Shortcuts: (9 Minute Read)

1. I did the lamest thing ever.

2. Since I was 15, I wanted one thing:

3. The Action

4. P.S. Want that new vehicle look and smell ?

Dear Andre,

I did the lamest thing ever.

I've listened to the same podcast 36 times in the last 5 months.

Why would I be so stupid, you're asking?

Well...

I wanted to learn a skill.

But not just any skill.

It’s a skill that makes people millionaires.

It's grown the hopes of many.

And dashed the dreams of others.

What is this skill?

Storytelling.

Now, inside of this skill is a sub-skill:

Signature stories.

What are those?

I learned about signature stories from Shaan Puri.

Shaan Puri, who is he? He is a writer who built and sold a newsletter called The Milk Road (for millions of dollars). He's used writing and storytelling to build a career. He gets to do interesting things, and money is the exhaust of his interests.

Now, let me be perfectly clear,

He's a master storyteller.

If you understand and master your signature stories, here’s the pain you’ll avoid:

1. Awkward "So... What Do You Do?" Moments

Without solid storytelling, you'll stumble into awkward silences trying to explain your business—or worse, your faith—leaving people nodding like bobbleheads at your "entrepreneurial journey."

2. Faith That's Hard to Relate To

If your storytelling is weak, you risk coming across like a walking Bible app notification: well-intentioned but easy to swipe past. Good stories make your faith relatable, not something people dodge like a Sunday morning group text.

3. Networking as a Wallflower

Picture this: a room full of potential clients and mentors, and you're stuck holding a drink, wondering if anyone will ever ask about your business. With great storytelling, you’re the life of the party, not the guy blending into the wallpaper.

Mastering storytelling makes you the kind of person people want to listen to—and maybe even grab coffee with to talk about faith, business, or life. Think of it as being like Jesus in the Gospels: you deliver truth and keep it entertaining.

Okay, here’s why I've been this stupid.

Because I've become convinced that storytelling is the most important skill to master. And, let me be clear, Andre, I'm writing this to you for two reasons:

1. I want you to see many different examples.

2. I'm building my own log of signature stories.

Okay, so what are they? They are the pillars of who you are. And afterwards the listener should say ”I like this Daniel guy. I trust him. In fact I want to read his newsletter every week and maybe even share it with a friend.”

This will be a 5-part series. Each week I'll share a different story.

And at the end, Andre, after reading this story, there will be step-by-step instructions so you can craft your own.

Also, I know you want things to be perfect from the start.

Know this: Your first story will SUCK. (And that's okay.)

Okay Andre, the stage has been set. I'll see you on the other side:

Since I was 15, I wanted one thing:

An income-producing business.

But I had a problem.

I was in the worst position as an entrepreneur.

In fact, I wasn't even an entrepreneur.

I was a wantrepreneur.

I had all the best ingredients to go nowhere:

• I couldn't decide what to do.

• No business.

• No skills.

• No ideas.

But I had one thing going for me.

Environment.

See, I was doing this mini MBA program (called the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy).

There was this guy named Mark Randall (he sold his company to Adobe for 400 million dollars).

And he said these words which I've never forgotten:

A few months later, my dad mentioned how detailing can be a pretty good business.

I still had Mark's words ringing in my head months later.

So I asked myself a simple question:

How could I test this business idea?

I didn't want to text anyone I knew.

So I asked myself: What's the lowest stakes way to test this idea?

Well...

I could knock on 30 doors.

Or I could think... and think... and take no action...

But instead of just thinking (like I usually did) the next weekend (Father's Day, June of 2022), I knocked on 30 doors.

Now, why? Why knock? Why not just ask friends and family?

well, This idea was a baby. And they take a lot of nurturing to keep alive. So instead of asking friends/family, I wanted to test on people I didn't know. (Because I didn't if I even wanted to do this.)

I didn't want to start something and fail. The less people who know at the beginning, the better.

Okay so after I got over my fear of failure here what happened:

• I knocked on door for 3 hours

• I got through to 18 people.

• 16 people said no.

• But 2 said yes

(Here's the actual notes I used as I knocked)

That following Saturday I detailed 2 cars!

success! 28 no's, but it worked!

Now when you first start a business, everything is super exciting. After I knew I wanted to do it, I took consistent action. (asked 3-5 people every day via text)

I had 3-6 vehicles booked every Saturday for the rest of the summer. (Because I sent those messages every day)

I had pretty much doubled my income over my internship. I could make in a day what I made in a week. That's really cool.

But most things go through this cycle: uninformed optimism, informed pessimism, valley of despair, informed optimism, success.

In April, about 8 months later, I'm now graduated. And I'm in the valley of despair.

I'm seriously considering quitting. I realize how bad I am at being systems-oriented. I'm getting feedback on things that I'm missing.

I'm feeling like a failure. Not only am I not good at this, but I'm barely making enough to cover my bills.

Here were my current stats:

• Degree in entrepreneurship: Check

• Business: Check

• Income: Barely enough to pay my (very low) bills

• Skill set: Suck at detailing

• Marketing and sales: Pretty decent

But when you can't back up your talk with skill, it's a pretty crappy place to be. I was much better at talking about detailing than I was at actually doing it.

Then one day I heard about this training at the polishing school.

It was a 2-day class, costing $1,497, teaching detailing and ceramic coating.

Now I know what you're thinking, Andre: That probably wasn't that much money to you.

Well, you'd be wrong. I'd made just about $1,400 that entire month OF REVENUE (aka before expenses).

Imagine spending all the money you've made this entire month on training, hoping that it will give you the skill you need to grow your business or your career.

I had a few options: shut the business down and simply accept that I'm bad at this. And that although other people make this work, I clearly couldn't.

But I knew one thing I'd wanted for so long: an income-producing business. I felt like I was on the verge of something. But man, this was hard. All my friends were software engineers or in sales. I didn't even know any other young adult who had a business.

But despite all my self-doubt.

I called Chad and found out more information.

The next day, I put in the credit card information. Watching as that whole month's income... gone... in one transaction.

I remember thinking, "Man, I hope this is worth it. Do I even want to do this?"

But in the moment, I also got something that without it I may have quit detailing.

A mindset shift: Chad said something in the class:

That blew my mind—that a skill like this could make that much. And yet, he’s been right. It’s a valuable skill set. Whenever there is something that most people don’t want to do, and you can make it incredibly convenient and done well, that’s a winning combination.

This training also gave me a checklist of how to detail an interior and exterior. For the first time, I had a checklist and a process to work through—like an airline pilot.

I was starting to see hope in this low moment of despair. Chad was also super encouraging to me. Another reminder that the environment of support in business and life is super important.

I learned the skill of ceramic coating. Over the rest of that year, I ceramic-coated 14 cars, making 4x’s what I spent on the class. (just from coatings)

It’s been over 2.5 years since I started and a year and a half since that training. But education, especially "just-in-time" education that makes you money, is the best investment I’ve made.

As I write this, Andre, I’m sitting in the Lifetime cafe. It’s 2:49 PM on a Sunday.

Detailing has been more than a business for me. It’s allowed me to join BNI, which is a business networking group that has put me in proximity to other business owners, causing me to improve my business.

It’s also allowed me to join lifetime. This wasn’t by accident. It was a test. If I’m at a high-end gym, would I find people who want to invest in keeping their vehicles clean? So far, I’ve made more than I’ve spent by being at this gym. Even better than that, I’ve met some truly wonderful human beings who I wouldn’t have met without this business and testing new ideas.

So now, I have something better than simply an income-producing business.

I have a life that I’ve built around my business. I work with amazing people. I get to meet and do life with people who are better than me and farther along in life. I get to learn from people who I simply would never have met without this business.

Are there still moments of uncertainty? Absolutely.

Yet this business has funded my continued education. Developed this newsletter to make sure that I can pass on these things I’ve learned to you. This business has given me something money can’t buy. See, I thought I wanted an income producing business. But I actually wanted something more than that. and I found it.

What is that one thing?

Relationships.

Friendships.

And I want you to have those things and a great business.

The Action

Okay, Andre, now you’ve heard my first signature story.

Here’s exactly what I want you to do:

1. Practice one story this week.
   At first, it’ll feel overwhelming. By the end, you’ll be able to build stories yourself. It’s kind of a superpower. Don’t miss it.

2. Accept that this is lame.
   Writing out and practicing the story you want to tell is lame. But that’s why, if you do it, you’ll stand out. Most people will never take action. But I know you. You’re different. You’ll follow through and do this. (Dude, I’m so freaking excited to hear your first story.)

3. Write like you talk.
   How? Send a voice memo to yourself (or record a video) of you sharing the basics of the story. Transcribe it into written form.

Before I Write Anything, I Answer 3 Questions:

1. What’s the emotion? (Inspiration)

2. What’s the idea? (Storytelling is a dope ability.)

3. What’s the action? (Write your first signature story.)

The basics: Every story needs an intention and an obstacle:

• What do you want?

• What’s in the way?

Next, you need a beginning, middle, and end to the story. In the voice memo, say:

• Here’s where it started.

• Here’s this moment I want to focus on.

• Here’s how it ended.

Ideally, you have this 5-second moment of transformation. Where you begin and where you end should be the exact opposite of each other. (In the first story, I wanted an income-producing business; by the end, I had that and much more.)

Side Note: you need to have an obstacle. People want you to succeed—but not right away. Pixar’s storytelling rule: If it was too easy, people are bored (and jealous). So, make sure you zoom in on the hard moments. (I did this twice, door knocking and the training) People don’t love stories because the hero succeeds. They love the hero because of how hard he tries. So show how hard you try.

Remember, if this is your first story, it’ll probably suck. That’s okay. Like I said, I’ve listened to this one podcast about this concept at least 36 times over the last 5 months. I’m still learning more. That’s why I’m giving you 5 weeks to try to get better at this. It isn’t overnight.

Well, Andre, write your first story. At first, you’ll say, “I don’t have any stories. My life isn’t that interesting.” Here’s the thing: That’s not true. The business you have? Look at how you started that. That’s one story right there. Start with that. People love to buy from people, not companies. So be a person. Share your story. Share your struggle. People will be rooting for your success. I know I sure am.

As you start looking for and finding stories, you’re going to start having this other problem: You’ll have so many stories, you won’t have the time to write and refine them all. It’s a wonderful problem to have.

Love you, dude.

– Daniel

P.S. Want that new vehicle look and smell ?

Want your friends to be jealous of how good your car looks?

Your family to wonder how you had the time in such a busy time of the year?

Baarns Detailing can help you out.

Get a free Leather treatment ($50 Value) with any Exterior or Interior Detail booked in december.

Booking link: https://calendly.com/danielbaarns/detail-appointment

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Resource: The podcast I’ve listened to at least 36 times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlTA4wXSACE