As vice president of finance for Blue Street Capital, Cole Farmer’s main responsibility is overseeing internal accounting, budgeting/forecasting, portfolio management and financial analytics of the Huntington Beach, CA-based independent finance company.

In his three and a half years at Blue Street Capital, Farmer has been involved in all operational aspects of the company, including credit, documentation and funding. Working end to end on transactions has given him the opportunity to interact directly with end users, vendors and funding partners. By developing these relationships, Farmer can provide different insights on ways to fulfill Blue Street Capital’s mission, which is to provide massive value to each and every company and person with which the firms works.

As a leader, Farmer challenges everyone to have a “break the mold” mindset. He believes the most dangerous phrase in business is “that’s how it’s always been done.” Farmer believes that constructively questioning policies and processes helps to breed innovation, which leads to the ability to add more value to clients and partners.

“I love working in equipment finance because it [lets] me take part in the inner workings of not only my own company but also numerous companies across a wide variety of industries,” Farmer says. “Serving as vice president of finance provides constant growth and learning opportunities, which I can use to pass on to all of the other team members at Blue Street Capital.”