We're Not Selling Dreams About Money
Started in 2019 because we saw too many small businesses drowning in spreadsheets they didn't understand. Our team knew there had to be a better way to teach budget management without the usual corporate fluff.
We focus on actual skills, not quick fixes. The kind of knowledge that helps you sleep better at night when numbers start making sense.
How This Started
Back in 2019, our founder was consulting for a Melbourne startup that had just burned through their entire budget in eight months. They had fancy software, expensive advisors, but nobody who could explain what was actually happening with their money.
That's when it clicked. Most business owners don't need another dashboard or analytics platform. They need someone to sit down and show them how budget decisions connect to real outcomes.
So we built zemoraventi around that idea. Small classes, experienced instructors who've actually managed project budgets, and teaching methods that focus on understanding rather than memorizing formulas.
Now we work with business owners across Australia who want to get comfortable with their numbers. Some come from construction, others from creative industries or tech startups. But they all share the same goal – to stop feeling lost when looking at their project budgets.
The People Who Actually Teach
Vera Callahan
Senior Budget StrategistSpent twelve years managing construction project budgets before teaching. Vera has this ability to break down complex financial structures into concepts that make sense to people who hate math. Her teaching style is direct – no sugarcoating, but lots of practical examples from projects that went sideways and how to avoid those mistakes.
Margot Brennan
Project Finance SpecialistComes from the tech startup world where she managed funding rounds and investor relations for five different companies. Margot teaches the unpredictable side of budgeting – how to plan when you don't know what's coming. She's particularly good at helping creative professionals who find traditional finance education completely alienating.
Our Teaching Method
We don't lecture. Our sessions are built around actual budget documents that participants bring in. Sometimes it's messy. That's the point.
Classes run over six weeks, meeting twice weekly. Small groups of eight to twelve people. Each session focuses on a specific budget challenge – like forecasting costs when suppliers keep changing prices, or managing cash flow during slow periods.
Between sessions, you work on your own projects. Our instructors are available through a private channel where you can ask questions when you're stuck. Not office hours once a week – actual support when you need it.
By week four, most participants have rebuilt their budgeting system from scratch. Not because we gave them a template, but because they finally understand what they're trying to accomplish with each number.
Where Budget Management is Heading
The finance industry keeps pushing automation and AI tools. And sure, those help. But we're seeing something different happen in 2025.
More business owners are realizing that understanding their numbers gives them freedom. Not just financially – but the ability to make decisions without second-guessing or waiting for someone else's approval.
This shift toward financial literacy isn't about everyone becoming an accountant. It's about removing the mystery around budget management so you can focus on building your actual business.
Over the next few years, we expect to see traditional business education catch up to what small business owners actually need. Less theory, more application. Less generic advice, more support for specific industries and situations.