I didn’t plan to start my podcast that day. In fact, I had just made a hard decision to close one of my businesses - the one that had been draining my energy for months. I had also let go of a team member, someone I really liked, but I knew deep down the direction was no longer right. I sat in silence, feeling a strange mix of grief and relief. No clear answers, just space.

And then - the phone rang.

A stranger named Daniel Johnson called me to ask if I needed help… with my trash bins. That’s how it started. I almost laughed from the randomness of it. But the moment didn’t feel random at all. That one call led to the first episode of Dare Mastery.

In this episode, I got on the phone with Daniel Johnson - a serial entrepreneur with a clear mind, a calm energy, and a talent for solving niche but real problems. His company Crew helps short-term rental owners avoid fines and bad reviews by handling one unglamorous task: trash bin logistics.

We talked about how he got into this business, why simplicity scales, and how he’s using AI to acquire up to 100 new customers per day through high-leverage, human-centered cold outreach.

Daniel used to run three companies at once. A vacation rental management company. A Turo fleet. A real estate portfolio. From the outside, it looked like success. From the inside, it was nonstop stress - 50 different things that could break or go wrong at any given moment. Eventually, he hit his own personal limit and made a choice most founders avoid: he let go.

Now he’s building something tighter, more focused - and surprisingly scalable.

The Crew model is simple. They use a mobile app to match short-term rental properties with gig workers who pull out trash bins and return them after collection. That’s it. A narrow problem, solved consistently. And because it’s narrow, the sales process is extremely targeted. No wasted time. No vague pitches.

But what really makes it work? The way Daniel’s team uses AI to turn warm contact lists into live daily conversations. It’s an AI cold calling system that dials multiple numbers at once, skips voicemails, and routes the first real connection to a team member instantly. They’re not pushing. They’re introducing themselves to Airbnb hosts with a relevant offer. Some days that means 30 conversations. Other days, 100+ signups.

Daniel doesn’t scale by doing more. He scales by doing less, better. And that’s the shift I keep seeing in conversations with founders who’ve outgrown the hustle phase. They’re not chasing noise - they’re getting sharp, staying in their lane, and building models that don’t burn them out.

If you’re navigating a similar transition - simplifying, refocusing, or trying to grow without adding chaos - this episode is worth a listen.

Sometimes, sustainable success doesn’t start with a pitch deck.

Sometimes it starts with a quiet decision… and a call about trash bins.