Operating Budget

Tuesdays, 3:00-4:30pm EST
4 weeks

March 3-24, 2026

Register

In this 4-session course, we will cover the essentials of setting up your company’s Operating Budget. An operating budget is an essential planning tool for any company. It helps to clarify finances, set financial goals, manage cash flow, forecast revenue, and show the impact of different scenarios (e.g., increasing wages, investing in new equipment, changing billing rates, or taking on a huge new project). 

HELM’s Operating Budget tool is designed for residential construction companies, with prompts to input costs typical for this industry. We will provide HELM’s Operating Budget template and teach you how to use it. If you begin the course with good data from 2025 (Profit & Loss reports, wages, and billing rates for your team) and a plan for work in 2026, you will likely finish this course with a solid 2026 Operating Budget.  

Format

Online via Zoom. Sessions are recorded and available for review, but attending all sessions in real time is required.

Registration

$800 per person.

  • Accessibility: We offer closed-captioning and simultaneous interpretation upon request. Please email us if you need any accommodations to participate fully in the course.

    Refunds: We offer a 100% refund up to 72 hours prior to course start time. After that no refunds are available; we will credit your registration fee towards another HELM course.

  • Solidarity Scholarships

    Scholarships available to participants from businesses owned by Black and Indigenous people, People of Color, Immigrants, LGBTQIA folks, and Women. Apply Now.

    State programs

    In Massachusetts: 100% Tuition reimbursement is available for MA-based companies through the Workforce Training Fund Express Program.

    In Vermont: 50% Tuition reimbursement is available for VT-based companies through the Vermont Training Program.

    In other states: Check our Workforce Training Funds page for more details.

Close-up of a smiling woman with blonde wavy hair, inside a building with large windows and brick walls in the background.

Presenter: Tia Garcia

Tia has 30 years of construction experience, with over 20 years as supervisor, self-employed general contractor, and project manager. She is a Passive House U.S. Certified Builder and is a Certified Integrative Life Coach through Integrative Wellness Academy.