099: A Career in Business Valuation – Grant Farrell

We get the opportunity to speak with Grant Farrell, ASA, CPA/ABV, CFF, regarding his career progression and how he got into the field of business valuations on this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of www.WhereAccountantsGo.com.

The Career Funnel

One of the interesting points Grant makes in the early discussion is how being an accounting major in college places you into a “funnel” that assures you excellent career opportunities if you simply take advantage of them. He actually started off in college to be a professional golfer, but then experienced some internal tension regarding his long-term plans, and then later an injury forced the decision that he was not going to be able to pursue professional golf anyway.  It was at this point that he decided to take steps to ensure his long-term career stability – and that step was to major in accounting.

Business Valuation Path

As we get further into the interview, Grant discusses how he was able to get into the business valuation specialty. It all started with a position with KPMG in audit in the subgroup of “transaction services”.  This early experience positioned him to learn a great deal about business valuation, and launched his career along that trajectory.  He then spent the next decade-plus working in that specialty field.

Learning Never Stops

While college prepares us well for many facets of our accounting careers, it can’t possibly prepare you for everything. As it turns out, there are many so-called soft skills that are necessary in the business valuation space as well.  When asked about this, Grant basically said that you just have to decide that you will never stop learning.  There is always more to learn as you get deeper into the field.  On the topic of developing soft skills in particular, Grant mentioned one book in particular that individuals should consider – “How To Win Friends and Influence People”. 

Make sure to see the link for more details on this well-known book - https://amzn.to/2D0Q3iq

To listen in on the interview, click on the player below...