How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything: Interview with Josh Khan, Co-Founder of Eden
I recently went one-on-one with Josh Khan, co-founder of Eden.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Josh: Absolutely, thanks for having me. My journey has been a mix of ambition, resilience, and a lot of trial and error. I’ve always been driven by the challenge of solving big problems, but my path to leadership and entrepreneurship wasn’t a straight line. I grew up as an athlete but struggled significantly with weight. In high school, I was told that if I wanted to play college hockey, I needed to drop 100 pounds. That experience taught me discipline and persistence, but years later, after having five kids and managing intense career demands, I found myself back at 300 pounds. It was humbling—I realized that even with effort, long-term sustainability matters more than short-term results.
In business, I’ve had my share of failures. Early on, I launched a clothing brand that gained traction at events but didn’t have a sustainable online strategy. I later worked in corporate roles where I saw firsthand how organizations struggled to innovate. Those experiences shaped how I think about scaling businesses, focusing on both rapid execution and long-term vision. Every setback refined my approach - fail fast, learn faster, and always keep moving forward.
Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas?
Josh: Great ideas come from personal experience and real problems. The best businesses aren’t built from a brainstorm session; they’re built from frustration. In my case, I knew firsthand how difficult it was to manage weight and overall health, even with discipline. I saw how many people around me were struggling with the same challenges but weren’t finding the support they needed. That frustration became the foundation for building something better.
If you’re looking for great ideas, start with problems you obsess over - things that keep you up at night or that you find yourself constantly trying to fix. Talk to people. Pay attention to inefficiencies in industries you understand. And most importantly, validate your idea by putting it into the real world before overanalyzing it on paper.
Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea?
Josh: I knew it was worth pursuing because demand showed up before we even officially launched. The first step was seeing how many people were struggling with the problem - when you have a massive, underserved market, you know there’s opportunity. But the real confirmation came when we started testing small pilots, engaging with potential customers, and getting their feedback. The response was overwhelming.
The best way to test a business idea is to get in front of real customers as fast as possible. Build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), even if it’s just a landing page or a basic service offering. Get feedback, iterate, and see if people will actually pay for it. Don’t waste years perfecting something in isolation—put it in the wild and let the market tell you if it works.
Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level?
Josh: Scaling a business comes down to three things: focus, execution, and relentless iteration.
• Laser Focus: We didn’t try to be everything to everyone. We focused on a specific problem and worked to provide the best possible solution.
• Execution Over Perfection: Speed matters. We prioritized getting to market quickly, refining as we went instead of overthinking.
• Building the Right Team: You can’t scale without the right people. We hired those who believed in the mission and had the skills to make it happen.
For others looking to level up, I’d say: Simplify your strategy, track what truly moves the needle, and stay adaptable. Growth isn’t linear—you have to keep adjusting as new challenges arise.
Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?
Josh: Know your audience deeply. If you don’t understand their pain points better than they do, you won’t connect.
• Simplify your message. Complexity kills conversions. Speak in clear, compelling terms.
• Leverage social proof. People trust people more than brands—use testimonials, case studies, and word-of-mouth referrals.
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Josh: An effective leader is decisive, adaptable, and deeply invested in their people.
• Decisiveness: Indecision kills momentum. Gather enough data, trust your gut, and move forward.
• Adaptability: Markets change, challenges arise—great leaders don’t resist change, they lean into it.
• Empathy & Trust: If your team doesn’t feel valued, they won’t follow you. Leadership isn’t about control; it’s about creating an environment where people can do their best work.
To level up, surround yourself with smarter people, seek real feedback, and never stop learning.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?
Josh: Trust your people, give them ownership, and remove obstacles. A strong team is built on autonomy and accountability. Hire smart, mission-driven individuals, then get out of their way and let them thrive.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Josh:
1. Get obsessed with solving real problems. Businesses that endure solve meaningful problems, not just chase trends.
2. Protect your time fiercely. Time is your most valuable resource—eliminate distractions and focus on high-impact work.
3. Lead with clarity and consistency. If your team doesn’t know the mission and the path forward, they won’t execute effectively.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Josh: “How you do anything is how you do everything.” This was drilled into me by a coach in college, and it’s stuck with me ever since. It means your habits, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence in small things reflect how you’ll approach big things. Show up, be consistent, and execute at a high level every single day.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Josh: Success isn’t about luck—it’s about relentless execution, adaptability, and building something bigger than yourself. Whether you’re leading a company, a team, or just trying to level up personally, the fundamentals are the same: Take action, learn fast, and keep going.
Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.
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