Christian Ruf is a Partner at Uncommon Elite, a firm dedicated to helping military veterans transition into business ownership through entrepreneurship through acquisition. Christian combines the leadership discipline of military service with deep knowledge of the self-funded search model, making him a compelling voice at the intersection of operator mindset and acquisition strategy.

At SMBash 2026, Christian joins Jon Matzner to lead a session on one of the most underrated skills in the SMB acquisition playbook: building meaningful relationships. Christian covers how to cultivate the network of advisors, mentors, capital partners, and peers that separates successful operators from isolated ones — and the specific habits and approaches that make relationship-building sustainable over a long ETA career.