Meet Danny Blacker

We recently connected with Danny Blacker and have shared our conversation below.

Danny, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

It took me quite a while to find my purpose in life. Had I been paying more attention while going through life, I would probably have recognized a theme in the way I approached problems.

At this point, I believe my purpose is to make the lives of others better through product design. I can recall when I was a kid, trying to solve problems by creating new, easier ways to achieve the same task. I was always problem-solving, even if solving the problem in my own special way took 10 times longer than just doing the thing. If it could be better, I wanted to make it so.

It wasn’t until I became an “adult” that I started getting validation from those around me that I might actually be good at solving people’s problems in a meaningful way. But I felt inadequate in my approach to solving these problems. So, as a 38-year-old with a wife and two kids, I decided to enroll at the University of Houston to study Industrial Design. It was there that I learned the skills and confidence to design with intention. Being surrounded by such talented teachers and fellow students, it felt right to be in this world of product design, with the potential to solve real-world problems.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m just a normal dude who wants to make the lives of others better. It’s as simple as that. A business I’ve been working on for a couple of years now is a brand called Function & Form, which aims to simplify home maintenance. Homes can be money pits, and it makes sense to me to try and keep that cost down as much as possible without sacrificing your sanity or having to become best friends with all the people at your local Home Depot.

The first product I’m working on is a device called AIRE, which will alert homeowners when their air filters need to be changed. There are a few devices available that offer this functionality, but I wanted to provide a unique perspective on it. I despise subscription models, and I believe that the promise of smart home technology hasn’t significantly improved people’s lives without substantial time and money investment. I’m creating a device that helps you save money on your electric bill, while also maintaining the air quality in your home, without becoming an intrusion on your everyday life. By not changing your filter at the right time, you could be spending up to 15% more on your electricity bill, and nobody needs all of that noise. You won’t need to download an app; there are no subscriptions, no Wi-Fi needed, and no proprietary anything – just the way it should be. It’s currently still in development, but each day I’m getting closer to a product that I think could really help people out in times of financial uncertainty while also helping to improve their home’s air quality.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Stay curious – I believe that by always asking questions, I gather more information to make better decisions moving forward. If you’re developing a product, learn how it’s made. Find something on eBay that interests you, buy it, and disassemble it. It will open up your world to different ways of solving problems, and it might just be the thing you were missing that gave you the confidence to move forward with an idea.

2. Learn when to stop – that could be when to stop pursuing an idea, when to stop learning about something, or when to simply take a mental break. When it comes to ideas, they’re not all meant to work out, and that’s OK. Don’t be so married to it that it blinds you from seeing other opportunities. When it comes to learning, sometimes you get stuck wanting to learn every little detail to ensure you start off on the right foot, but you never actually begin anything. Information is important, but experience is irreplaceable. And your health should take priority over all of it. I don’t care what the gurus say, you need balance in your life.

3. Reach out – Admittedly, I’m terrible at this, but almost every time I’ve managed to quit being antisocial, it’s paid off. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people who are doing the thing you want to do, or who are a step ahead of you. Even if they’re doing a completely different thing than you, it can be quite inspiring to hear their passion and the things they’ve been through along their journey. You’re not alone, although it may feel that way a lot of times.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I would say that it depends. In my opinion, there’s a threshold for areas that, once met, you can move on to your strengths. For example, if you can’t read or write, but you’re great at giving speeches, then reading and writing might be an area you need to improve. You don’t need to be great at it, or even that good, but enough to get you where you want to be.

I think it’s a much better use of time and energy to become proficient in the relevant skills that support your strengths to a usable level, and then continue developing your strengths. Your strengths will be your biggest differentiator compared to others. Did you know that Albert Einstein never clipped his toenails? No? Whelp, I just made that up. Why? Because no one talks about his personal hygiene, because no one gives a crap. But I’m willing to bet you know what E equals. That’s what people remember because that was his strength. Had he focused on things other than just physics, the world would have gotten a totally different —and arguably lesser —version of Albert.

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