Enterprenuer
Josh Haynam is the CEO and co-founder of Interact quiz maker.
He is a lifelong entrepreneur. He started his first company when he was 15 years old and has never had a job other than entrepreneurship.
Josh believes that businesses can be both productive and kind to others.
From where did the idea of Interact originate?
Interact was born out of a quiz we created for a client when my co-founders and I ran a web design company.
It was amazing to see how much website traffic is converted into email subscribers.
After converting our quiz idea to a platform that anyone could create list-building quizzes ten years later, we have over 8,000 customers who use the product just like our client.
How do you make your day more productive?
Get up at 6:30 – 6:30 a.m. Meditate, drink coffee, and write a journal
Write
Walk from 9-10:30 am, listen to podcasts, and learn
Meetings: 11 am-3 pm; internal meetings with my staff and appearances in PR
Exercise: 4pm-5pm
Cook dinner: 5pm-6pm
Time with my friend and partner: 6:30-9 pm
Sleep between 9 pm and 6 am
My days are productive when I choose activities that make me happy.
I write a lot, so I do it in the mornings.
I also love to collaborate and develop solutions to complicated problems, so that’s where I spend most of my day.
I am a big fan of quality time, so I spend my evenings with my partner or friends.
How can you bring your ideas to life?
Put something out there. 98% of my ideas don’t work and fall flat.
So, I learned to make the minimum viable version of every thought I have and then let it go out into the world to see what happens.
I get up in the morning to make my mind fresh.
Practically, I create quiet spaces in my body to have no distractions.
Mentally, I also have clarity.
Which trend is your favorite?
Knowledge sharing is on the rise. You can now learn as much from others as you can from an educational institution.
Each person is unique, so it is exciting to share knowledge with others.
Which habit makes you more productive as an entrepreneur than another?
Getting great sleep. Being specific and getting 9 hours of sleep each night.
What advice would your younger self give you?
Don’t be afraid to fail, and learn from your mistakes.
Spend less time worrying about whether your ideas are a waste of time.
The best learning is from simply trying.
We need to hear something you believe is accurate and that nearly everyone agrees with.
Luck and timing make up 75% of the business’s success.
But, perseverance, persistence, determination, and patience will all benefit entrepreneurs, regardless of the outcome.
What is one thing that you recommend to everyone as a successful entrepreneur?
Please choose one or two areas and work hard at improving them each day.
You can’t control everything in your business.
If you try to do it all, you will get burnt out.
You will be able to see the progress you make every day and benefit your business.
Which strategy has been most successful in growing your business?
The slow method of building connections.
Your only competitive advantage is your ability to make genuine connections over a long time.
How did you overcome that failure as an entrepreneur?
It took a year to make outbound sales. It almost bankrupted my company twice and took a lot of my motivation.
It wasn’t easy, but I managed to overcome it by taking a break from work and letting my mind reset over time.
Which business idea would you be willing to share with our readers?
You can create a platform that allows fantastic people to share their content online every day.
Allow people to develop their websites and own their email lists.
Charge a flat fee for their access.
Which was the most expensive $100 you spent recently? Which and why?
Airbnb in the woods for a relaxing getaway and a chance to reset.
But it’s still more than $100
Which piece of software or web service can you use to help you be more productive?
It is my notebook. It’s a notebook that is not accessible via the internet.
I use it to write down all my ideas before getting on my computer.
Which book would you recommend to our community? Why?
Lost and Found by Rand Fishkin.
It’s an honest account of the beginning of a tech company.
Which quote is your favorite?
“No one can do this alone.”
Maya Angelou
What could the Key Learnings “Josh Haynam” offer to Enterprenuer readers?
Practice one or two of these things every day.
Establish a routine and stick to it
Take breaks, and remember that learning is a process.
It is impossible to do it all alone.
