Plum Solutions

What Plum Solutions does

Plum Solutions Pty Ltd is a privately held Australian financial modelling training and consulting firm headquartered in Sydney, founded in 2004. It delivers Microsoft Excel-based education to business professionals and corporate clients, spanning self-paced online courses, public face-to-face workshops in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, in-house corporate training, and bespoke consulting engagements. The product portfolio is anchored by founder Danielle Stein Fairhurst, a published author of 'Financial Modeling in Excel for Dummies' (second edition) and 'Using Excel for Business and Financial Modelling' (third edition), whose personal brand and expertise are integral to the company's market positioning.

The business operates a multi-channel GTM: a direct-to-consumer self-serve online portal with course bundles and a freemium 7-day introductory mini e-course; field-sales workshops in three Australian CBD markets; and enterprise in-house training deals. Specialist revenue lines include FMI Level 1 Advanced Financial Modeler exam preparation, consulting, and book sales. The student portal carries the full curriculum ladder (Financial Modelling for Non-Financial Modellers, Financial Modelling in Excel, Advanced Financial Modelling in Excel), with adjacent products in dashboard reporting and budgeting/forecasting.

Plum Solutions also maintains a community programming layer through hybrid virtual meetups co-hosted with the CPA Australia Sydney Financial Modelling Discussion Group, featuring rotating guest experts (Forvis Mazars, Microsoft MVPs, climate and AI specialists). The firm is bootstrapped with 1-10 employees, no external funding, no subsidiaries, and is organised as a single Australian private entity with activity extending occasionally to international corporate clients (e.g., Oman in 2023).

Name

Plum Solutions

Legal name

Plum Solutions Pty Ltd

Website

https://plumsolutions.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Plum Solutions is a Sydney-based, bootstrapped training and consulting firm founded in 2004 that teaches Microsoft Excel-based financial modelling to business professionals through online courses, in-person workshops in three Australian cities, corporate in-house training, and FMI certification preparation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education and Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDABAJAM

Financial Data, Analytics & FinTech Tools (BI, ERP, Automation)

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Finance, Accounting & Risk Training

Keywords

• Financial modelling training
• Excel courses
• Budgeting forecasting courses
• Corporate finance training
• Dashboard reporting training

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Online Training Courses: Self-paced online courses delivered through a student portal, including bundles with and without books, and individual course enrollments.
2. Face-to-Face Workshops: Public workshop training in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane CBD venues using top class facilities.
3. In-House Corporate Training: Customised training sessions arranged for organisations to train entire teams on financial modelling.
4. Consulting Services: Financial modelling consulting engagements for organisations needing expert assistance.
5. FMI Exam Preparation: Intensive exam preparation courses for the Financial Modeling Institute's Advanced Financial Modeler certification.
6. Book Sales: Sales of 'Financial Modeling in Excel for Dummies' book and 'Using Excel for Business and Financial Modelling'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Plum Solutions is a specialist financial modelling training and consulting firm that delivers a structured Microsoft Excel-based curriculum through self-paced online courses (introductory to advanced), public face-to-face workshops in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and customised in-house corporate training. The company sells its own published reference books, provides financial modelling consulting services, and supports customers preparing for the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI) Advanced Financial Modeler certification.

Product overview

Plum Solutions is a specialist financial modelling training and consulting company offering a portfolio of instructor-led online courses, face-to-face workshops, and professional consulting services. The core product portfolio centres on Microsoft Excel-based financial modelling education, progressing from introductory courses (Financial Modelling for Non-Financial Modellers) through intermediate (Financial Modelling in Excel) to advanced levels (Advanced Financial Modelling in Excel), supplemented by specialist topics including Dashboard Reporting in Modern Excel and Budgeting and Forecasting in Excel. The company also offers exam preparation for the FMI Advanced Financial Modeler certification, structured workshop series (Essential Excel Series), and free introductory content (7 Days of Financial Modelling). Supporting services include in-house corporate training, consulting engagements, and virtual meetup community events. Published products include the books "Using Excel for Business and Financial Modelling" and "Financial Modeling in Excel for Dummies" 2nd Edition by principal Danielle Stein Fairhurst. Courses are delivered through a student login platform and are available online, in public workshops in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, or as custom in-house sessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Modelling for Non-Financial Modellers Introductory online course teaching Excel modelling best practices for business professionals without a financial modelling background; authored and presented by Danielle Stein Fairhurst.
• Financial Modelling in Excel Intermediate online course teaching how to translate business concepts into structured financial models to identify weaknesses and predict future performance.
• Advanced Financial Modelling in Excel Advanced online course that builds on existing modelling skills to analyse financial data, predict revenues and costs, and assess risks to justify business decisions.
• FMI Level 1 - Exam Preparation Intensive two-day exam preparation course for the Level 1 Advanced Financial Modeler (AFM) certification, delivered by a Financial Modeling Institute approved training provider.
• Dashboard Reporting in Modern Excel Course teaching how to create dashboards using modern Excel features to visualize and report data effectively for finance teams.
• Budgeting and Forecasting in Excel Practical online course covering budgeting techniques, linking budgets to strategic planning, using budgets to measure staff performance, and comparing budgeting methods.
• Online Financial Modelling Bundle (with Books) Comprehensive course bundle that includes all online financial modelling courses plus companion books.
• Online Financial Modelling Bundle (without books) Comprehensive course bundle that includes all online financial modelling courses without the companion books.
• 7 Days of Financial Modelling Free 7-day mini e-course teaching Excel modelling best practices as an introductory lead-in to the firm's full curriculum.
• Financial Modelling Workshops Public face-to-face workshop training held regularly in CBD venues across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, covering financial modelling for non-financial modellers, core Financial Modelling in Excel, and Advanced Financial Modelling in Excel.
• Essential Excel Series Workshop series covering essential Excel skills for finance and business administration professionals, including Essential Excel for Finance, Essential Excel for Business Administration, and Financial Reporting for Executive Assistants.
• In-house Training Customised in-house training sessions for organisations, delivered at client premises, covering financial modelling, budgeting, Excel, and dashboard reporting topics.
• Consulting Services Financial modelling consulting services that help organisations build or improve their financial models, with engagements scoped to client needs.
• Using Excel for Business and Financial Modelling (book) Third edition book covering financial modelling essential concepts and the practicalities of performing complex analysis in Microsoft Excel; written by principal Danielle Stein Fairhurst.
• Financial Modeling in Excel for Dummies 2nd Edition (book) Comprehensive guide to creating financial models using Microsoft Excel, covering project finance, pricing, valuation, and reporting; published by Wiley's 'For Dummies' series and written by Danielle Stein Fairhurst.
• Level 1 FMI Exam Prep Mock Exam Standalone mock exam product for candidates preparing for the FMI Level 1 Advanced Financial Modeler certification.

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Forvis MazarsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Ben Kwan, Partner at Forvis Mazars, collaborates with Plum Solutions as a presenter at virtual meetups, demonstrating self-checking tips and techniques for financial model review.
• CPA Australia (Sydney Financial Modelling Discussion Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Plum Solutions co-hosts hybrid meetup events with the CPA Sydney Financial Modelling Discussion Group, including events on climate-related models for decision-making.
• Alison PollecuttminorOthersExcel specialist Alison Pollecutt presents at Plum Solutions virtual meetups on topics including error detection in spreadsheet models.
• Matthew CostellominorOthersMatthew Costello, described as investor, advisor and corporate finance specialist, presents on practical applications of AI in financial modelling and analysis at Plum Solutions meetups.
• Miranda SiuminorOthersMiranda Siu, sustainability specialist, presents on climate-related models and decision-making at Plum Solutions events hosted with CPA Australia.
• James BuistminorOthersFinancial modeller James Buist presents at Plum Solutions meetups on Dynamic Arrays techniques for financial modellers.
• Laura SzepesiminorOthersMicrosoft MVP and charting specialist Laura Szepesi presents at Plum Solutions meetups on finance charts and data visualisation techniques.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Corporate Finance Institute (CFI): A leading global provider of online financial modelling, valuation, and finance certification training. Highly comparable to Plum's online course and certification-prep offering, though operating at much greater scale and with broader topic coverage.
• Wall Street Prep: Specialist in financial modelling and corporate finance training, offering self-paced courses, certification prep, and corporate in-house programs — directly overlapping Plum's training portfolio and target audience of finance professionals.
• Breaking Into Wall Street (BIWS): Financial modelling and valuation training provider focused on Excel-based modelling for investment banking and finance candidates — closely mirrors Plum's Excel-centric, finance-professional orientation.
• Macabacus: Provider of Excel-based financial modelling add-ins, templates, and training for finance professionals. Closely comparable to Plum in its Excel-financial-modelling niche and finance-professional audience.

Emerging players

• Chandoo: Excel training community and course platform with a strong blog and online courses for business professionals. Comparable to Plum's freemium online content model and Excel-skills focus, though less finance-specific.
• Excel Campus (Jon Acampora): Specialist Excel training site offering courses, add-ins, and tutorials focused on data analysis and dashboarding. Overlaps with Plum's dashboard-reporting and Modern Excel content area.

Broad incumbents

• Financial Modeling Institute (FMI): Issues the Advanced Financial Modeler (AFM) certification that Plum's exam-prep course prepares candidates for. Comparable as a credentialing anchor in the financial modelling training ecosystem Plum operates in.
• Udemy: Mass-market online learning marketplace hosting many competing financial modelling and Excel courses. Comparable as a distribution and pricing alternative Plum's self-paced courses compete against for the same learner audience.
• Coursera: Large-scale online education platform offering finance and Excel courses from universities and companies. Comparable as a broader incumbent competing for the same business-professional learner segment Plum targets.
• Skillsoft / Pluralsight (finance tracks): Enterprise-focused technology and business skills learning platforms that include finance and Excel content for corporate L&D buyers. Comparable to Plum's in-house corporate training value proposition at larger enterprise scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/dsteinfairhurst
• Facebookfacebook.com/financialmodelling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/1724487/profile

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plum Solutions