MILCOM Founders Podcast - Episode 36: Josh Himan, Marine Veteran Helping Business Owners Know What Their Companies Are Worth

Show Notes

Join host Rod Loges and guest Joshua Himan as he shares his journey from Northern Virginia athlete to Marine Corps machine gunner to founding two businesses that help people regain independence and understand the true value of what they've built.

In this episode:

• Josh's path from growing up in an athletic family near Quantico to enlisting in the Marine Corps at the height of the Iraq War after a chance encounter with a Marine Corps General
• His decision to go infantry and become a 0331 Machine Gunner because he wanted to be "all in"
• Deploying to Afghanistan as part of Operation Strike of the Sword, the largest Marine offensive since the Battle of Fallujah, and being one of the first units on the ground for the surge
• The IED strike on September 29, 2009 that left him paralyzed from the chest down during the last month of deployment
• How a Marine Colonel's hospital visit changed his entire outlook: "You can still do business. These are not going to be taken away from you."
• Co-founding the Driving Rehabilitation Center of Excellence (DRCE) with Tammy Phipps, who had helped 400 combat-injured service members get back to driving at Walter Reed
• Why he became obsessed with business valuation after trying to acquire small businesses and realizing nobody could properly explain the numbers
• Building Business Valuation Advisors into a firm that values 100+ private companies per year

Key takeaways:

• Get an independent, unbiased valuation of your business. Brokers and others who are incentivized differently may not give you the full picture.
• Formatting your financial statements properly is about as close to a free lunch as you'll get. It's low-hanging fruit that can add enormous value to your company.
• Each business is unique. Two owners in the same industry with the same revenue can have very different valuations based on owner involvement, operations, and risk.
• The most precious thing is time. When evaluating any business opportunity, weigh the economics against how much of your time it will take.
• Good trees produce good fruit. The businesses rooted in the right purpose, where the client comes first, are the ones that succeed long-term.
• Integrity is the pillar. In small business, trust and integrity are everything.

Guest: Joshua Himan, MSF, MSAE, CVA, CBA, CMEA, FMVA, CTA, ASBC, PGE - Founder and Principal of Business Valuation Advisors, Inc., U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

• Business Website: valuationadvisor.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuahiman/

Joshua Himan is a Business Valuation Expert, Transaction Advisor, and Chief Financial Officer with over 15 years of experience advising private lower-middle market business owners, private equity firms, and acquisition entrepreneurs. He specializes in business valuation, transaction advisory, financial modeling, and value creation strategy.

Josh earned his B.B.A. in Finance from Radford University (Dean's List), followed by a Master of Science in Finance from George Washington University and a Master of Science in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He also holds advanced certificates in Real Estate Finance & Investments (NYU) and Forecasting in Organizations (Johns Hopkins).

After beginning his career in business, Josh felt called to serve his country and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in January 2008. He trained at Parris Island and completed Infantry School as a 0331 Machine Gunner. In May 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Strike of the Sword — the largest Marine offensive since the Battle of Fallujah and the largest airlift of Marines since the Vietnam War. His unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation during Operation Enduring Freedom.

On September 29, 2009, the Humvee Josh was riding in struck an improvised explosive device (IED), resulting in multiple spinal cord injuries that left him paralyzed from the chest down. For his service and sacrifice, he was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal, and Presidential Unit Citation.

Prior to founding Business Valuation Advisors Inc., Josh was the Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Driving Rehabilitation Center of Excellence (DRCE), a specialized healthcare organization focused on restoring mobility and independence for individuals with medical and neurological challenges. Today, DRCE has helped thousands of people with disabilities return to driving and get their independence back.

Today, Josh is the Founder and Principal of Business Valuation Advisors, Inc., a boutique valuation and transaction advisory firm serving lower middle-market business owners, private equity groups, attorneys, and institutional clients nationwide. Through BVA, he provides certified business valuations, quality of earnings analysis, transaction advisory, and strategic value enhancement consulting across a broad range of industries.

Looking ahead: Josh is building software tools powered by AI to bring his valuation expertise to a broader market, training analysts around the world, and continuing to grow BVA as a firm that helps business owners understand what their companies are truly worth.

The MILCOM Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from successful veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Learn about the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund at https://www.milcomfounders.com/