to accounting, financial statements, and business decision-making

Created by: Ray Harkins

Last updated August 2026

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What you will learn

  • The ability to understand and interpret financial statements
  • Balance Sheets, Income Statements, Cash Flow Statements and Statements of Owners' Equity
  • The fundamentals of accrual accounting
  • Key accounting concepts such as Depreciation, the Fundamental Accounting Equation, Revenue Recognition, Assets, Liabilities, and much more.
  • Terminology like SG&A, Amortization, Unearned Revenue, Current and Non- Current Liabilities, Fixed Assets, and much more.

How it compares

Against the other 200 rated Udemy courses in Accounting on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 49% of them
  • Reviews1,663#43 of 201 by number of reviews
  • Length2.6 hoursshorter than 77% of them
  • Last updatedAugust 2026more recently than 92% of them

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Course Description

Basics of Business Accounting introduces the essential accounting and financial concepts that drive business decision-making in virtually every industry.

Designed for non-finance professionals, this course explains accounting in practical, straightforward language without assuming prior accounting experience. Whether you work in manufacturing, engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, project management, or general business, understanding accounting fundamentals can dramatically improve your ability to make informed business decisions.

Throughout this course, you will learn how to understand, interpret, and apply the Four Main Financial Statements:

  • Balance Sheet

  • Income Statement

  • Cash Flow Statement

  • Statement of Owners’ Equity

You will also learn foundational accounting concepts including:

  • The Fundamental Accounting Equation

  • Accrual Accounting

  • Revenue Recognition

  • Depreciation and Amortization

  • Assets and Liabilities

  • Cash Flow

  • Double-Entry Accounting Fundamentals

  • Current vs. Non-Current Assets and Liabilities

  • SG&A and other common financial terminology

This course was built specifically for professionals who need accounting literacy, not necessarily a career in accounting. The goal is to help you become more confident reading financial information, communicating with finance teams, and understanding the business impact of operational and management decisions.

Whether you are reviewing budgets, managing projects, evaluating performance metrics, supporting operational improvements, or preparing for leadership responsibilities, a working understanding of accounting is an essential professional skill.

The course is taught through clear voice-over presentations, practical explanations, visual examples, and quizzes designed to reinforce learning without unnecessary complexity.

Read what students have said about Basics of Business Accounting:

  • "Ray has done a great job by teaching a robust approach to accounting that has ranged from its history to practical development and application." - Dion B.

  • "Using simple real life example to teach accounting to a non-accounting audience" - Anish J.

  • "This class was very good. Love the balance sheet and income statement. Thank you so much for your time." - Leavon R.

  • "It's a good review of accounting basics. A good refresher from my accounting class from years ago." - Kris S.

  • "For someone who has very little experience, the material is presented in a way that is very easy to understand." - Laura H.

  • "I really enjoyed this class. Ray makes understanding concepts which I typically struggle with seem easy. I would highly recommend taking this class if you want to learn the basics of accounting." - Deanna G.

When you enrolled in Basics of Business Accounting, you get LIFETIME ACCESS to the course contents, including any lectures or content I might add in the future, and Q&A access to the instructor through the Udemy platform.

If you are ready to start building practical accounting and financial literacy skills that support better business decision-making, then enroll today and get started.

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Instructor Details

Ray Harkins

Ray Harkins is a senior manufacturing leader, educator, and founder of The Manufacturing Academy, with more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, quality engineering and management, and operations leadership. He currently serves as a General Manager in manufacturing, overseeing operations, quality, engineering, and continuous improvement while remaining actively engaged in solving the day-to-day challenges faced by manufacturers.

After beginning his career in manufacturing engineering, Ray expanded into quality and operations leadership, working alongside leading industry professionals throughout North America and Japan and touring hundreds of manufacturing facilities. These experiences shaped his belief that manufacturing professionals deserve practical training that they can immediately apply to improve quality, productivity, and their careers.

That philosophy has guided the development of more than 60 online courses covering Lean Six Sigma, Statistical Process Control, Supply Chain Analytics, Manufacturing Leadership, Reliability Engineering, and Operations Management. His courses are used by individual professionals and corporate training departments worldwide and have helped more than 140,000 students build practical skills and advance their careers.

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Reviews

4.5

1,663 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By David Barnitz on 3/3/2026

I dunno, its not really an 'accounting class', it just kinda reviews the 4 main Accounting Forms (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement, and Shareholders Equity) and how they come up with the figures. So, not really meant for small business owners or self employed trying to learn some basics, and I would think real accountants already know this stuff. Some accounting principles are touched upon, but not many. The instructor might have some other courses that are better, but for a paid course, this isn't it. A bookkeeping course is what I'll try instead.

By Saber on 8/11/2025

I strongly recommend this course and the instructor, who is an outstanding teacher. He effectively builds on foundational concepts and clearly outlines the end goals, making complex material more accessible. His engaging teaching style turns what could be a dull subject into an easy-to-follow and enjoyable learning experience.

By Nilesh on 6/29/2025

I am software engineer. I took this class to understand the concepts of accounting. The course covered it really well. It gave details about 4 important statements and how they are created. Instructor is extremely good at explaining the concepts. It is pure joy to learn from this instructor.

By Anna Kiss on 6/27/2025

Very well structured, and informative course. I have studied accounting during my university studies and this course was a great refresher. Very well explained with examples. It is a great foundation to any further accounting studies.

By Stephen C on 6/14/2025

Does exactly what it says on the tin: teaches the basics of business accounting. Obviously, you won't be ready to sit for the CPA exam, but if you're looking for an easy to understand intro to basic accounting principles, you could do a lot worse.

By Solomon Godwin on 2/20/2025

awesome class, you won’t regret it at all, I enjoyed every bit of it and understood it although I had no basic accounting knowledge, but I DO NOW! and looking forward to learn more as he advice on the class. thank you so much sir I do really appreicate from NIGERIA

By Thomas Soracco on 2/3/2025

Still pretty much in the first part of the course, overall it meets my expectations of explaining basic principles and at an even paced discussion that is neither confusing nor stimulating... but it is accounting, after all! I find it is much better listened to at 1.25x speed as he talks a bit slow.

By Tomi Wessel on 1/13/2025

I am brand new to accounting so I am having a little trouble grasping all of it but the instructor goes at a nice pace and gives a lot of relatable examples so that does help.

By Anonymized User on 9/2/2024

The highlight of this course is the way quizzes are designed with completely different comments for right/wrong answers. It shows the commitment you put in making this course standout and you definitely achieved that.

By Lauren Miller on 5/10/2024

I do not have much background in accounting, and now I am working for a bank. This has been a great introduction to the basics, as was stated in the description. Would recommend if you're curious/want to have a better idea of the lingo and terms that go along with accounting.

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Overall Score : 90 / 100