Harvard Business School (HBS) has announced a new Executive Education program, Leading Your Small Business Through Its Lifecycle, running June 24–27, 2012 on the HBS campus. Designed for leaders of small businesses at various stages of their company lifecycles, this innovative program will empower participants to better implement financial management best practices for their firms.

“Small business leaders are tasked with operational and financial decisions that have serious implications for a company’s future success,” said David B. Yoffie, Senior Associate Dean and Chair of Executive Education. “From selling your company to managing growth and expansion, Leading Your Small Business Through Its Lifecycle explores a wide range of strategies focused on financial management at all stages of a company’s growth.”

The program will guide participants through tools and best practices to align fiscal strategy with company goals while managing the high-pressure conditions of a small business. Small business leaders will leave the program with expanded skills to develop growth strategies, craft sustainable business models, manage personal guarantees and better understand the scope of their strategic business options.

“Leading Your Small Business Through Its Lifecycle attracts leaders from a range of industries, countries and developmental stages,” said Richard S. Ruback, Willard Prescott Smith Professor of Corporate Finance and faculty chair of Leading Your Small Business Through Its Lifecycle. “The program provides a unique opportunity for small business leaders to interact with peers facing similar opportunities and challenges.”

The curriculum of Leading Your Small Business Through Its Lifecycle is based in the latest research on financing a business, managing growth under capital constraints as well as buying and selling small firms. The program is designed for business owners or other financial decision makers in smaller private companies, not funded by venture capital or public investment, with annual sales of up to $5 million. This comprehensive program will guide participants through carefully chosen case studies, classroom presentations and discussions with faculty and an elite group of peer leaders.