FAQ

About the Course

What’s in It for Me?

The “Dude” Difference

Course History & Credibility

What is “Dude, Where’s My Profit?”

It’s a course designed for entrepreneurs like you who need to learn and understand accounting basics. It uses a unique, big-picture learning approach that enables you to easily see how the numbers flow through your business into the financial statements.

How long is it going to take me to go through the course?

It depends on the depth of interest you have in learning accounting and your current knowledge of it. If you completed the whole course, the average time is 8 – 12 hours. However, many elect to view just the CD, which provides the big picture of accounting and how this approach works. The CD can be completed in under an hour.

Can I do part of the course and get it as fully?

Completing part of the course will provide an overall understanding of accounting. However, to understand the details of accounting as they pertain to you, it is advisable to complete it. Since the course is based on the big picture, there are logical stopping places since you will complete 14 separate cycles of accounting transactions in the course. Naturally, each cycle introduces new material.

How long has this been around?

The concept was developed in the early 80’s. It has gone through constant improvement since then. New improvements were incorporated into the next edition. It is currently in its 12 edition.

Why don’t more people know about this?

When you treat a business like a hobby, it succeeds like one. When you treat a business like a business, it also succeeds like one. Until now, Dr. Pedersen has been teaching full-time, and hasn’t had the opportunity to invest my time and energy into getting this out there to those who need it. He’s semi-retired now, and hopefully lots more people will know about it, soon.

What are the technical requirements to use this course?

The CD will work on both an Apple or PC.

What is the cost?

$149.00 + tax and shipping, but right now we are running a special introductory offer of only $99 + tax and shipping.

Is there a discount available to previous students for when the next product comes out?

Yes – details will be disclosed when we release the next product.

Do I have to renew the usage license?

No, once you purchase a license, you own the license to the product you bought. This does not apply to product updates and new releases/editions.

Do you have bulk discounts available for multiple users?

Absolutely. Please contact Dr. Pedersen for details. (link to quantity discounts)

Is there an advanced course available to me, once I’ve completed this course?

Not at this time, though one is currently in development, focusing in on the next logical step: cash flow.

Who is it for?

It is especially designed for entrepreneurs, but ideal for anyone needing a quick and permanent understanding of the numbers-keeping process for business. It provides a whole new perspective on the financial statements, those all-important decision making tools.

I’ve been doing my own accounting for years now – how can this help me?

It depends on your level and understanding of accounting. This course is designed to solidify your basic knowledge of accounting. However, entrepreneurs that work with their own accounting can benefit from this course because they will be able to see the big picture of the financial side of their businesses, which will provide a new level of understanding of their financial statements.

What is an “ah ha” moment?

Also known as “eureka,” the “ah ha” moment is when entrepreneurs like yourself understand how accounting works and what the financial statements really mean to your business. It’s the point when accounting finally makes sense.

How can it help me?

Understanding what the financial statements really show about your business is truly invaluable. Your new-found control of the finances makes it possible to make decisions, confident that these decisions are in your best interest. It will provide you with a whole new level of understanding of the financial side of your business, an ability to see your accounting in action, and improved communications with your accountant.

I own my own business and I’m very busy – how can I be expected to have the time for this?

Completing the program will only take a few hours of your time. This is a small price to pay to gain a new perspective on your finances, perhaps the most important aspect of your business success – especially in the current economy!

Can more than entrepreneurs learn from this course?

Certainly. Anyone needing a clear, concise understanding of accounting basics will find tremendous value in the course. This includes financial managers, college students taking Financial Accounting I, sales people, organizations that help entrepreneurs such as CWE (Center for Women in Enterprise), non business students entering MBA programs. And the list continues. It is broadly universal information for anyone dealing with the numbers.

Can I use this for college credit?

Not by itself, yet. I incorporate the course into the college courses I teach and contact time is approximately equivalent to one credit. If you’d like to see this incorporated into your curriculum, speak to your professor about the course and have him/her look into it.

What if I don’t learn anything? What if I hate it? What do I do if I want my money back?

Please return the materials you received and 100% of your money will be refunded (an adjustment on your credit card). See our full guarantee terms here.

How is “fully satisfied” defined?

That is up to you since “satisfied” is very subjective.

How is this course different than everything else?

Your learning is based on a big picture method, which enables you to visualize how your financial decisions affect your financial statements. This highly researched and classroom tested method is unique to this course. It is designed for how you learn best and you will not find it any other accounting course.

How does the traditional method of teaching differ from what Dr. Pedersen developed?

The traditional method focuses on detail, detail, detail. Most students are not able to pull the detail together to create an understandable whole. To them, it’s like completing a complex puzzle with out the picture to go by. The method used in the “Dude! Where’s My Profit?” course reverses how accounting is learned. It starts with the big picture of accounting basics. It is named the Pedersen Matrix™. Detail then is learned in the context of this Matrix, which enables students to visualize how this detail fits into the big picture.

What kind of support is available to me if I have any questions?

I intend to set up a support aspect to this web site. You will be able to get your questions answered directly. For the present, the blog is a great feature that should be taken advantage of.

Is Dr. Pedersen available if I get stuck?

Yes, once we get the web site support section set up. In the meantime, you can contact him here or
through the blog.

What happens if I hit a brick wall?

This will not happen. The material is prepared simply and logically and relies on a building block style for advancing. That is, material is introduced based on easy concepts learned previously.

What are some potential obstacles I may encounter?

None that we know of. The material is designed with no assumption of previous accounting knowledge.

What makes this course credible?

The extensive research and classroom testing. A study of the course was the subject for Dr. Pedersen’s doctoral dissertation. It was developed over the 300 college courses he taught in Financial Accounting I.

What have other people said about this?

Please see our testimonials page!

What kind of research has been done?

The course has been extensively researched both in classroom experimentation and through academic testing. It was the subject for Dr. Pedersen’s doctoral dissertation (Ed. D. 1992). He researched two groups of students – one taught accounting basics using the traditional approach (control group); the other taught using the big-picture approach (experimental group). The experimental groups’ knowledge of accounting basics was significantly greater than the control groups. And as an added benefit, the experimental group found the learning process quite enjoyable as well.

Visualization is said to be an important part of the learning process in this course. What does this mean?

Without getting too technical, the brain has two major lobes for processing information, the left and right. The left brain processes words, math, and logic, for example. The right brain processes pictures, relationships, feelings, and color for example. Typically, accounting is taught relying mostly on the left brain. The left brain is also where short term memory resides. So, by designing a course that has the big picture at its core brings the right brain into the learning process. The right brain is where your long term memory resides. To prove it, visualize your house when you were a kid. Most will immediately get a picture from many years ago.

Does this mean the left brain is not involved in the learning process?

No, because accounting still has words, math and logic. But by adding pictures, relationships, and color, the right brain becomes a strong component in the learning process. Actually, true learning is most efficient when both sides of the brain are involved. That’s where “Dude! Where’s My Profit?” excels over other learning methods.

Who is Dr. Pedersen?

The dude who designed and developed the program – click here to read about him.

Why did he develop this?

As a college teacher of accounting, he truly wanted his students to master accounting basics, since it is an extremely important foundation for future accounting and business courses. He became very frustrated because the traditional method of teaching just wasn’t working. Prior to the development of the “Dude! Where’s My Profit?” course, few students completed their basic accounting courses with a clear understanding of what accounting was all about.

Entrepreneur Fact