Play At Scale
Business Education

Practical finance education for people who run businesses.

Learn to interpret performance, protect cash, allocate scarce resources and evaluate investments without turning finance into an accounting lecture.

View current CannaCon courses Explore the curriculum
$501-hour overview seminar
$250per 2.5-hour applied level
$500all three applied levels
3 levelsmodular and standalone
What participants learn to decide

The number is not the decision.

The program starts with management questions, then uses finance to structure the answer.

Cash

Revenue is up. Why is cash down?

Connect profit, inventory, collections, payroll, debt and capital spending to a forward cash view.

Operations

Which product should get the next $50,000?

Use contribution, constraints, sell-through, demand headroom and opportunity cost to allocate scarce resources.

Capital

The project has a positive return. Should we fund it?

Test project cash flows, return metrics, downside, break-even and liquidity before committing capital.

Current Delivery

Live at CannaCon.

Current public offerings are delivered through CannaCon. Exact clock times are published with each event schedule. Course registration and CannaCon show-floor admission are separate products.

Virginia Beach 2027

March 17 to 19

Finance education is scheduled across the CannaCon education window around the March 18 to 19 show.

Choose Virginia Beach course
St. Paul 2027

July 29 to 31

Finance education begins with the July 29 pre-show day and continues around the July 30 to 31 show.

Choose St. Paul course
Choose the format

Start with the overview, or work the problem.

Open Seminar

Finance & Strategy Overview

$50

1 hour in a larger seminar format.

For attendees who want the core financial decision framework without the longer applied working session.

The seminar is separate from the professional certificate pathway and does not substitute for an applied level.

See seminar availability
Applied Level

Choose one management capability

$250

2.5 hours per level.

Each level can be taken independently. Choose the level that matches the decision capability you need to build.

Compare the three levels
Complete Applied Program

All three applied levels

$500

7.5 hours of applied instruction across three 2.5-hour levels.

Buying the levels individually would total $750. The complete applied program is $250 less.

The one-hour seminar is sold separately. Do not assume the three applied levels are delivered in a single day.

View dates and register
Applied Curriculum

Three levels. One connected management toolkit.

Level 1

Business Finance Foundations

READ → DIAGNOSE → CASH → DECIDE

Read the financial story of the business, connect operating performance to cash and make a forward decision.

  • Revenue, profit and cash
  • Unit economics and cost behavior
  • Sell-through and inventory
  • Cash forecasting
  • Pricing and volume decisions
2.5 hours$250
Level 2

Financial Management & Analytics

PRIORITIZE → ALLOCATE → CONTROL → ADAPT

Determine where scarce operating resources should go and how management should know when the plan is drifting.

  • Contribution economics
  • Constraints and opportunity cost
  • Resource allocation
  • Demand headroom
  • KPIs, variance and scenarios
2.5 hours$250
Level 3

Strategic Finance & Capital Allocation

FRAME → MEASURE → STRESS → COMMIT

Structure larger financial commitments and determine what is attractive, financeable and worth funding.

  • Project cash flows
  • Payback, ROI, NPV and IRR
  • Downside and break-even analysis
  • Liquidity and funding feasibility
  • Approval conditions and controls
2.5 hours$250
Take-home tools

Frameworks designed to survive the classroom.

Participant resources are delivered with applicable coursework. Public download links appear only when the final files are actually released.

Cash-Flow Forecasting Model

Project cash movement and test operating assumptions.

Participant resource

Unit Economics & Pricing Calculator

Test margin, contribution, pricing and sensitivity.

Participant resource

KPI Dashboard Template

Connect operating measures to business performance.

Participant resource

Scenario Planning Framework

Compare alternative operating and financial paths.

Participant resource

Lender & Investor Readiness Checklist

Organize information commonly expected in external-capital conversations.

Participant resource

Investment Evaluation Toolkit

Structure project returns, risk, liquidity and capital-allocation decisions.

Participant resource
View resources and online options
Cannabis-specific application

Built around businesses that look like the industry.

Grower / Producer

Cedar Ridge Cultivation

  • Which products create the most contribution per gram?
  • Does sell-through justify additional production?
  • Where should limited flower be allocated?
  • Does automation justify the capital?
Retail

Harbor Street Cannabis

  • Which categories create the strongest contribution per inventory dollar?
  • Where is real demand headroom?
  • Which KPI should trigger action?
  • Can the operation fund expansion while maintaining a cash reserve?
Instructor

Finance taught by someone who has had to use it.

Lucas Hobbs combines operating finance, strategy, analytics and transformation experience with more than 13 years teaching finance to non-technical audiences.

  • Developed and administered Finance for Non-Technical Audiences at Boeing.
  • Received the 2014 Ed Wells Program Professional Instructor Excellence Award.
  • Course content was later used within Boeing / University of Washington professional-development programming.
  • Teaching emphasizes practical application, decision structure and usable financial fluency.

These facts describe prior experience and do not imply current Boeing or University of Washington sponsorship, partnership or endorsement.

Full professional background
Professional Certificate Pathway

Learn it live. Prove you can apply it independently.

  1. Complete all three competency areas.
  2. Complete the integrated take-home capstone.
  3. Document substantive AI use where applicable and explain how outputs were validated or changed.
  4. Defend the analysis in a 15-minute review conversation.
  5. Meet the stated completion standard.

The Play At Scale professional certificate is a private professional certificate. It is not an accredited academic degree, governmental certification, professional license or regulated credential.

Program FAQ

Know what you are buying.

Do I need finance or accounting experience?

No formal finance training is required to start with Level 1. Direct-entry participants in Levels 2 or 3 should already be comfortable with foundational business-finance concepts.

Can I take one level without the others?

Yes. Each 2.5-hour applied level is standalone. The one-hour overview seminar is also a separate offering.

Do the levels have to be taken in order?

No. Level 1 is the foundation, while Levels 2 and 3 can be selected independently by participants with the prerequisite fluency.

Is the $500 program a one-day bundle?

No. The $500 price covers all three 2.5-hour applied levels. Scheduling may span the available event education windows or separate offering dates.

What is required for the professional certificate?

Complete all three competency areas, complete the integrated capstone, document substantive AI use where applicable, defend the work in the review conversation and meet the stated completion standard.

Does the one-hour seminar count as an applied level?

No. It is an overview offering and is separate from the three applied competency levels.

Does course registration include CannaCon admission?

No. Education and CannaCon show-floor admission are separate products in the current CannaCon checkout.

Choose the course that fits the decision.

Current public registration is handled through CannaCon.

View current CannaCon courses