How Kris Rohman Helps Entrepreneurs Escape the Chaos and Scale Smoothly

From corporate uncertainty to entrepreneurial clarity, Kris Rohman’s journey is a testament to resilience and focus. As the founder of ROH Consulting, Kris helps service-based businesses break through operational chaos to achieve sustainable growth. In this edition of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight series, Kris shares how a moment of professional rejection led to reclaiming his future by building a consultancy that empowers overwhelmed founders to streamline, scale, and succeed. His story illustrates that betting on yourself—and simplifying the complex—can lead to transformative results.

Hi, Kris! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

ROH Consulting is an operations and growth consultancy for small businesses that have hit a ceiling and need help getting to the next level. I work with founders who are juggling too much, often doing the work and running the business, and I help them untangle the mess. That might mean streamlining internal systems, restructuring teams, cleaning up financial visibility, or just getting everyone aligned on what matters most.

Most of my clients are service-based businesses, often in industries like real estate, travel, healthcare, or marketing. The common thread is they’re great at what they do and need help scaling it. The impact is real. Less chaos, better margins, a clearer direction, and a business that runs more smoothly without burning everyone out.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

It was the moment my website went live. Up until then, I was doing the work, but it still felt temporary, like I was in between things. Seeing my brand out in the world, fully mine, made it real. It wasn’t just freelancing or consulting anymore. I had a name, a direction, and something I was building. That shift made me feel like I wasn’t just trying to be an entrepreneur. I was one.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

For me, it clicked after two major setbacks. First, the company I worked for got acquired, and there wasn’t a place for me at the new one. Then I went through nine rounds of interviews at Apple, with a steady stream of “just one more week,” until it all went quiet. That was the moment I decided I was done waiting for someone else to decide my future. I chose to take control, back myself, and build something on my own terms. That shift, from relying on others to relying on myself, is what made me an entrepreneur.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

I’m a simple man. The game changers for me were syncing all my calendars and using a calendar link to schedule meetings. That alone saved me hours of back and forth every week. No more “what time works for you” emails. Just click, book, done. It’s not fancy, but it makes everything run smoother.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

I’ve had a lot of pivots, but the biggest shift happened when I finally decided to break through. I spent most of my career in advertising, and truthfully, I didn’t like it. I was always trying to move out of agency life and go client-side, but it never quite clicked. Then the company I worked for got acquired, and I was the odd one out. Months passed with no interviews, no real leads, and a lot of doubt. That stretch of uncertainty forced me to stop waiting for the next job and start building something of my own. That decision, to bet on myself, changed everything.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

I stopped using presentation decks. After 20 years in advertising, every idea had to come with a deck, and I’m good at them. But I realized I was spending hours obsessing over slides and perfecting pixels when a simple Google Doc or Sheet could get the job done faster and just as clearly. Letting go of that “it has to look perfect” mindset saved me time, cut through the noise, and let the ideas speak for themselves. It’s not flashy, but it works.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

I wish I knew how simple it really is to start. Yes, you need a solid idea or product and a way to sell it, but you don’t need perfect tools, a fancy setup, or all the answers upfront. I started my company with a borrowed laptop that overheated constantly. That’s all I had, and it was enough. The real value was in what I already knew and how I used it. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just start.

Want to dive deeper into Kris' work? Learn more in the links below:

• Visit ROH Consulting's website roh-consulting.com
• Connect with Kris on LinkedIn: Kris Rohman