The Place: Austin Java
The Cup: Even though we both agreed we’d already had enough coffee for one day, it didn’t stop us from having just a little more. Straight up coffee for both Danny and myself.
Background: Danny and I were seated next to one another at the Austin Business Journal Face2Face networking breakfast last week. Gary Keller, Co-founder of Keller Williams Realty, was the guest. As Gary shared ideas from his life and his newest book, The One Thing, Danny and I shared knowing glances when he’d toss out gems like, “Success isn’t about doing everything; it’s about doing what matters most.”
Danny has spent a lot of time thinking about what matters most. He’s a huge fan of processes and systems, and the thrill he gets from mastering something is like nothing else. Danny is a man who has his priorities straight and is living the life he dreamed. I was eager to learn how he got here and I’ll share his incredible story with you. But first, some
Common Grounds
- How did you make your first buck? Mowing yards.
- What is your favorite way to unwind? Going into the woods – for a run or a bike ride. I love getting on the trails.
- What is the best gift you ever received? I am big on words of affirmation. Recently I put something on Facebook and my wife commented, thanking me for being an inspiration. I strive to inspire people, and to get confirmation from the person who’s opinion matters most was a wonderful gift.
- What was the last movie you saw? Oz
- What is your guilty pleasure? A macadamia nut cookie or some ice cream. (Although Danny prefaced his answer with “I’ve very disciplined.” So on the rare occasion he indulges, he just has a little.)
- What is the best restaurant in Austin? Perla’s or Mama Fu’s are both great. (Danny moved here from San Antonio two years ago, but because his daughter was still in school, his family stayed back so she could finish and they just moved here recently. Danny didn’t want to explore his new city without his wife, so he only ate out a a couple of times for business. He waited until he moved here so they are now on the hunt, trying out every restaurant they see.)
- Who has had the greatest influence on you? Gary Keller.
- What is your best feature? My baby blue eyes. {He says this with a chuckle, but his eyes are not only ocean blue, they are also kind and honest.}
- What is the first thing you do in the morning? Grab a cup of coffee and then go for a run.
Imagine you are at the peak of a career you love. You’re unstoppable, and people in your industry look to you as a shining example – someone to aspire to be like. Competitors call you to pick your brain and ultimately try to recruit you. Everyone wants you on their team or wants to be on yours. You easily provide for your family, have a beautiful home and an extremely comfortable life. You are happy and your family is flourishing. You have it all.
And then you quit.
The story of the guy who had it all – the house, the cars, the toys, but who’s family didn’t recognize him, so he gave it all up to fix that…we know that story.
There’s the one where everything is going great, plenty of money in the bank and everything they ever wanted and then they get sick and realize their priorities need a shift.
We’re also familiar with the story of the guy who climbed his way to the top, making sacrifices and leaps of faith at every rung. He’s so focused at the end goal that by the time he makes it to the top and looks around, he realizes he climbed the wrong ladder and is miserable. He quits, in search of work he loves.
Shelves of books in the business or self-development section of your local book store are filled with easy-to-read fables, warning us of these pitfalls of success. We know we need to make time for the people who matter, and that no matter what, family needs to remain a top priority. Our health, while easy to neglect, needs our focus. Health and vitality are critical to our success; we know this. Merely having a parachute isn’t enough before we set off on our climb. We all know we’ve got to know what color it is if we want to find fulfillment and fortune.
None of this is a surprise. When you’ve taken all of it into consideration, you are on the right path to satisfying life. Right?
As a high school senior, Danny learned that by taking a co-op class he could get out of the classroom and go off campus for a few hours every day. Freedom. He went to sign up for the electrician path, but when he learned there was a carpentry job available immediately, he went for it. And he enjoyed it. As his skills improved, he took on bigger projects; a patio, then a porch followed by entire room additions. Danny says, “I didn’t know what entrepreneur meant, but I knew I didn’t want to work for someone else.” The class ended up being the catalyst for a successful carpentry business he’d build over the next 14 years.
Danny tells me he loved the game of carpentry. The first time he’d do a project it might take him five days – learning as he went. The second time, it took him just three and eventually, just one. Every project represented an opportunity to hone his skills, eliminate waste and inefficiency and improve the quality and profitability at the same time.
When meeting with a home owner about a project, he learned that what the client really wanted was to sell the house. The project he was being hired for was in preparation for the sale. Danny offered to buy the house and thus began his side business of investment real estate. As Danny joked, he was flipping houses before it was cool.
Always looking for the most efficient approach to something, Danny asked his Realtor buddy, who he’d hired to list his properties, what it took to get his real estate license. When Danny learned there were just six classes and a test preventing him from selling his own houses – cutting out the middle man and returning all of his profit – he immediately signed up for class, quickly becoming a licensed Realtor.
The first day he had his license, Danny put on a suit (he tells me that unlike today where casual is cool, back then you needed the suit) and went to one of his clients who told him they wanted to sell their home. He informed them that he was a Realtor and they listed with him. His first day and he already had a listing.
Danny had found success in carpentry. He found even greater success when he used his knowledge and experience to find ideal investment opportunities he could flip. So it was no surprise that as a licensed real estate agent, his winning trajectory would skyrocket. His experience in remodeling and investment real estate gave him a unique vantage point that he was able to leverage to offer his clients increased value and service. His first year, while still doing carpentry, he sold 52 homes. In year two, he retired from carpentry to focus full-time on real estate and sold 83 homes. In year three he sold an incredible 100 homes.
Along with building a successful business doing something he loved, he made sure to keep his family a top priority. Somewhat of a health nut, he also took good care of himself – working out regularly, eating right and making time for the things that mattered most.
No doubt Danny thought he was on the right path, headed in the right direction. If I hadn’t alluded to it earlier, you’d probably be pretty shocked right now when you find out it’s at this point that Danny quits. Why quit? Why now?
Danny met with Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty. Mark was interested in Danny joining the KW family and it was likely out of this desire that Mark offered to do a five-year visioning activity with Danny called Get The Book. This may be conjecture, but it seems probable that Mark was hoping Danny would see a brighter five-year future on the KW team versus the one he was currently on. Little did either of them know how wrong that was.
A devout man of faith, Danny shares with me that he wasn’t always a Christian. In fact, it wasn’t until 1991 that Danny made a place for God in his life. In 1996, when business was booming and the path seemed clear, the five year visioning activity showed Danny a fork in the road. Once his values and goals were up on the wall, plain as day, staring him in the face, he realized he felt called to ministry.
This wasn’t the outcome Mark had been hoping for. And it certainly wasn’t the one Danny’s wife was eager to choose. The same head scratching we’re doing right now, trying to make sense of this, she was doing the same. Danny told her he’d only do it if she agreed it was right and he asked her to take a month and pray about it. After a week, fully understanding the disruption to life that would follow, she agreed it was the right choice.
Danny had a clear vision of what needed to be done and committed to three years with the church. Then, as quickly as he popped into it, he popped back out. Danny heard Gary Keller speak and recalled him talking about his life priorities, in order, God, family then business. It was obvious that this was the right fit. Lucky for Mark, Danny chose Keller Williams as his home, where he once again found immediate and lasting success.
Danny explains some of what he loves about Keller Williams and in hearing it, I admit to myself how perfect the environment seems. Frankly, I’m envious.
“Gary is always dreadfully honest. He doesn’t let you get away with anything. But if you want to grow, he’s the right person to have around you,” Danny tells me, explaining just one of the things he admires about the Keller Williams co-founder. “Realtors are entrepreneurs; they aren’t manageable. The philosophy is to lead and motivate around a common vision. The culture attracts high-minded, growth-minded individuals. We believe that we are good today, and we’ll be even better tomorrow,” Danny explains.
“Talent only takes you so far. When you apply systems and processes you are able to get to the next level,” Danny shares. Thinking back to the success he found in his carpentry business right out of high school, Danny is a poster boy for this philosophy. He says, “At Keller Williams we call this going from E to P; entrepreneurial to purposeful.” This is shifting from doing that which comes naturally to you, to reaching out of your comfort zone to also do the things that aren’t natural to you. And being purposeful in everything you do.
Danny shares with me the question that Gary is famous for asking. “What’s the one thing you can do today that will make everything else easier or unnecessary? Do that thing – right now.”
A couple of years ago, Danny, once again, came to a fork in his career path. This time he knew he was at the right place, but he was looking for a new challenge. Keller Williams, long known for being leaders in training and development, had produced several best-selling books over the years. This effort was more about developing people and less about making a profit. Danny was brought into the corporate office to examine the publishing portion of the business and turn it into a profit center -which he did. He’s now the Executive Director of Operations, and loves the work he does.
I wonder if he feels his life is in balance right now, and he tells me that a balanced life isn’t possible. Instead, our life is a series of counter-balances. Things are always shifting and moving, and a fulfilling life is about being in tune with your body and mind, recognizing when an imbalance occurs and making the adaptations necessary to rebalance. It’s a never-ending process.
I ask Danny what people might be surprised to learn about him and he says, “I’m a poet. I enjoy writing songs and prose. To most people I come across as very deliberate. In high school, I was the punk kid with long hair and an earring (he still has the earring), but I won poetry and math contests. That surprised people.”
What’s on this over-achiever’s bucket list? Increasingly, less and less. He tells me that he’s busy ticking them off. “I’m not afraid of many things. When I find one, I do it,” Danny says, citing skydiving as a recent example to which he adds, “I refuse to do normal. I refuse to be average.”
The greatest issue facing society, according to Danny, is a lack of accountability. “Accountability would balance the budget. Accountability would fix marriages. Accountability would make better parents, better siblings, children, employees and citizens. Accountability is the breakfast of champions,” he says.
Clearly, Danny is a man with ambition, drive, a clear vision for the future and a willingness to shift when there’s a winding road ahead. I am curious, after finding such success in his own life, what words of wisdom he’d most like to share with the world. Here is his message.
“Choose to consider that every person is doing the best they can with what they know. Understand that everyone has their own perspective, has their own experiences, their own hurts and joys that have shaped how they view the world. When they disagree with you, it isn’t a personal affront, rather an expression of how they see things from where they “sit” – from their perspective. While it is possible they could be wrong and you could be right, grace is better. Stay out of judgment and accusation, and approach them with contribution. Know that you have the choice to encourage them and challenge them in a way that will foster growth and a relationship, or you can choose to belittle them and only injure them more. We all have a choice, and I think grace and acceptance of the person is better. I am not suggesting we accept every opinion as true and equal – that is nonsense. However, every person is valuable and worthy of our respect and care – dare I say love.”
So, listen more deeply, speak more thoughtfully, love more easily, accept more freely. Seek to understand, and encourage dialogue and respectful debate. In the end, we will all learn more, and live a more engaged life. I choose to live a life fully engaged.”
Danny offers a powerful reminder that life isn’t always linear and predictable, that the right choices aren’t always rational and that success isn’t about balance. Our purpose in life is not acquiring the best, nicest, fastest, biggest anything. And not every answer will be found on the shelf of a bookstore.
Happiness is about learning to see a fork in the road as an opportunity; stretching beyond comfort zones to grow and discover your greatness; trusting that the feeling of unbalance is natural, and understanding that in everything we do, we have a choice to make. Choices made from love, acceptance and grace will always keep you pointed in the right direction.
To learn more about Danny, check him out on LinkedIn.