Christopher H. Volk - The Value Equation: A Business Guide to Wealth Creation for Entrepreneurs, Leaders & Investors

Additional Praise for
The Value Equation: A Business Guide to Wealth Creation for Entrepreneurs, Leaders & Investors

We're living through a historic boom in entrepreneurship. People are starting businesses at record rates. Fortunately, Chris Volk has written us all a manual for success.

Joshua Brown, CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, star of CNBC's The Halftime Report

Few people can rival Chris Volk's nuanced understanding of markets and business or match his record of success and commitment to evidence-based research. The Value Equation is comprehensive and comprehensible. Every page is grounded in practice, deep reflection, and market-tested experience. Chris achieves a lot; he has integrated modern corporate finance with in-the-trenches practice, and he does so in ways that are creative and illuminating. Buy this book!

Randall Zisler, Ph.D., Chairman at Zisler Capital Associates, LLC, presenting Outsourced Research

As a serial entrepreneur, I found The Value Equation offers unique insight into the process of how businesses are both created and valued. Chris leverages his years of experience and success in building three of his own businesses to provide a clear and common-sense approach to how wealth is generated. This is a must-read for every business leader.

Kevin Shields , Chairman and CEO, Griffin Capital Company, LLC

Chris Volk's book, The Value Equation, demystifies how wealth creation occurs in the marketplace for investors. Chapter-by-chapter he explains the intricacies of identifying and capitalizing on opportunities to build wealth. I must say my favorite chapter is the V-Formula; it is rare to see such a detailed modeling breakdown of the elements you need to consider as you create equity, borrow money, and disperse equity to would-be investors. This book is a must read.

Alex M. Susskind , Ph.D., Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor, Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration, SC Johnson College of Business, CORNELL UNIVERSITY

I recommend The Value Equation for all investors, as the author, Chris Volk, provides readers with all of the ingredients for a successful and profitable business. His expertise in credit and financial underwriting is a key differentiator that makes this author outstanding in his field. As a shareholder in STORE Capital, I have followed Volk's journey for over a decade, and I can't wait to see what's in store for him now. I have a feeling it will have something to do with creating wealth via the value equation. Well done Mr. Volk!

Brad Thomas, CEO of Wide Moat Research

by
Christopher H. Volk

Copyright 2022 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Names: Volk, Christopher H., author.

Title: The value equation : a business guide to wealth creation for entrepreneurs, leaders & investors / Christopher H. Volk.

Description: Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, [2022] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022002736 (print) | LCCN 2022002737 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119875642 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119875666 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119875659 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: CorporationsValuation. | Business planning. | Wealth.

Classification: LCC HG4028.V3 V64 2022 (print) | LCC HG4028.V3 (ebook) | DDC 658.15dc23/eng/20220301

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022002736

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022002737

Cover Design and Image: Classic Sky LLC

For my wife,

the love of my life,

who makes so much possible.

I did not initially set out to be an entrepreneur. I graduated from college in the middle of a major economic recession with a mediocre grade point average, having avoided taking a single business class. It was then that something fortunate happened to me that would guide my future choices: My applications for employment were declined by more than 300 companies.

Getting rejected by so many businesses was an accomplishment in 1979. Each letter I sent went by regular mail and was hand typed. So were the replies. For years, I kept the rejection letters as a reminder of the privilege of employment. Those letters also provided me with added motivation to succeed. With my mounting rejections, I would likely have taken any reasonable offer of employment at just about any location. Fortunately, the rejections deprived me of that opportunity and gave me time to think.

I committed to a course of action, narrowing my focus. I decided to convince a commercial bank to hire me. The idea was to maintain my career options while finding a job that would give me valuable knowledge about business and finance. I also attended night school, eventually earning an MBA. My brief banking career led me to finance and eventually to the opportunity to take three companies public on the New York Stock Exchange, two of which I co-founded. All the while, I have been a student and observer of business.