For this edition of Workflow, we have Nathan Murphy, Co-founder of QuizBreaker, giving us a look into how he runs a portfolio of bootstrapped internet businesses, remotely.
Workflow is an interview series by Balance the Grind to get a glimpse into people’s working styles and workspaces. If you’re interested in sharing your workflow, submit it here!
Describe what you do: I own a number of small bootstrapped internet businesses, QuizBreaker being my main focus at the moment. I spend most of my time doing marketing, support and strategy work to grow the businesses. I have a particular focus on SEO as it allows us to scale customer acquisition organically without significant cost.
How do you like your coffee: A Melbourne flat white, no sugar!
Device(s) you use: MacBook Air connected to a curved monitor + an old iPhone that is always lagging.
What does your workspace look like: It’s only recently that I finally set up a dedicated office at home. I bought a beautiful hardwood desk off of Facebook Marketplace and I’ve got my laptop sitting on a pile of books next to a curved monitor. A heavy duty chair and a foot rest help to keep my posture relatively in check. On my desk I’ve got a few things to fidget with (drumsticks, Rubix cube, etc) and a few momentos from travels to Asia and the Middle East.
Describe your working style in one sentence: My working style is highly erratic, it’s linked to my mood and energy levels. Sometimes I’m super productive when I feel like we’re progressing, other times I’ll procrastinate when I feel overwhelmed.
Every morning I love to check the overnight activity of what happened with our businesses, as most of our customers are in the US. I’m also addicted to checking our rankings in Google. Everyday starts with a walk to my local coffee shop and then I’ll figure out my priorities for the day.
A process I have found that works well for me is to have just ‘3’ important actions to get done per week, like mini projects. These actions are the ones that I think will have the most impact on moving us towards our growth goals.
Do you have a favourite playlist for work: When I really need to smash out some work I almost always get into a great flow by having this live set from my favourite DJ playing. I saw that set live in real life and replaying it always put me in a great mood with high energy.
Before you go…
If you never want to miss one of our conversations about work, life & balance, subscribe to our newsletter.
Build an online business – no matter what business you’re in. Create your online store with Shopify today.
