Liisa Atva

Liisa is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator with more than 25 years’ experience analyzing and advising businesses of all sizes. She is also the author of The Ask: How Much is a Small Business Worth?

Although many of her years as a CPA, CA, and CBV involved big business, she has a soft spot for the small. When she was a teenager, it was the owner of an auto body shop that first sparked her interest in a business career. Now her focus is helping to educate small business owners and entrepreneurs on how to value their businesses.

Liisa has a BBA from Simon Fraser University and joined with Price Waterhouse Coopers as a co-op accounting student. After obtaining her accounting designation, she specialized in business valuations and has appeared as an expert witness in court proceedings on matrimonial and shareholder disputes. In addition to her Canadian experience she has lived and worked in Bermuda, Australia and the U.S.

She has also served as CFO for companies in the manufacturing, software, mutual fund and venture capital industries. Subsequently, she spent nine years on the deal team of an investment bank putting together structured finance transactions, until the events of 2008 forced the bank out of business. Since then, she has taught at SFU Beedie School of Business, re-written an online course for UBC Sauder School of Business, and mentored several business students and owners.