Transcript
Speaker: the core is know not right.
Speaker: everyone and welcome to another episode of the Glam Reaper podcast. Well, today i am fangirly a little bit. I have the very famous, the very fabulous Dan the funeral man joining us live on the podcast today. dan welcome.
Speaker: Thank you. i appreciate it Glad to be here. Dan, you have. OK, so we're going to get into, you know, the background of how all this began and stuff like that. But I actually followed you from before the viralness of Dan. You're always great at um explaining, you know, funerals.
Speaker: It's kind of just making it norm, which is something we're a big fan of at the Glamoury Perfodcast, right? Like I've started 18 years ago. I've never been a funeral director, but I absorb every piece of information I can. And I try to relay it in a very human Joe on the street kind of a way. um And not scary, right? Because a lot of us, at like the funeral profession, are kind of pitched as a lurch from the Addams family kind of a way. And then like 99.9% of them are not in any way like that. And I felt like that's exactly what you did on TikTok, on Instagram. It was answering people's very normal questions about a time that can be very, very scary and intimidating. Tell us, I guess, bring us back to the beginning, right? Like let's let's that's go all the way back.
Speaker: Right. What brought you into funeral service? Did you grow up in it? I mean, tell us. Yeah, no, I didn't. um my I didn't know what I wanted to do as far as a career. My grandmother died. I was going to college at Youngstown State here in Ohio.
Speaker: And I was curious about behind the scenes of funeral service when my grandma passed away. So my grandfather knew the funeral home owner and I got a part-time job there to see if it's something I might be interested in. At first I was a little squeamish. Like I remember They're calling hours and there's a body right there and I'm vacuuming, like, get me out of here, you know. you know ah Kind of freaky at first, but as i I continued to do it, it grew on me and I really enjoyed it, helping people. And i I saw it as something that I can make a career out of. So I decided to go to mortuary school at Cincinnati after I went to Youngstown State, got some entry-level classes, transferred over to mortuary school.
Speaker: So that's a real 180. Tell us a little bit more about that. like So you're you're hoovering, as we say in Ireland, or vacuuming um a beside a cuff, a casket, a body in a casket. And you're like, oh my God, this is... And I do think people have that a little more. I'm glad you've said it, actually, because I think a lot more funeral professionals who didn't grow up in the business have that moment.
Speaker: But tell me how you went from that screamish, like, holy crap moment to going to mortuary school. That's a bit of a big... Right. Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't even dissect a fraud in middle school. So, I mean, now, you know, I'm an ebomber. So I completely did a 180. And, you know, i it took some time. I mean, I went and did transfers, you know, for people's loved ones. And like my first one was like an automobile accident. It's like, I don't even know. you know like I can do it. So it did. It was a process to kind of get not sense, get used to it, but like, hey, this is you know what you're going to see. And, you know, it my stomach got a little thicker and and everything. And and i I just gradually ah decided to go in some mortuary school.
Speaker: Yeah, but so from from the kid, I guess, quite literally peeking behind the curtain at your grandmother's funeral to then being faced with bodies of of all kinds. And I mean, accidents can be some of the worst, I know. Were you just massively into this this role or into this, you knew it was kind of a calling i to to keep going with it? Because it is, it's a very tough thing.
Speaker: business to be in. And a lot of people don't realize that, you know, and the funeral profession, I feel like has been pitched in the media, which we're kind of anti that in the Glam Reaper podcast. is it's been pitched as everyone is just gold diggers trying to like rob families of their last pennies and, you know, don't care and are very cold hearted. And to me, I have not seen anything that couldn't be further from the truth.
Speaker: But for you to keep going and persisting on doing transfers and then getting to mortuary school, what made you keep doing that? Yeah, no, I definitely do look at it as a calling. It definitely is a rewarding career. I saw that, you know, the way the families appreciate us helping them during the difficult time.
Speaker: And I saw the aspect of when you're able to make someone's loved one look like the family knew them and they come up to you at the end and it's like, thank you for making my mom or dad.
Speaker: look like this. I remember in my apprenticeship, I tell this story when people ask me why I do what I do. i was early on in my career after mortuary school and and a mother lost her her son.
Speaker: was tragic. We had lot of reconstruction she wanted to see him again and and they wanted to serve us pretty quickly. And you know I stayed up all hours of the night to do reconstruction and make her son look like he used to.
Speaker: And she came up to me at the end of the services said, Dan, thank you for allowing me to see my son how I knew him. And that right there is why you keep going and do what we do as female directors.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah. And was mortuary school easy for you? Did you, you know, was it tricky? Because I know there's a lot of students that will tune into us here. Yeah. Yeah, no, it was very hard. I mean, I'm not the smartest guy. I mean, I really struggled um with like anatomy and chemistry and stuff. the you know, chemistry, I mean, the balming fluids already mixed. Like, why do we have thano chemistry? You know, but they they have it. So it was a challenge. I mean, I early on, I'm like, I don't know how I'm going to get through this. But, you know, my family was real supportive. My parents came down early on and encouraged me and helped me with slash cards and studying and everything. So.
Speaker: It was a little more difficult ah for me, but you got through it. You got through it. You got there in the end. And and Dan, the funeral man of the future. Thanks. tank Thanks, Dan, in the past for showing up. And I think we actually have a mutual friend in common, Carrie the Mortician.
Speaker: Yes, we went to school together. Yeah, she's great. Yeah, she's wonderful. She came in toward our funeral home. We did a video together here about year and a half ago. And we'll be chatting again. She wants to get together for like the podcast again. so Nice, nice. Yeah, she's them she's she's a a dear friend. And we had her on the podcast early on, actually, um early yeah on.
Speaker: So um and she's got her own career in social media and she was one of the originals, the OGs in talking to people. So, OK, so fast forward. and So student Dan. So, you know, child Dan peeks behind the gardens. Then student Dan went to college, got through it, got your mortician's license. And so you started working in a funeral home. But you now own your own funeral home.
Speaker: So tell us a little bit about that. Yeah, I worked um you know for a couple different funeral homes in Ohio. I moved to away to Virginia Beach as well. I sold some pre-need insurance for several funeral homes down there.
Speaker: And I decided to come back to the area. In fact, my grandfather, who kind of got me into the business, he passed away. And it kind of got me realizing the importance of family. And my family's not going to be here forever. So I kind of wanted to move back to the area.
Speaker: And I got a job again with the the funeral home I had worked prior under my apprenticeship in a few years. and But it's always been my desire to kind of own my own funeral home. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and kind of put some feelers out and made that happen here six years ago. Start Memorial Funeral in Salem, Ohio.
Speaker: Very good. Well, congratulations, first of all. And and second of all, and that that even in and of itself is something I don't think we talk about enough is there's a lot of funeral directors out there who it's been in the family generationally and it's been passed down and I think it's one thing to have your funeral director's license. OK, and depending on state and country and we've a lot of international people who listen to this, but depending on state and country, you don't have to have one or you have to have one, whatever. I encourage everyone to have some form of training. But but the next step is owning your own business.
Speaker: is a a whole job in and of itself, right? Like have a business degree, like it's being an entrepreneur or owning a business. There needs to be some of that. And so sometimes it's when it's handed down, typically father to son, sometimes we're getting father to daughter nowadays. But, yeah um you know, when it's handed down, they're training them in the funeral aspect, but not necessarily in the business aspect. And then, you know, not everyone is equipped to be a business owner.
Speaker: Right. It's not easy, right? Yeah, no it definitely isn't. I mean, it it's it's definitely a learning curve. I mean, I just did a video. Hey, it was like a trend. Like, you know, I didn't have no pen and paper, you know, press record. like But I mean, that's what it is. Like, I mean, there's no...
Speaker: really footprint. I mean, just kind of just get in in the trenches and kind of I'm still learning as you go. ah But yeah, no, it's it's a lot to manage, you know, managing employees. And then not only you have to be a director, meet with families, there's a lot of behind the scenes, you know, making sure your books are in order and, you know, everything with to keep a business afloat, yeah expenses and things like that.
Speaker: They kind of keep you up at night. So as an employee, you kind of do your job and and go home. But as an owner, you know, you're you're working really around the clock because you're you're trying to make sure everything is good for the good of the company because you're feeding a lot of people and people depend on it.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, you're your finance department, your marketing department, your public relations department, your operations, all of things. And then on top of that, you have social media, which I've often joked with my team that it's a full time job in and of itself. it's a full time not very good at it.
Speaker: Yeah. So how do you find the time to do all these things? Do you have do you do you hire out certain things do you contract out like marketing or social, you know, some form of of help or do you do everything?
Speaker: it's primarily myself. I'm slowly trying to get some help, like help with some of the backend stuff. And, uh, because it is, it is a full-time job to, you know, run a funeral home. And this is turning into a business as social media in itself, where I'm shipping urns around the world.
Speaker: You know, I'm doing podcasts like every other day, you know, like it's, it's a lot to manage. Um, so I definitely need some help, but you know The help can only do so much. like I'm the the face to do these videos. and yeah you know I think of the content and the ideas and and finding the trending things. so you you stood That still takes time. that you know I do a lot after hours when the kids go to bed. Finding content.
Speaker: Getting it ready. but It's just trying to find the time to record and and everything. is you know I have to meet families and do funerals. so There's only so many hours of a day to do these things. it' That's a lot to manage.
Speaker: and And before we get into sort of the the content, and you have a wife and two two kids, I think. Yes. How do they feel about everything? Yeah. um so So my wife hates dead people. She's scared of them. So it's a perfect fit. We've been married for 10 years now. So um but yeah, she's she's adapting. She does help me but behind, you know, helps with um some paying the bills and some marketing, you know, more in the community events type thing.
Speaker: Yeah. My kids are are starting to understand what daddy does. My you know, they we send people to heaven. That's what but they're asking more questions. They like kind of engaging in a little bit and being in some of my tick talks.
Speaker: So it's fun, you know, getting them to do some friends and things like that. So. We'll see. you Maybe, though, I nicknamed since birth my daughter's name Mabel, so she's Mabel the mortician, so she has to take it over. I mean, I got to get a trend, or I got to get the the handles on social media now and get her her own page.
Speaker: You have to get that now. I mean, you've got to move fast on these things. They go fast. And especially with dawn of celebrity pets now all the pets are, you know, Pat the Pug. You've got to get those handles from the day of birth at this point. It's getting... Yeah, but my wife, she's not a big social media person, so she's having some tough time to adapt into all this sudden fame. And some of the things I do, she just kind of rolls her eyes like, what?
Speaker: You know, so she's a i'm sure it's a work in progress. Yeah. Yes. Well, the fact that she's afraid of dead people and doesn't like social media. How is this marriage still working? I know they say opposites attract the peri. There you go. There you go. She brings you back to reality. And, you know, the puzzle.
Speaker: I love that. I love that. So, OK, so I as I said, I followed you from the beginning. But tell the listener, like, when was the post that shot it all out of the universe?
Speaker: Yeah, so just a little backstory and I'll get to that. So, you know, as you said, you know, i was always doing social media. ah Primarily starting when I bought the funeral and they were in the dark ages. So it was mainly the Stark Memorial Facebook page and everything. And then um about a year ago, I created Dan the Funeral Man on TikTok just to reach a younger demographic, make ah a little more relatable and not as depressing because as you said, people have this perception that it's an Adams family, you know, down the hall to the left, dark circles on their eyes, gray hair, you know, this creepy mortician.
Speaker: And I was just trying to show people that, you know, we can let loose, have fun and relatable as well as continuing to do the education and showing people behind the scenes, being a little more transparent. So, yeah And I created this Dan the Funeral Man to have a little more fun. I mean, the word fun is in funeral. And so I started doing these trending audio, lip syncs and a little dancing, but relating it to funeral service and yeah started to get some followers. and And then shortly after I created my personal Instagram, the Dan the Funeral Man, and started posting some of the same things there. And and that started growing rather rapidly. And
Speaker: But um it all changed March twenty third I mean, it's crazy. it's it's It seems like it's been forever. Wow. ah But I saw a trending audio with ah like a one-way song.
Speaker: And, you know, it was mainly girls taking a product and like walking with it and i have A lot of my good ideas happen at night and I just kind of tabled it when and when I'm bed and we got busy and I'm like, I'm going to do that. Finally, what that March 23rd, Saturday, we're a little slower and ah I grabbed the butterfly off the shelf and just did the walk with it.
Speaker: I'm like, oh, this is going to either go one or two ways. People are going to get mad and say I'm being disrespectful. What's this yeah guy doing? And I'll take it down and or people going to love it. And it just blew off. The comments were just crazy. Like, this is unbelievable. We want more earns like we would just can't just give us one. So.
Speaker: I'm like, man, I might be onto something here. or So that week I did like like three, I didn't call it the fashion and show then, but I just did three urn walks with different urns that week. And it just kept getting views and everything.
Speaker: And then people started with like wanting to buy these urns. And I'm like, well, I didn't think I was going to be selling urns online around the world. So I'm like, I got to meet the demand. I mean, people were wanting to buy these. So I got fashion.com and had an urn store and started selling.
Speaker: And people were in the comments, like this business that it's turned into, I listened to the consumer in the comments. they like, hey, do you have any leopard? So I outsourced. I got somebody that's sending me leopard urns.
Speaker: Do you have pink leopard? Okay, well, yeah, could we do pink? So I kept getting all these urns and like, getting them here and doing these fashion shows yeah and it became a weekly show i try to do a weekly with urns and i'm selling them around the world and then it really kind of hit the next level because people are like well you sell casket well yeah i'm a funeral home i sell casket yeah pink casket pink well there's a company i knew had to a pink casket So I did, you know, and then people wanted a red carpet. So I got a red carpet. I got stanched. So it's like a legit runway. So and I changed clothes like it's before it's turning into like an actual fashion fashion show. yeah
Speaker: So, so, and then it really hit next level when I did the the walk with a pink casket that now has 27 million views on Tik TOK and like 23 million views on Instagram.
Speaker: And I just, I mean, million, you know I'm getting a million view video like couple times a week and it just continues to grow. And that's, I got more followers. I had like 2,200 followers on Instagram. Now I have like 85 and over a hundred on Tik TOK.
Speaker: And since March. So, wow, wow, wow, wow. And it's, you know, and and for funeral professionals listening to this or anybody else listening to this, like, let's be clear, like this is wonderful and you're doing a wonderful thing for the profession because you are dealing with it in a lighthearted way.
Speaker: and hitting people before it happens before it's at need before they're needing your services right and which i think is a great thing and and so they can be a bit more receptive to it obviously you're going to hit people who are on tiktok and instagram who are currently grieving and bereaved and unfortunately there's no there's no way to avoid that right because it's it's like speaking to a mass audience like Like i heard somebody say, you know, oh, I only have 500 people following me on TikTok or on Instagram or something. I think it was Gary Vee or something. And he said, you stand in front of 500 people. Does that feel small? Like, stop thinking of it so like constantly like looking at the bigger numbers. Like you have to just be there for the people who are are already following you because they're already invested. And I just think it's so important to what you're doing is great. um Also, obviously, you've turned this now into a kind of ah a side business, which i think is also great because you're, as you said, listening to the consumer. But what a lot of people don't realize is ah and maybe our if you're comfortable to talk to it, talk to it.
Speaker: is you can make money off these videos that as well. Like so you've got an income that's and I wish more funeral directors would think a little bit more of their business like a business. Yes, we're all here for compassion, but it's the same way as hospitals. Hospitals are there to make us feel better, but they also run as businesses.
Speaker: Yeah, no, absolutely. You know, i when I started this, I didn't really think this would turn into a business, but yeah essentially it is. um Unfortunately, not everyone buys into it. I mean, most of a lot of the hate I did are from actual field directors.
Speaker: um because they feel sometimes that maybe this isn't right. Some of this stuff was unethical or not right. ah But I beg to differ. I mean, the the perception I get on in the comments that I'm helping people through their grief that I lost somebody, people say they haven't smiled.
Speaker: like this in years, you know, we're changing narrative. Um, and I can only go by what I'm hearing from the consumer and, and the funeral business, they, they want to continue doing the same old marketing, in the yellow pages yeah and, in the church bulletins. Well, this is a new marketing. This is century. People are online.
Speaker: And if I could reach a next generation doing these things and they're seeing the reason people want to buy urns for me around the world is because they like how I'm presenting it.
Speaker: You know, they like what I'm doing. And because it's never been presented like this ever in funeral service. So like you said, I feel like I'm changing. Death care that. Yeah. For the good, I think.
Speaker: And multiple companies, Batesville has reached out to me. The biggest casket manufacturing companies are reaching out. And FDA, I'm going to be speaking um for doing videos to promote the convention like so.
Speaker: If what I'm doing is not right, why are all these big players trying to reach out and work? Because they're seeing that it's different and it's resonating with the consumer. So yes, you can.
Speaker: this With cremation on the rise in the world, you need to find ways to make money to keep the business afloat. And if yeah I can sell, you know, 20 urns a month for people I would never serve in Salem, Ohio, around the world and, you know, get, you know, some other deals, marketing deals from social media, that's only good for your funeral business. You got to have different funnels today. you You just can't survive when cremation's 80% just relying on your local business.
Speaker: Yeah. And it's we actually I think it was back in one of our first episodes. and It was actually, I think, a long conversation with my dear friend, Larry Stewart, where we talked about how the profession is changing and funeral directors need to become more consultants and ex experts and share their information. And here's the thing.
Speaker: Again, back to they are businesses. Funeral homes are businesses. They have to turn on the lights. But the old model, business model is not working. And so what you have done is you are now giving information to people, right, free because you can just flick on TikTok and you can go and find your information, et cetera, et cetera. But you are still getting paid, right?
Speaker: The consumer is not paying you. You're getting paid from the amount of views and things like that. And so you're getting paid to keep on the lights and keep your business going. But consumers are getting this information for free. I mean, that's a win win as far as I'm concerned. Right. And, you know, it's wonderful to have all these big companies coming along and sporting and sponsoring and wanting. What does bug me, I will say, is these big corporations only latch on to things like and things and people like yourself when they've reached a certain level. And I wish I wish people, whether it's the NFDA or Batesville or Matthews or any of these people, I wish they would open their eyes to see even the micro influences because that's becoming a huge thing. And I am i think I'm what's it called? um Can and that happened in in France there recently where they were talking about sort of the next age and what's what's coming next is more micro influences like, yes, these huge names like the Alex Earls and stuff of the world.
Speaker: are becoming brands in and of themselves. But the people who have maybe a thousand or ten thousand followers like that's still an audience. And they're, you know, people are able to absorb that information for free, feel prepared going into a funeral home, not as scary seeing the likes of you, whether it's Carrie or Eileen from m Hollis Funeral Home, just people where they can get this information and not feel as scared. And shouldn't we all want that for for the consumer? Right. Like for our families.
Speaker: Yeah, no, absolutely. you know ah Eventually, I'm going to write a book about all this. It might be sooner later, but you know just the experience what the comments that I get is you there's days that you know it's hard to post. You're tired, and but but people ah are depending on it, and they rave about the way I'm portraying that fair experience. And they're like, yeah, I'm scared to die before you're helping me cope with that. I just had someone, you know, I'm at my demise.
Speaker: I just want to thank you, you know, for what you're doing. And I'm less scared now. It's like, you know, those are things that bring tears into my eyes. And, yeah you know, i mean, somebody i just did a birthday post. I hey, my my my friend, she follows you. She loves your content. Today's her birthday.
Speaker: Could you just do a video first? Like, I'm just a guy from small town in Ohio and somebody wants me to do a birthday. Like those things. It's like, wow.
Speaker: ah Yeah, it's kind of like, wait a second, what's up, Jangir? But isn't it, you know, and and look, and I do want to address the naysayers or the negatives. I mean, coming from Ireland, we we joke we have a lot of negative negative naysayers. You know, you're not supposed to have any notions, we call it, about yourself. So social media is a tougher, um it's a tougher climate in Ireland. But before we get to to the naysayers, what you do is obviously going to attract negative attention.
Speaker: But here's the thing. And I feel like every funeral director would say this. If they make a difference in one person's life, they've made a difference. And shouldn't we all strive to do that? And from the funeral directors I have met, whether it's via this podcast or in real life, um they've made a difference in multiple families and multiple people's lives because it is it's compassionate work. It's not always thankful work, but it is compassionate work. And it is typically a calling and it's beautiful work. What what everyone does.
Speaker: um And so what you're doing is just you're reaching more people in more corners of the world. And OK, you know, even I had a post that actually nothing to do with funerals, though, that went marginally viral for me. Right. And I just laughed because it was the comments were so divided in positive and negative. And the negative ones just made me laugh because it was just negativity for the sake of being negative. And the positive were just positive and whatever. And it was an opinion I posted. And you're never going to agree with 100% of the people of the world, whatever.
Speaker: Tell me about the negative comments you get. And is there one that did trouble you, that sort of did stick with you? Yeah, i mean it's very few and far in between that that I get negative.
Speaker: ah But I think the comments for these like beach fashion shows, like, you know, this guy's just a salesman, like a funeral director comment. Like, I own a funeral director um i own a funeral home, and, you know, you just look like the salesman to me.
Speaker: And, you know, we don't present it like that. You're like that. That's the one that hurt me the most because yeah I'm not a salesman. i mean, I didn't ask for people to buy these urns online. I just did a fun video just to be more relatable.
Speaker: Like yeah um I wasn't trying to sell but this urn. I was just trying to make a funny video that got people to laugh. So that that's not yeah it wasn't to sell. Yeah. Now I'm selling because people are asking to sell it, you know, but that that's not who I am. Like just to to be the salesman that just cared about himself on the line. And the interesting the interesting question or I would push back to the person who said that is, oh, have you never sold a casket or an urn?
Speaker: Because we're all sales people. If you're we're selling a service or a product, you're a salesperson. Right. So. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's just because they want to continue to do things their own way.
Speaker: Just wait for people to come in and say, i need an urn, someone died. Like yeah people and a lot of people in the country that like these, you know disco leopard and these leopards, I mean, they don't need an urn right now.
Speaker: yeah But eventually someone in their family is going to need an urn. And yeah I've reached them maybe 10 years in advance. So the full benefits of this fast urns might be 10, 15 years from now because people already got their urn picked out before they're going to die.
Speaker: Yeah, that they saw all online. So some of these orders, you know, I want that. i That's, you know, the the the stories are hilarious. Like, hey, if my family doesn't put me in this urn, I'm coming to hunt you like, you know, kill me now. I'm dead. Like people know what they want now, but they might not need it for 15 years.
Speaker: ah Exactly. And we hope that they won't. I mean, I won. um Well, actually, I didn't. This full transparency, I didn't win it. My friend won it at Passage's Pink Himalayan Salt Urn. I love those urns. Love, love, love those urns. And my friend won it in a competition and she knew I loved it so, so, so much. So she gave she gave it to me. and And I hope I won't need it for at least another 40 years. But it's there. Yeah. It might have disintegrated. It is biodegradable and it's solved. So i to say i yeah but that's OK.
Speaker: The point is there. And so tell us, Dan, um what is, I guess, well, first of all, on a smaller scale, what is the future for Dan the Funeral Man and Fashirin's?
Speaker: Yeah, so really, it's just getting started. I mean, you know, I've had a little bit of pushback and things like that, but, you know, I'm going to continue to post and educate and continue to grow my following. I mean, the sky's the limit. I mean, the way we're growing, i mean I mean, we could have a million followers in a year or so, you know, so and people are still engaged. I mean, Bashrooms is continuing to grow.
Speaker: ah people buying urns. And that's the other thing that's wild. and I mean, I get DMs a couple a day that, hey, I had my grandma or my dad for 10 years. You could do custom urns. Like we're doing a PlayStation controller urn right now. I have somebody that wanted like a New York Yankees urn.
Speaker: I could do anything with my connection to make something customized. So if anyone's interested in have than something custom, I mean, that's ah taken on a whole new level. They've booked everywhere and nobody has any of this. Actually, different things. It's going to grow and hopefully you know I can continue to change funeral service. you know This is more than just day in the funeral man or even growing my funeral home. This is changing death care for the good, for the future.
Speaker: The way people look at funeral directors and, you know, they might not buy an urn from me or they might not pre-plan with me. But something I said online, a funeral director should be happy. yeah If I said talk about pre-planning, one might be they're going to go to their local funeral home and pre-plan.
Speaker: So they shouldn't be throwing hate. They they they should be thanking me. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And what do you see as the future for the for the industry? I mean, do you think it's going to take I mean, it's a slow changer. She's a slow burner.
Speaker: Yeah, no, it's definitely changing. i mean, the people don't value actual funeral service anymore. They don't see a reason for it. And that's a shame because I think it helps with the grieving process.
Speaker: But people are obviously leaning more towards towards the direct cremation. So, you know, funeral service just has to find a way to adapt to continue to be able to operate. I think the smaller funeral homes are going to continue to get consolidated or just closed because there's no way you're surviving, you know, doing 50 calls a year, you know, 80% cremation rate.
Speaker: So I think you're going to see a lot more of that in here. That's five years. um okay all right well very interesting chatting with you dan the funeral man do your friends down the pub or whatever do they call you now dan the funeral man or is it still just dan it's it's still just dan i mean now now and again know they'll joke like dan the funeral man you know okay Well, listen, it's been an absolute pleasure having you and chatting with you. Lots of good information and and tidbits there to take away. So, yeah, thanks for joining us on the Glam Reaper. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me.
