Shed Geek Podcast
The Shed Geek Podcast offers an in depth analysis of the ever growing and robust Shed Industry. Listeners will experience a variety of guests who identify or specialize in particular niche areas of the Shed Industry. You will be engaged as you hear amateur and professional personalities discuss topics such as: Shed hauling, sales, marketing, Rent to Own, shed history, shed faith, and much more. Host Shannon Latham is a self proclaimed "Shed Geek" who attempts to take you through discussions that are as exciting as the industry itself. Listeners of this podcast include those who play a role directly or indirectly with the Shed Industry itself.
Shed Geek Podcast
Turning Trials into Triumphs: A Shed Hauler's Journey: PART 2
What happens when life brings you to your breaking point? For shed hauler Daniel, a catastrophic injury left him bedridden for six months, plunging him into depression that nearly destroyed his business. Just when recovery seemed possible, tragedy struck again with the death of a beloved employee in a car accident. Yet today, he runs a thriving operation with a surprising sense of peace and purpose.
The secret? A complete transformation in thinking about business, leadership, and life itself. "The power of letting your yes be yes and your no be no, leaving emotions out of it, is amazing," Daniel shares, describing how setting clear boundaries without emotional charge revolutionized his customer interactions. This philosophy extends beyond business to personal challenges, including navigating his wife's cancer treatment by maintaining an even keel through both good and bad news.
Daniel's story challenges conventional wisdom about business success. When he gathered his team to announce he was quitting, he discovered there was nowhere else to go. This moment of being trapped became the catalyst for working with a coach who helped develop company values and a mission statement: "Our purpose is to offer high-quality customer service." This foundation created what Daniel calls "a more freeing" approach to business where team members operate with ownership mentality.
Most powerfully, Daniel reveals how the shed industry became the backdrop for deeper life lessons about significance and legacy. "If I died today, have I done the best with what I knew?" he asks, transforming everyday operations into opportunities for meaningful impact. His vulnerability about physical pain, emotional darkness, and business uncertainty demonstrates how our hardest experiences often become our greatest points of connection when shared openly.
Ready to transform your own business approach? This episode offers practical wisdom for anyone facing challenges in business or life. Subscribe now for more inspiring stories and actionable insights from leaders in the shed industry who've discovered success goes far beyond the bottom line.
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Thank you for listening to part two of a two part series here at the Shed Geek podcast. If you missed part one, just go back to last week and listen for more engaging conversation here at the Shed Geek podcast.
Daniel Yoder:Yeah, and it's you know, back to. As shed haulers, do we really think about the impact that we can have? Do we think about, like my cousin was just here recently and he went out to deliver a shed with me, and I delivered this shed because I knew that these two ladies were going to be difficult. It was a 14 by 30 for backyard outfitters. First of all, they you know they didn't want to do a gravel pad or we don't want to. They own a wedding venue. It was just plain difficult. They didn't want to do any of our recommendations, and we get there.
Daniel Yoder:I was completely expecting it. They didn't want to do any of our recommendations, and we get there. I was completely expecting it. They wanted it in a spot that was not going to work. After I moved their shed out of the way, they wanted it up against the fence and it was going to be like a foot and a half off level.
Daniel Yoder:And I'm like we cannot put it there and I'll just say this we cannot put it there and I'll just say this the power of letting your yes be yes and your no be no, leaving the emotions out of it, is amazing. And I just said listen, we cannot put it there. This is why and I said you did not want to put a gravel pad in, per our recommendations, so this is where we can put it. This is where we'll put it today. You change your mind, we'll come back and move it for a fee, and that was it. It was like it was. It was over. You know, like if I would have gotten excited and added my emotions into it, then you have big problems, but just the amount of impact as a shed hollow that you can have, not on the customer, but on the company you work for, on the manufacturer, and it just goes on and on and on. So, as a shed hauler, that's really what we need to be thinking about. We shouldn't be thinking about well, there's a guy who left these nails sticking out here. You know I scraped my hand on them, you know. Well, that was so far out there. You know these rates suck Whoop-dee-doo. You're there doing your job, and that's again where personal development comes in. Do you think about, do you know what, your job? I bet you there's a good amount of shed haulers out there that do not know their job description. They're not exactly sure what the requirements are for the company for blocking If they're supposed to block what they do. They get to a situation and they're just flustered and they dump the shed and they leave.
Daniel Yoder:Because at the beginning I, you know, back before, before I was on my own Earl Yoder is who I worked for, really at the beginning, when I started, I went to him and I said, was there ever a shed that you couldn't level? Because I had a big one. And I'm like, how is this supposed to work? I said, was there ever a shed you couldn't level? And he's like, well, no, so there's just so much, there's so much to learn, um, and you can't hardly learn without doing it.
Shannon:But you have to have a mindset of willing to learn too, right like you have to go into it inquisitive and wanting to learn and not wanting to. You know a lot of people want the quick buck. You know, Daniel, it's like you see somebody who's been successful. They've been doing it for 20 years. I mean they weren't successful in the first. You know 15 years or not as near as what you've seen in the last five. You know it's the. It's the last strike of the rock with the hammer that breaks the rock right, but you know it's the 20 strikes beforehand, 20 years of grinding till you see the one year of success.
Shannon:I love that you talked about your yes being yes and your no being no, and there's a thing that I like to say and I don't always practice it well, and God has to convict me on it from time to time which is to just let the truth defend itself. It doesn't need your help. It doesn't help your help. You won't matter of fact, as you attempt to defend it, you'll mess it up, because the truth in your defense it doesn't need your 10 minute explanation.
Shannon:But how often do we still do it? I got so guilty of being like but I want to prove myself in that situation and I want people to know the truth about that and it's like well, if you want people to know the truth, then just tell the truth. You don't have to add to it, you don't have to take away. It does a perfectly fine job of defending itself. Just tell the truth and move on. What we try to do probably as men, but it's people in general is avoid the difficult situation. That's the part. It's not that truth can't defend itself, it's just that we know that it's going to create some, some little anarchy in there. That and it's like, and that's what itches at you is.
Daniel Yoder:It's just like, but I can't make everyone happy and this is probably hardly a more sore spot than just that because of my past and I've come across so many people. They just don't want to talk about it. They did, you know. They just don't want to talk about it. They did, you know. They just don't want to talk about it.
Daniel Yoder:And again, it comes back to personal development. If you don't know who you are, if you're not confident in who you are, if you're not sure who you are, then you have to talk yourself into being okay with what you said instead of just saying what. What people think about what you say and how you live is beside the point when you are like when you, there needs to be some elaboration there too. Um, it's not an I don't care attitude, but when I do my best, when I do my, I care very little about what other people say I should or shouldn't do. What matters is knowing what my best is.
Daniel Yoder:That's a process. How do you get to that? And then doing it, walking in it, it, walking in it. So that's really some of those things are my desire above anything else, above money, above you know. I was just listening to something this morning with a couple of my dry runners on money. If we're in this for the money, it's doable, but it's miserable. You imagine the roller coaster, because some days are going to be good and you fly high and then the next day that's down. You're so low in the dumps and you wish you were doing something else. And I've had my share of that.
Advertisement:Oh no.
Advertisement:Sam, what's going on? Are you okay?
Advertisement:Yes, I'm fine, Lisa. I was just trying to get a screwdriver and all this other stuff fell down. I'm ready to go buy a shed so we can have some space in this garage again.
Advertisement:I agree, I keep looking at the shed Mr Jenkins bought. Let's ask him where I got his shed. Mr Jenkins bought, let's ask him where I got his Howdy neighbor.
Advertisement:We're wondering how do you like your shed? I love it. It's exactly what I needed and I couldn't have asked for a better service. And where did you get it? Hmm, I can't remember, but let me check Something. This nice will probably have the builder's name on it somewhere. Hmm, no, I'm sorry I can't find, but let me check something. This nice will probably have the builder's name on it somewhere.
Advertisement:Hmm no, I'm sorry, I can't find a name anywhere. Well, we finally got a shed yes, I just hope we're happy.
Advertisement:The thing is a lot more shoddy than I expected, and I'm sure I told them I wanted a window, but they didn't have it in the paperwork so I couldn't argue. Boy is this a lousy shed. We haven't even had it two years, have we?
Advertisement:Barely. It was just a bad deal all the way around. Mr Jenkins told me the other day that he likes his shed so much he wants to get a second one, but he still can't remember where he got it.
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Shannon:I know I get it. I get it. I use the sales mentality. This is going to sound crazy, but I use that same sales mentality on how to, on how to handle our emotions going through, you know, my wife's cancer treatment. It's like when you get good news, why do you get so excited? Because you can be so let down by the next bad news. And then it was like when you get bad news, why would you get so far down? Because you know there's other good news that's coming. But you're you're, you know. So.
Shannon:Like what we did was we stayed as even keel as we possibly could. When we received good news, we were like that's good, and we received bad news, we were like we need to work on that, like we just kept a very calm mentality and I, some of the greatest men in my life, have perfected that. There's people in this business, this industry I've seen do it and I admire them, you know, for the way that they're able to take things in stride. Some of the greatest pastors I know have seen some of the biggest upsets of their life and they were able to lean on a sovereign God that was in control, because they knew that they weren't in control anyway. So, they didn't take the situation so hard, they were just able to navigate through it and it's impressive to me because my emotions get the best of me on some of that.
Daniel Yoder:Yeah and that's yeah, there's, it's, it's called life, and back to talk is cheap. After my injury and being in bed for six months, the following six months were worse. I had severe depression. You ask well, what do I do? It's like you're demanding an answer and I've since learned that it's okay to not know. Sometimes the best place you can be is to not know, and sometimes that's the whole point of it to not know. But back to you know, talk is cheap and I felt like, literally I felt like such a failure to tell people that I want to go to school and I want to do that. I had no control over that, but that's why you come back to talk is kind of cheap and you can say a lot of things, but until we do it, until we've done it, until we are doing it like talk is talk and how, how, how is that lived out? I'm kind of losing some of my thoughts there.
Daniel Yoder:But in that depression time after I was trying to recovery, I got all the guys together. You know I had tried to plan to do something else. Obviously, that didn't happen, and I honestly feel like I have like a second shot at the shed industry. Um, because I got everybody together of that winter and I said, hey guys, I'm done. I said I'm done. I said I don't know how this is going to work, but I said I'm done, I, I didn't.
Daniel Yoder:I, I was like I'm done, I've had it, and it's really a selfish attitude. I was looking at what works for me. Do I? Am I getting my answers that I want? Is this going to work for me? I can't do it. I, I, I, I.
Daniel Yoder:But there was nowhere to go. My accountant said if you sell the business and you don't actually get your money and you know, you sell it to somebody else, uh, based off of a payment plan. And I said they don't do what you're doing this. He said you're still not going to get your money and you know there was options of somebody else buying it that I would manage and I'm like I'm going to do myself. And the most revolutionizing time after that I don't even know, maybe a year after that I started working with a coach back to who, not how and he really helped me understand some of those things, the purpose of it. Why are you doing it? Are you just doing it for money? And that's kind of that's pretty deep, but we figure it out on our own. We try to figure it out on our own.
Shannon:We will always limit ourselves. Exactly right, that's exactly right. So obviously won the bash truck. We'll throw some pictures on there for those who don't know about that. That was awesome. Went through this terrible time.
Shannon:Depression, totally understand it, you know I have. Everyone's depression is different. I heard a saying one time that said depression is just anger turned inward. I don't know if you've ever heard that. Um depression is whenever you don't. Um depression is when you don't and I don't know if it's true, and I'm not saying this is some psychologist or psychiatrist. You know words.
Shannon:This was a inspirational quote somewhere, but I don't even know if it's very inspirational, but it's a quote nonetheless. But it said you know, anger is depression is anger when you turn it inside and you don't release it. You don't let that anger out, because we're meant to have emotions, we're meant to go through all these different emotions sad, happy, I mean. The Bible says there's a time for everything, right, there's time to grieve, there's time to laugh, there's time to cry. So, we know that those are reasonable things of us to happen and go through. It also reminds us that we're not cybernetic. It also reminds us that we're not infinite. It also reminds us that we need not infinite. It also reminds us that we need a Savior. You know what I mean like. So, it's a constant reminder that, like your best is not enough.
Shannon:And that's hard for men, because men like to solve problems, men like to fix things and some of the most stubborn men I know don't take any advice and they just they're the most talented and they're amazing and at the end of that they're still not worthy, they're still not able to fix everything, they're still not able to be sovereign. You know you still rely on God. You have to, and I think if you don't, that's what you start there lead there, give it first, give him your first fruit. You know, I've said for a long time you know, whether it's this industry, this podcast, this career, whatever it is, it's God's. Because what would I do with it? What would I do? Mess it up, mess it up and have to go run back to him anyway.
Shannon:So, if I don't give him that to begin with and you know that's what's interesting and I'll go on the offensive here a little bit, Daniel to say you know, those difficult times that you go through aren't wasted. That depression that you go through is not wasted. He uses that. It does not waste anything. He uses that. He uses that to help others. He uses that, uh, in a way that you never saw coming. And um, I just, uh, I had a pastor who used to say don't, don't, don't pray to be like don't, don't pray to not have problems.
Shannon:Don't pray to not have problems. Don't pray to not go through difficult situations. Pray for his peace and his help to go through those situations, because it's your testimony that will help others, and that's what we're doing here today is telling that. So, catch me back up to speed. Where are we at this point? You're on the truck. You've went through the six- month difficulty, laying in bed, this depression. You get ready to like say hey guys, we're done, I'm calling it and I'm going to go do something else. What happens then?
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Daniel Yoder:the uh, so I'm in bed and my wife has a miscarriage, so we were both in our own, like we were both just way down. Yeah, and I think you know being on this side of it is definitely different. It's, it's, it's, you know, you, I don't know how to say it other than I've been there. Being on this side of it is definitely different. I don't know how to say it other than I've been there and there's nothing there and the chances of going back is so much less. And we talk about that Even more.
Daniel Yoder:So recently, we talk about these things and you're so right that that God will use these things. Um, and, and it's, it's almost scary. Sometimes when you are, you have so much joy. You know it's like, uh, this is this is amazing. How long is it gonna? You know? And the key is now is it will last, because it's not us doing it and if we can learn to have joy, whether, like, whether, whatever happens and I failed to mention that when we started, we named it GDR the name means God, Daniel and Rochelle Because, well, obviously, the Lord gave us the opportunity. He didn't allow us to sell, he brought us where we, so it is his and it's almost like I mentioned to a couple people recently being in these situations, the longer you're in the shed industry unless you feel you know, kind of like your relationship with the Lord the longer you're in it, the less you feel you know and the more freeing it is, because the less you're carrying, the less you have to micromanage everything, the more fun it becomes. But all that comes back to personal development continually. This is not something that would just happen overnight. This is not. This is like sanctification, ongoing, different words meaning similar things and I just like I think the emphasis on ourselves. We so often ignore that. So the last three years really April was four years since my injury and then the first year after that was just a complete blur. But the last three years, I'd say, have been some of the best and also a lot of unknowns. When you're in the shed industry, you know, after COVID you think things are going to slow down. There's been a lot of changes, but I'd say they've been the most freeing. We're doing more with more people, but at the the same time it is more freeing and it's we just.
Daniel Yoder:I work with really great people, uh, great drivers, great ladies in the office and that takes time too uh, that matters. It matters who you work with it. We continually talk about operating in a in a ownership mentality. I don't, I don't want to try to worry about whatever the drivers do. If they call me and they say I can't get it in, I want a hundred percent Believe them. I don't question, they have done their best. They can't get it in and that's, that's that.
Daniel Yoder:But again, it, it, it takes time and that's one of the things that I can't take credit for. That's one of the things my coach helped me to do. He helped us develop a mission, values and our vision and vision and write it out. And we have a mission statement. Our purpose is to offer high quality customer service. That's, I mean, that's what we want to do in the shed industry. He helped us write this down so we can always come back to that, we can hang everything on that and things just feel lighter. But it comes back to not me trying to figure it all out and it. I think it. I think I can say this that it also creates confidence in the people that you work with when they know that the decisions you're making isn't just coming from you like that's, that's, that's a big thing, yeah no, I couldn't agree more.
Shannon:Um, yeah, what did I write down? My worst day, my, my worst day. You talked about how good things get and you wonder, is this going to stay? And that won't stay forever, because you'll have ebbs and flows. But the reality is, it's your ability to bounce back, it's your ability to recover, it's your ability to keep going. Don't put your head down and quit or give up again. And you know I've done that. I've done all those things whenever I was younger. Again, and uh, you know I've done that. I've done all those things whenever I was younger quit, give up, just walk away from it. Think that it was simpler to do that. And there's just such a joy in finishing and just going through the process and just overcoming and and like, look, even if that doesn't yield you what you thought that it was going to be, um, it's. It's yielded you a great personal like testimony and momentum and mindset of fortitude and continuing on and, as paul says, finishing the race. And you know just so, like I've, I know what giving up's gotten me, you know. So I want to try the other thing. I want to try to keep going and push through it.
Shannon:Uh, terry, was that way. You went to boot camp. Boot camp same place I did. I remember running up from that theater all the way up that steep hill that came up right beside our barracks and, uh, I remember running and that those drill instructors were so tough and I was 17 and thought I was tough. They were real tough, you know, and um and um and uh, I remember being so scared of them and they would even tell you about all the stories about how people had, like, passed out from heat exhaustion, people had died, I mean even. Uh, you know, and I remember telling myself because of the shame that was felt with falling out of a run or whatever, like I remember just the shame that you felt, the mental, the way it took over your mental. Uh, you know everything when you fell out of a run, because everyone's looking at you like why'd you give up? Why'd you quit? Why didn't you keep going? I remember running and, Daniel, you've been in this moment. Maybe others who've been in the military understand it, but if not, they won't. But you, I remember running and, Daniel, you've been in this moment. Maybe others who've been in the military understand it, but if not, they won't. But you ever been running and you've been on such a long run I don't know.
Shannon:At that time I called a long run, five miles, right, so like, for me that was a long run, five miles, you know. And I remember running and you're holding your hands up, you're holding your arms up while you're running and you're moving them and, like, you ever just been so tired that you just like couldn't, didn't have the strength to hold your arms up anymore and like, and I just remember letting my, my arms dangle and I was like I will die running before I will fall out. They, they said people died out here doing it. Well, well, guess what? I'll die before I quit. And I remember telling myself that and somewhere in my late 20s, early 30s, I lost that grit. You know, I lost that grit, that I that I developed at 17. And that's why it's good to have people around you business coaches, mentors, people of faith, people who, who, who can encourage you, people who can push you when you can't push yourself. You know, uh, it's, it's good to have a circle of influence, because you need that. And they were my circle at that moment and I was like you know what, before I let them down.
Shannon:It was all the mental games, right? Like you know what it's like when you're sitting there in a formation and they're like your recruiter lied to you, didn't he? I bet you feel bad about your recruiter. He done told you all this good stuff and you know he's back sipping coffee and you're here doing pushups. It's not very fun, is it, man? They did all the mental stuff to get in your head and make you quit and walk away and say you're right, it's my recruiter's fault. But, man, they did a great job of making me say no, I'm going to overcome this. I'm going to show you, I'm going to beat you. I'm not going to let that beat me. And, dude, I remember that I it's anyway. Catch me up, catch me up. Where did you you've been through you come out of this depression? Where did it? Where did it go from there?
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Daniel Yoder:Kind of like I alluded to, uh started working with my coach and things have just we've had a good three years. We're delivering sheds, um, I think, the drivers. It was also a really difficult time two years ago, this November, when one of my drivers, steven Erb, was killed in a car accident. He used to live at the end of our lane and it wasn't just like he was our driver, he was like driver, he was like he was family and uh, we did stuff together and we hung out and he would he was, he was just his, he's big guy walk into the room and he could take over the whole room and he would just, you know, he would just take over. So that was a really difficult time. His mom, lena, is actually my dispatcher and I work with some other people in the family, but he would have wanted us to keep going. He actually. It's an interesting story. Somewhere out there is a video of me pulling out a shrub with a bash truck I've seen it.
Daniel Yoder:I've seen that video that was the day that I met steven and he was just gawking and oohing and aahing over the truck and I took him for a ride, had no self-confidence. He had no self-confidence and he was probably 21, 22. He had gone through. He grew up in a church, gone through a rough patch, moved away, come back and he's like yeah, you know, I like to drive a truck. These things are so cool.
Daniel Yoder:You know, I thought about going to get my CDL. I thought about going to get my CDL and literally three or four months later I convinced him to haul sheds and I hired him while I was in bed. It was just like his personality is hardening, it was so bubbly and just like he couldn't talk fast enough, like he would think, and he couldn't talk fast enough in his laughter and stuff like that. Um, but I literally hired him when I was in bed and you know he, he was very much like me in the sense that he would just go do it, like he would just go do it. And you know he he's like oh yeah, I'm gonna take the shed meal down to the shop and I'm gonna play around with him.
Daniel Yoder:And he calls he. He's like oh yeah, I'm going to take the shed meal down to the shop and I'm going to play around with him and he calls me and he flips it, taking it off the truck because he left the wheels up and it just went sideways and I don't know. Somebody came and got me and I went help him set it up with, set it up right with chains, and I'm, you know, with my crutches and putting my leg up on the trailer to not make it feel like it's going to pop when he's turning purple. So, we did that and actually the North Carolina Bash was kind of something we all did in memory of him.
Shannon:Um, can't keep my emotions in oh, that's tough man, when you go through. I was there at the Lancaster bash whenever you won the truck. I was also there at the North Carolina Bash and um for one this is all the reasons why I continue to advocate for all these different barbecues and programs is I think you learn some invaluable things there, but you also develop some pretty amazing relationships and like you know, it's man, like you went through a five-year stretch there. That's hard for anybody.
Daniel Yoder:But, what got me there was that he would talk about going all summer and then he died in early November. So, we had planned this thing that we would all drive down five trucks. It was a blast. We all drove down. We took other people with us His brother-in-law, just other friends we took along. It was great. Then we come home, we had a meal, we did a parade through town, it was just. But he there's much more that can be said about that. He would have wanted us to continue, and so his girlfriend was in the car with him when the accident happened and his baby was born the next day. And his baby was born the next day. But she's now. Justine is now working with Lena, which is really neat. You know she's working with Lena doing dispatch work and stuff. So, we're just, you know, like these things we don't have to hide behind them. We don't have to hide behind that. That's not something we have to. My life is going to end behind that. That's not something we have to.
Daniel Yoder:My life is going to end because that happened yeah no, you live in what he would have wanted to do, yeah, and what I? What I didn't get to is like it was probably one of the highlights of the 10 years, literally because I, you know, he started. It took him a long time, you know, probably six, eight months, and then that year that he passed away, he was actually an owner operator. You know, he just he would just like he was having so much fun. He he just he never thought that he could do it and it was so much joy to see him doing something that he never thought he could do, because, you know, obviously I can, I can relate to that. Um, so that you know that that was, that was over the time.
Daniel Yoder:Earlier that year, I had started working with my coach and he kind of had a hard time with it. He's like, what's this personal growth stuff? Who needs that? It was just his attitude. And then we did a session when I started. We did a session with everybody, everybody had a session with my coach and he was against it. And then during the session, he's breaking down and crying because he was realizing that he has value, he's bringing value to the table.
Shannon:We all put a shell on. Sometimes, man, we put a shell on because the world is tough and I'll tell you what you know. Some of us, you know, even put a shell on, sadly, you know, more so in the communities of faith than we do, even the communities of the world. I mean, I always tell people I've experienced more hurt in the church than I did in the world. In the world I kind of kept my shell on in my, in my, you know, church life and, like faith, I've been able to open up completely and then that's got me burned a few times and it's like I think you know I've learned to navigate through both finally, but yeah, we just need you know, there's a lot of conservative people in the shed industry and we.
Daniel Yoder:I think we need to talk about it and be careful not to hide behind our faith.
Shannon:I think it's easy when you've grown up in church. You know, Daniel, sometimes it's easy because you've grown up hearing. You know the message of forgiveness, the message of grace, you know. I think sometimes that makes it harder. You know, growing up in forgiveness, the message of grace, you know, and I think sometimes that makes it harder, you know, growing up in church than it does growing up in the world. You know, because when you grow up in church, you know you're taught, you can always go back and ask for forgiveness.
Daniel Yoder:You know you can always go back and embrace and there's this subtle aspect that when you grow up in the church, there's a subtle aspect of steering away from difficult times, not embracing difficult times. Well, I'm a Christian. Everything should be good for me. You know, everything's provided. The Lord's going to provide, and he does, but he also provided for Job.
Shannon:I heard someone say he gives you the tree, he doesn't give you the bench. You know.
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Daniel Yoder:If we desire a good relationship. Do we desire to go through what Job did? Do we desire to go through what the apostles did? Do we know? Do we know what we're asking If we weren't in a relationship? Do we actually know what we're asking? And I think the answer is no and I don't.
Daniel Yoder:But coming back to where we're at now, just the joy, talking about joy, and whether or not that's going to stay, and the longer time goes on and the more we realize that this is what I'm doing now, and if the Lord takes us a different direction, I tell people this is what I'm doing now, but a month from now I could be doing something different. I'm not planning on it. Obviously, if it changes it, guess what? I'll have the same amount of freedom and joy. Hopefully, that would be in my desire, regardless of what happens. I mean, you could have something happen to you that just seriously changes the course of your direction.
Daniel Yoder:And I was at a conference really recently and this this, this gentleman in New Jersey, a pastor, shared his story. It was one of the most gut-wrenching things you could listen to. He was a pastor for 20 years and his daughter committed suicide, and he talked openly about all the pains, all the shame, everything that comes with that. You know people think, well, that shouldn't happen to pastors. But you know that shouldn't happen, that shouldn't happen. You know all those things. But she had conditions. She had, um, she, she had conditions and they honestly thought she suffered from abuse. She had so many things stacked against her and just one day something happened and that was it. But guess what? He was at this conference and it had only happened like a year and a half prior to that. They already have a full blown ministry Full blown. They travel across the country. Imagine the lives that are being saved because of that event. Amazing.
Shannon:Amazing. When I went through chaplaincy, the same thing had happened to our teacher, who was a pastor, and he was actually a chaplain in the Navy as well, and that's the same story for his daughter, and he used that as a catalyst to launch his chaplaincy ministry and going around attempting to heal those that were suffering from those different um conflicts of their mind. Dude, I love that you told your story here, your testimony. I believe that people I believe that people sometimes want to hear about SEO and websites, and sometimes I want to hear about sales marketing, and sometimes I want to hear about sales marketing and sometimes I want to hear about you know, oh, check out this new, you know shed moving trailer or tool or the trade. And sometimes I just want to hear people's stories and we try to do a mixture of all of them and try to figure out where there's a place for them to all belong. Everyone's story belongs here. I don't care if you're a competitor, I don't care if you're a friend, a foe, it doesn't matter. There's a microphone for everyone to tell their story, because I do believe we learn from, from others, and the legacy that you lead, that you leave, is a legacy, you know, one that's meant to be shared with others. Your testimony has been to be shared and I think you said and I hope I'm not taking too much of a Liberty by doing this, by saying I think I think that you said when, uh, when you came back from um, the North Carolina bash, after hearing Woody tell a story on stage, that's what helped give you the inspiration and the encouragement to go ahead and tell your story and that's what you reached out with. Whenever me and you meet we had met before, but whenever we began to talk about you and your testimony on the podcast, that's what I read and it's been what four months ago, five months ago, it's hard to believe but and it'll probably be a month or two before the episode comes out, but any will be and it'll be at least two, two shows, It'll be two episodes.
Shannon:There's no doubt in the time that we've done already, which is perfectly fine. There's no time limit on God's messages, you know and uh, but I want to know is there any, any final thoughts, any shout outs that you want to mention? Uh, we're doing all our stuff or we're in the shed, all our brotherhood and I got my barbecue. Four state, Oklahoma, shout out to JD Perry and Travis parts. But um, you know, I love the haulers and what they do and I know that you're so much more than a hauler Uh, not that there's anything wrong with just shed hauling by any means but um, you do so much more. I'm inspired by your success, inspired by your story Next time I get to New York. Uh, I got to meet with Marvin last time I was up there. I think I got to meet you briefly while there, but it was very short. We need to sit down for dinner and just solve the world's problems over a cup of coffee or over a steak or something. But any final thoughts that you would give to that?
Daniel Yoder:I'd say you know what is just such a such a great example? You know, people love transparency. People don't love when you're wearing a mask. They love seeing the real you. You see the real Woody. But you know it was great for him to share his story. What Sam does is amazing. He's transparent as well.
Daniel Yoder:You know the Shed Bash dash Woody, I think my wife. We have three kids 10, 7 and 2. She has been with me the whole. You know the whole way she's doing more book work and stuff. So that's that. You know, without her it would not. It would not work.
Daniel Yoder:And then the people that I, that I work with, like the less credit I can take the better. And you know I hope that I was able to get out of the way and just let the story be the story. But you know, I got home from the shed bash in North Carolina and I didn't send it to people right away, but I was just like I got to write this down, like I got to write this down Because if I don't write this down it's going to be gone. And then I had shared my testimony at the conference I was mentioning and I was actually talking to one of the dealers we love to work with, Jason and Jen Giggling, big Upstate, New York. They're just fantastic people and they're, like Jen's, like you need to talk about this more, you need to tell it, like you know. And then there was just a series of other things, and then we started talking, and so that would be my desire.
Daniel Yoder:As John the Baptist said, he must increase, I must, you know, I must decrease, but we still have a role to play. You know, we still have responsibilities, but hopefully I can get out of the way. And I got to say this. So, Stephen, that I mentioned that passed away the year after my leg injury. I had just recovered and we were on the lake jet skiing. We collided, his jet ski, hit me on the right side, completely broke my pelvis, fractured it in six places. So, I'm still bearing his marks you're still.
Shannon:You're still attached at the hip, no pun intended.
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Shannon:Dude, I love Life is crazy. I love your story, your testimony, your kindness. You just got a really nice spirit when chatting with you and I'm blessed to be able to share it here. I hope that others are blessed by it today and their journey as they go out and do what they do. I love what I do. I love this industry. It comes with its fair share of headaches, and you know I, but you know, at the end of the day, God has put me on this journey until he calls me to do something different, if ever. But when he does, I just want to be I'll be sad. But people say, don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened, you know. So, as long as, as long as he has me here or wants me here, I'll, I'll be here and, uh, I just put the faith in him that he's going to open the doors that are necessary for us to move forward.
Daniel Yoder:Um, if that's what he desires and if not, then he'll set us on a different path, won't he? Um, if you ask that, I just say you know, thank you for what you're doing. You're, you're just you're doing an amazing thing. Um, it's, it's, you know it, it's got to be a God thing. You didn't plan this and you get to do this, you get to do this.
Shannon:It's such a fun thing that people don't realize. And, yeah, it has to be a God thing, because the Shannon thing will mess it up. Trust me, I've spent 44 years messing things up. It's only when you rely on the Lord and seek His counsel and ask for Him to chart the courses. It has to be Him because, trust me, if left to my own, I would find a way to mess it up. I always do, and so I just give it to him and I'm thankful for what he gives us back in return.
Shannon:It's a very fun endeavor to be able to do, to talk to people. I believe communication can do so many things. I believe it can solve so many problems and I think that if we can just come together. A guy told me the other day. He said I love listening to your podcast. I love listening to podcasts in general, and I was like, oh, thank you. And I was like you should come on.
Shannon:He's like, uh, and I was like, hey, to be honest with you, man, without having you and your story on there, there's no good podcast to listen to. We need, you know, we need to have those, so we make it light and simple and easy for you, we, we, we edit, you know when necessary. We don't record live and even if we did, what would it matter? You're, you're, you're. You're walking around without an edit button in your life every day, all day anyway.
Shannon:So, people are gaining who you are and getting an opinion, developing an opinion of who you are, based off of everyday life anyway. So why not come on and set the record straight, right, and be in control of that narrative and say, look, this is who I am. And people who get to know me end up finding out that I'm way more I'm actually way more introverted than what you see here on the podcast. Me and my wife stick to ourself. We stay home, we don't do a lot. I mean, we're actually homebodies and we're very boring. One thing you're going to find out about me is we're very boring.
Daniel Yoder:You wouldn't believe how much I'm like that. Listen, before I joined the military, I would walk through a store and my face would turn bright red.
Daniel Yoder:I was so embarrassed I was afraid to talk to people when I actually went to do it. Some other time I've had some incredibly like the most embarrassing things happen in the military. Like you, you just can't imagine, like you can't make this stuff up and it's like. But it helped shape me and that's one of the reasons why I'm doing what I'm doing, not because I've done anything special, but just take it as it comes and God will use it. But I think we need to wrap this up.
Shannon:Well, I'm going to say a quick prayer, if you don't care, and then we'll end it and I'll chat with you for just a second or two and we'll get off of here. But I still believe in the power of prayer and I believe that prayer is an important part of our faith and our showing of our faith. So, if you don't care, I'll say a quick say, a quick word Sounds good. All right, lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for the opportunity to just share in the testimony that Daniel's shared here with us. The first thought that comes to mind is Stephen and his widowed wife. I would ask that you'd be with them, encourage them and let his testimony shine and give them comfort and all that they need.
Shannon:It's our responsibility to help in those areas and we acknowledge that, and Daniel's really stepped up to the plate. So I'd ask that you bless his business and all that he's doing and just continue to give us opportunity to serve you in all that we do doing and, um, uh, just continue to give us um opportunity to serve you and all that we do, whether it be through testimony, stories, helping other businesses, helping ourselves, um, as a worthy endeavor. God you've made us. So, there's nothing wrong with uh. With uh, you know, asking for business, asking for whatever's necessary. You, you, want to see us all succeed and you'll put us on the path for what that will look like in this industry or another Lord. So, I ask you to bless Daniel for having the courage to be here today and tell a story. Be a light to his path as he continues to seek best business practices and how to move forward. Do that for all of us, lord. Do that for all of us. We humbly come to you and ask for your mercies and your guidance in Jesus' name Amen.
Daniel Yoder:Amen.
Shannon:My brother, I appreciate you. It means a lot that you would be willing to step up and share here with us today and I'm going to any final message that you want to give.
Daniel Yoder:Drawing a blank. But really my desire is to become less, bring glory and honor to God. Ultimately, the question I sometimes find myself asking is if I died today, have I done the best with what I knew? I don't want to be known for somebody that has just been meandering through and kind of did like have I put my best foot forward with what I have? Have I done that? Not in work, in my relationship, you know, family, what does that look like? So, I think about that sometimes and I'm challenged by it.
Daniel Yoder:And you know I just read the other day help me to number our days. I forget the rest of the verse, but I think just having that and I was also talking to somebody about how you know, for those of us that are saved, we have a relationship with the Lord. Holy Spirit lives in us, but when we read his word it's like it activates what's in us. So that's the key we, we, if we don't activate and we just kind of. You know, I don't ever want to just go through life and just yeah.
Shannon:Daniel's been. It's been excellent. I hope you guys were blessed by listening to this today. We certainly appreciate you listening always. Go check out all the things we do, all the people that we serve. Go buy some of their stuff. It helps us keep doing this and gives them the encouragement to keep working with us. So, tell them the Shed Geeks sent you. I ain't afraid to ask that. I hope you're not afraid to receive that. It means so much, Daniel.