Christopher H. Volk

The ultimate guide to running a successful business, by Christopher H. Volk

The Value Equation: A Business Guide to Wealth Creation for Entrepreneurs, Leaders and Investors, by Christopher H. Volk, financial writer, investor, serial entrepreneur, CEO, university lecturer and visiting professor at Cornell University. This is a comprehensive financial handbook about how to create wealth within business, and how to value a business. Volk explains how to drive business performance and maximize equity market value through six key variables: 1) sales, 2) business investment, 3) operating profit margin, 4) amount of other people’s money used (“OPM”), 5) the cost of OPM, and 6) the annual maintenance capital expense. Volk explains each variable in considerable detail and uses a simple restaurant business model as a case study example throughout. In addition, he uses many real-life business illustrations, including STORE Capital, the most recent publicly traded company he co-founded. He shares examples from global, multimillion dollar businesses, such as Google, and the hip-hop clothing brand, FUBU. Volk also shares his own personal experiences of finance, his role setting up and running numerous companies, and his experience of floating three companies on the New York Stock Exchange. Volk explains complex financial models, terms and concepts in a simple, straightforward and engaging way, that non-financial experts will easily understand. He uses images and visual illustrations throughout the book, to help guide those that might be less familiar with financial models.

This book is a must read for business and economics students, and anyone interested in business, from investors, entrepreneurs and small business owners, to business leaders and CEO’s of big corporations. It will particularly appeal to those who are considering setting up a new business, those investing in a business, and those making important financial decisions about a business.

Overall, this is an informative and insightful handbook, written by a credible and trusted author who is clearly an expert in this field. Through a simple but comprehensive framework, this book will help entrepreneurs and business leaders understand how to create and value wealth in business, and will help improve personal wealth opportunities.

Star rating: 5 Stars

Summary: An informative and insightful handbook about how to create wealth in business. A must read for business and economics students, and anyone interested in business.