Hall of Warriors Spotlight: Danny Iny

From time to time we interview an amazing warrior, and as a bonus we will give him/her a title in the hall of warriors.

Let’s be honest, Danny is known for a lot of his big accomplishments in the blogging world. He has been almost everywhere on the net earning him the nickname of the “Freddy Krueger of Blogging”. He wrote a wonderful book alongside some really big names, and has a very successful business. A lot of people would just relax and see the marvels of their success, but Danny has not stopped there. He continues his success by teaching you to be naked in your marketing strategy. That’s some real warrior spirit there.

You may think it’s hard to talk with someone so successful, but the reality is that he is really a nice and open guy. When I offered him to be in our warrior spotlight, he was thrilled. Let’s meet Danny a little bit more, you will be really surprised by his answers as I did.

What are you most passionate about? And why?

Education, because it’s the most impactful thing on our lives as individuals, and as a society as a whole. Not formal education, mind you, which is completely broken. But education in a purer sense – learning new things, expanding our horizons, and empowering us to do things that we couldn’t do before.

What was your inspiration or motivation to begin your project?

The inspiration always starts with the need that I see among my audience – if enough people have a problem, I start looking for creative ways to teach them how to solve it. The motivation for me is knowing that with a bit of help, they would be able to accomplish things that they couldn’t accomplish before – I find that to be very rewarding on a personal level.

What is the biggest reward you have received while working on your project?

I’ve been fortunate in that there have been a lot of “rewards”, but the most valuable for me are the emails that I get from people who have read my work, and who have been impacted by it. It really means a lot to me to know that I’m making a difference for people.

If you had the ability to change the world in any way, would you? And if so, how?

Yes, I would – there are several industries that I think are a complete disaster, and that reforming them would do a world of good. Education is at the top of my list, and I’m already working on it. Banking is another – if ever there was an industry in desperate need of disruption, that would be it.

What advice can you give to someone who is struggling to find happiness?

It’s not about making money, and it’s not about finding your passion – it’s about finding the overlap between your passion and value to others, which means that you can keep on pursuing your passion in a way that is sustainable and impactful for others.

Who is the most remarkable person you have ever met? And why?

I tried to answer this question, and spent twenty minutes thinking of all the remarkable people that I know. The truth is that everyone is remarkable in their own way, and I’ve had the privilege of connecting with so many remarkable people that I couldn’t just pick one.

What are some of your future goals or aspirations? Do you have a plan to accomplish them?

If all goes well, I plan on changing the world. It’ll take a long tie – probably at least a decade. Yes, I have a plan, but I’m not sharing it just yet.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced during your life?

The collapse of my first big start-up after the financial crash in 2008. The business basically disintegrated, and I had to let all my employees go – it was a very difficult experience for me.

Tell us about your biggest success in life, perhaps something you struggled with that you were able to overcome above and beyond your own expectations

I don’t see success as an achievement, or a single outcome. Rather, it’s a sort of flywheel effect; if you do consistently good work, day in and day out, it adds up to huge success – but none of the parts are all that impressive. Really, most of my success boils down to working hard and answering all of my emails.

What is something that you wish you knew before you started your path?

That talent is important, but a lot less than most people think. The things that really matter are perseverance, hard work, and kindness of spirit. Yes, you need to be talented, but if you don’t work hard, and you don’t help others, it isn’t going to matter.

If you were a cat, which type of owner would you choose?

I don’t think I’d be wild about having an owner; I’d probably prefer to strike out on my own as a stray.

For his answers, honest desire for teaching you to have a successful business and real humbleness to carry on with his own efforts, we give Danny the title of:

The Teaching Warrior Monk

This is the very first time we give someone the Monk title, but Danny has truly proven to have a true discipline and desire to improve the world with his knowledge. His kind heart allows anyone to come to him, and even a couple of tweets with him can teach you a lot of what he wants to achieve.

You can learn a lot from Danny by following him on twitter, and don’t forget he is truly kind to give great value for free in his awesome book Engagement From Scratch and the Naked Marketing Manifesto, about marketing that really works!

For all this, I ask you to give Danny a warm welcome to our Hall of Warriors in the comments!