The skills that save small business owners the most money are the ones you would otherwise pay someone else for or lose money by not knowing: bookkeeping, spreadsheets and finding and winning contracts. The Ayangbah Foundation teaches all three in short, practical classes: QuickBooks Bookkeeping Essentials, Microsoft Excel & Office Essentials and Friday Contracting Workshops. Each runs live online or in person in downtown San Bernardino.
Skill 1: Keep your own books with QuickBooks
When your books are a mess, you pay for it. Cleanup takes time, late invoices hurt cash flow, and you cannot see which jobs are making money.
QuickBooks Bookkeeping Essentials is 12 hours of hands-on practice:
- Company setup, customers and vendors.
- Invoices, bills and payments.
- Bank reconciliation.
- Reports: profit and loss, balance sheet and more.
You may still want an accountant for taxes, but you will understand your numbers and hand over cleaner records. See our QuickBooks class guide.
Skill 2: Use Excel to plan and track
Excel is the everyday tool for pricing, budgets, inventory lists and job tracking. Microsoft Excel & Office Essentials covers formulas, sorting, filtering, charts and a simple budget, plus Word for letters and Outlook for email and calendar. You finish with a portfolio spreadsheet project you can adapt to your business.
- Build a simple budget and check it each month.
- Sort and filter customer or job lists in seconds.
- Turn numbers into a chart you can understand at a glance.
More in Excel and Office classes.
Skill 3: Win public contracts without paying a consultant for every bid
Government agencies buy from small businesses, but the process has its own language. Friday Contracting Workshops are 2-hour sessions you can take one at a time:
- Finding bids.
- Reading an RFP.
- Bid/no-bid decisions, so you stop spending time on bids you cannot win.
- Compliance matrices.
- Proposal and grant narratives.
- SAM.gov and certifications.
Ready to go deeper? The 54-hour Government Contracting Academy covers everything from how government buys to post-award contract administration. Start with SAM.gov registration and our Friday workshops.
Free help for new owners
Just getting started? Our free Start Your Business Workshop and Public Speaking Lab are open to the community. Sign up on /enroll.
Class details
- QuickBooks Bookkeeping Essentials: evenings Monday and Wednesday, 6:00 to 9:00 PM, November 30 to December 9, 2026, or Saturdays January 23 and 30, 2027, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 12 hours. $297. Pay for QuickBooks.
- Excel & Office Essentials: evenings Tuesday and Thursday, 6:00 to 9:00 PM, December 1 to 10, 2026, or Saturdays January 9 and 16, 2027, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 12 hours. $297. Pay for Excel.
- Friday Contracting Workshops: every Friday, 12:00 to 2:00 PM (none November 27, December 25 or January 1). $97 (single) or 4 for $297 (4-pass).
- Format: live online from anywhere in the U.S., or in person in downtown San Bernardino.
- What you get: a live instructor and hands-on practice with your own business in mind.
How to enroll
- Apply online. It takes about 2 minutes.
- Pay with the pay links above or see every option on our tuition page.
- We confirm your seat within 2 business days.
Not ready yet? Join our free Monday info session, every Monday from 5:00 to 5:45 PM Pacific, online. Register on /enroll to get the link.
FAQ
Which class should a new business owner take first?
If you send invoices or pay bills, start with QuickBooks. If you want to bid on public work, start with a Friday Contracting Workshop. If unsure, ask at the free Monday info session.
Can I deduct the cost of training?
Training costs may be deductible for some businesses, but we are not tax advisors. Ask your tax professional.
Is there a QuickBooks certification?
QuickBooks Certified User exam prep is one of our industry certification courses launching in 2027, taught by certified partner instructors. The interest list is open now.
Questions? Call or text (909) 454-7076.