Our Story

I grew up in a family business, one my father and grandfather built and ran for over 30 years before eventually selling it. I witnessed firsthand the emotional weight that comes with selling something you've poured your life into: the uncertainty of what comes next, the stress of protecting your legacy, and the deep responsibility to the employees who helped build it. That experience shaped my understanding of what it truly means to sell a business, and inspired my career in private equity.

Over the years, I've acquired, invested in, and helped grow dozens of small businesses across industries including home services, retail, restaurants, life safety, industrial services, distribution, manufacturing, and aerospace and defense, representing over $100 million in total transaction value. Along the way, I've personally valued more than 75 businesses across these industries, sitting on the buyer's side of the table.

That perspective is exactly what's missing from most business valuations. Too many brokers and valuation firms hand owners an inflated number to win the engagement, promising a figure they know a real buyer will never pay. It works until it doesn't: the owner builds their plans, their timeline, even their retirement, around that number, only to find out during a sale process that the market disagrees. By then, the damage is done: wasted time, lost leverage, and a valuation gap that's painful to close

Valuation is part science, part art. The formulas and multiples are the easy part; anyone can run a spreadsheet. What's harder, and what most brokers get wrong, is the nuance: how a sophisticated acquirer actually underwrites a deal, which risks they price in and which they walk away from, and where the real, defensible value in a business sits versus where an owner simply wishes it did. Buyers don't value a business "by the book," and a valuation that pretends otherwise isn't doing you any favors.

At Rohde & Co., we value businesses the way buyers do, because we've been the buyer. We know what acquirers look for, what they like, and what makes them walk. That means you get a number you can actually rely on, not one built to make you feel good today and disappointed later.

Too many small business owners are misled, underserved, and left without the support they were promised. With Rohde & Co. by your side, that won’t happen. We’re here to give you a clear-eyed, honest picture of what your business is worth, so when the time comes to sell, there are no surprises.

Thank you for trusting Rohde & Co. I look forward to working with you.

Best Regards,