Cary Potter, Founder and Chief Valuation Officer
For over twenty years, I have examined the drivers of value for the assets, liabilities, equities, and complex securities of development stage companies, acquisitive multi-national public conglomerates, and the global holdings of private equity firms. Through the valuation lens, I experienced the dotcom era, the exuberance of the early 2000s, the financial crisis that begun in 2007, and the recent rapid growth of the global financial markets.
Accountant I began my professional life as an accountant with the primary task of reconciling a $7.0 billion balance sheet to the penny. I quickly came to appreciate the interrelationship between balance sheets and income and cash flow statements and the gift of materiality. This appreciation became the foundation of my education as I move to consulting services, calculating the influence on value from these inputs.
Valuation Consultant Valuation projects were primarily for tax purposes during the first decade of my career with heavy influences from tax court cases and intricate tax structures. The pendulum swung in the early 2000s to financial reporting around the time I began at KPMG (one of the “Big Four” global accounting and consulting firms). The valuation practice was a subgroup of KPMG’s tax practice and included transfer pricing. Projects included financial reporting and audit review procedures on valuations prepared for audit clients. As my skill set expanded from the combination of experiences (accountant then financial analyst) and the two practice groups (valuation and transfer pricing), more complex projects were assigned including due diligence and transaction support, global tax structuring, and requests from international offices looking for guidance on differences between international and US regulations related to valuation.
Founder For much of my career, my role has included developing relationships, building teams to exceed client expectations, and asking questions about the relationship between value and cash flows, growth, and risks. Over the years, I worked in the fun of a high growth start up, the muck of a dying industry giant, and the venti expresso pace of a global consulting firm. These experiences led me to start Deal Valuation with the proposition that value should be based on documented drivers and assumptions, and the support and sensitivities of each should be accessible to founders, investors, board members, management, audit teams, and others. Please contact me and let me know how my experiences and resources can be of value. Thank you for your time and consideration.