Desirae Rhodes

As a Business Advisor with Brilvont Business Brokers & Exit Advisory, I bring more than 15 years of business ownership, management, leadership, and entrepreneurial experience to every client relationship. My professional background spans multiple industries, including broadcasting, media, insurance, education, travel, and finance, giving me a broad perspective on what it takes to build, operate, manage, grow, and ultimately transition a business. I believe that experience matters in business brokerage. Selling a business is very different from selling almost any other asset. A privately held business represents more than equipment, inventory, revenue, and earnings. It may represent decades of hard work, financial investment, personal sacrifice, customer relationships, employees, family involvement, and an owner's reputation in the community. Having been a business owner and manager myself, I understand that reality. I know what it is like to make decisions when the outcome is not guaranteed, manage employees and customers, control expenses, generate revenue, market a company, solve unexpected problems, and remain responsible for the overall success of an organization. Business owners often spend years—or decades—building their companies. During that time, they become experts at serving customers, managing employees, solving problems, and operating their businesses. What many owners do not have experience doing is selling the company they built. For most entrepreneurs, selling a business is a once-in-a-lifetime transaction. That makes professional guidance especially important. When I meet with a business owner, my first objective is to understand the owner and the business. Why are they considering a sale? What are they hoping to accomplish? What makes the company successful? What challenges does it face? How involved is the owner in daily operations? What would a successful transition look like? Those questions matter because no two businesses—and no two business owners—are exactly alike. One of the most valuable lessons in exit planning is that the best time to prepare a business for sale is often before the owner needs to sell it. An owner who begins planning early generally has more options. Preparing for a future sale may involve reviewing financial records, identifying potential weaknesses, strengthening management systems, documenting processes, reducing unnecessary owner dependence, evaluating customer concentration, improving financial presentation, or identifying opportunities to increase transferable value. Not every business requires years of preparation, but every owner can benefit from understanding how a prospective buyer is likely to view the company. At Brilvont Business Brokers & Exit Advisory, our role extends beyond simply listing businesses for sale. We help owners better understand their businesses from the perspective of the marketplace and prepare for the transition ahead. Sometimes that transition is immediate - sometimes it may be several years away. Either way, understanding the potential value of the business and the factors that influence that value can help an owner make better decisions today. One of the first questions a business owner naturally asks is: “What is my business worth?” There is rarely a simple answer. Business value can be influenced by profitability, discretionary earnings, cash flow, assets, industry conditions, growth trends, recurring revenue, customer concentration, owner involvement, management structure, competitive advantages, location, financing availability, buyer demand, and numerous other factors. The quality of the company's financial records can also have a significant impact on the transaction. Financial performance is critical, but buyers are purchasing an operating business—not simply a spreadsheet. They are also evaluating risk. A company with strong earnings but extreme dependence on the current owner may be viewed differently from a business with established management and documented systems. A company with growing revenue but one customer representing a large percentage of sales may create concerns about concentration. A business with recurring revenue, strong employees, transferable processes, and limited owner dependence may be particularly attractive to buyers. Understanding these factors helps us evaluate how a company may be perceived in the marketplace and how it should be positioned for potential buyers. Confidentiality is one of the most important elements of selling a privately held business. Employees, customers, vendors, competitors, and others may not need to know that a business is being offered for sale. Premature disclosure can create unnecessary uncertainty and potentially affect normal operations. For that reason, the sale of a business should be handled carefully and professionally. The brokerage process may include confidential marketing, buyer screening, confidentiality agreements, controlled release of information, financial qualification, meetings with ownership, negotiations, due diligence, financing, and coordination with attorneys, accountants, lenders, landlords, and other professionals. The goal is not simply to generate inquiries. The goal is to identify qualified buyers with a legitimate interest and the ability to complete a transaction. My role also includes working with individuals and organizations interested in acquiring businesses. Buyers come from many different backgrounds. A buyer needs to understand more than the asking price. How does the business generate revenue? What are its primary expenses? How dependent is it on the current owner? What employees are critical? Where do customers come from? What competitive advantages exist? What risks should be considered? What opportunities exist for growth? Most importantly, is the business a good fit for that particular buyer? A successful transaction should create a realistic opportunity for the buyer while providing the seller with an appropriate transition from the business. Business transactions can become complicated. Sellers, buyers, accountants, attorneys, lenders, landlords, franchisors, licensing agencies, and other professionals may become involved before a transaction reaches closing. Clear communication can make a significant difference. I believe clients deserve to understand where they are in the process, what is happening next, and what may be required from them. My experience as a teacher has been particularly useful in this regard. Good teaching is not about making information sound complicated. It is about taking something complicated and making it understandable. I apply that same philosophy to business brokerage. I want clients to understand the process so they can make informed decisions. Business brokerage is ultimately a relationship business. Numbers matter. Valuation matters. Deal structure matters. But behind every transaction are people. A seller may be walking away from something that has defined a large portion of his or her professional life. A buyer may be investing savings and taking on the responsibility of business ownership for the first time. Employees may be wondering about their futures. Families may be depending on the decisions being made. Those realities deserve respect. My approach begins by listening. Before determining how to market a company or structure a transaction, I want to understand what the client is trying to accomplish. From there, we can develop a strategy based on the business, the marketplace, and the owner's objectives. I believe clients benefit most from straightforward communication and realistic expectations. My responsibility is not to tell someone what they want to hear simply to obtain a listing or move a transaction forward. It is to provide useful information, professional guidance, and a practical perspective that helps the client make informed decisions. I understand that choosing a business broker is an important decision. You are trusting someone with confidential information about an asset you may have spent much of your professional life building. That responsibility is something I take seriously! Whether you are preparing to sell now, considering an exit several years down the road, wondering what your business may be worth, or looking for the right company to acquire, I welcome the opportunity to have a conversation. You do not have to be ready to sell to begin planning. Sometimes the most valuable first step is simply understanding where you are today, where you want to go, and what needs to happen between the two. At Brilvont Business Brokers & Exit Advisory, my goal is to help business owners and buyers navigate those decisions with professionalism, confidentiality, practical experience, and clear communication. Because selling or buying a business is not simply another transaction. For many people, it is the transition from one chapter of their lives to the next—and that deserves to be handled with care.

I grew up in an entrepreneurial family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where hard work and building something of your own weren't just values — they were the family business, in every sense of the word. That upbringing shaped everything about how I approach business today. Over the past 10 years, I've owned and operated businesses across real estate investment, the automotive industry, construction, and service-based companies. I've felt the late nights, the cash flow crunches, the pride of a job well done, and the weight of knowing your team depends on you. That range of experience means I don't just understand your industry in theory — chances are I've lived something close to it myself. For the past 8 years, I've shifted that hands-on experience into advising other owners, and I've spent over 15 years honing my skills in sales and negotiation. Eventually, I followed my parents' dream and became a Florida resident myself, bringing my Midwest work ethic south with me. Today, I bring all of it together — the owner's instincts, the advisor's judgment, and the negotiator's discipline — to help business owners like you navigate one of the biggest decisions of your life: selling what you've built. I don't see your business as a listing. I see it as a legacy, and I treat it that way from the first conversation to closing day.

I’m a driven, results-oriented business advisor with a strong background in sales, communication, and client relationships. I believe successful business decisions start with understanding the person behind the opportunity — their goals, priorities, and long-term vision. I’m highly communicative, detail-oriented, and committed to making the process as clear and straightforward as possible. Whether you’re buying, selling, or exploring your next investment, I’m here to ask the right questions, identify opportunities, and make sure no important detail is overlooked. My approach is simple: listen, communicate, work hard, and deliver results. I take pride in building genuine relationships and being someone my clients can rely on from the first conversation through the final deal. My goal is not simply to facilitate a transaction — it’s to help my clients make smart, informed decisions that move them closer to where they want to be.