Dear colleagues and owners in the Buddhist Columbarium industry!

Are you still racking your brains about "selling niches"?
Are you still figuring out how to sell a single Buddhist Columbarium for a higher price?
Let me tell you, if your mindset remains stuck on making money by "selling the product itself," your path will only get narrower! Future competition is not about individual products at all!

In the past, we considered the Buddhist Columbarium the final product. Once a client purchased it, our service was essentially over. But this is precisely the biggest misconception! Think about it: are clients who choose to place their loved one's ashes with us merely seeking a physical space? Absolutely not!
They are entrusting us with profound grief, a hope for the deceased's peace, and, on a deeper level, a belief that the unique sacred space of our Buddhist Columbarium, imbued with Buddhist culture – through offerings, sutra chanting, and Dharma listening – can help the deceased eliminate karmic obstacles and attain a favorable rebirth!
This is the client's true, underlying need!

Therefore, today's Buddhist Columbarium should not just be a product; it must become a gateway, a connection point! Through this niche, we gather a clientele that highly trusts us. And then? Can we generate new value around this trust and deep-seated need?
Do you think clients who have chosen your Buddhist Columbarium need professional psychological counseling to ease their grief? Do they need to learn more about Buddhist rites for salvation and blessings? Do they need a convenient online memorial platform? Might they even be interested in services related to legacy planning and family commemoration?
Selling these services directly from a booth next to the niches would be inappropriate, right? But offering them through our service system, member community, and online platform – doesn't that feel natural?
This is Cross-Industry Thinking – extending from your core business (ash placement) to meet deeper, broader client needs, forming a composite profit model.

Now, let's discuss something even more core – Ecological Thinking.
Please remember this formula: Making Money = Resources + Management.
What does it mean? In ancient times, men went out hunting and brought the game home – this was acquiring Resources. Women at home turned the game into delicious meals – this was Management. The combination of both ensured survival and development.
Applied to our Buddhist Columbarium industry, what are Resources? They are your venue, your Columbarium products, your brand, your clients, and even the unique cultural or service capabilities you possess. What is Management? It's how you utilize these resources to provide services that exceed client expectations, conveying unique cultural value and spiritual solace.
But the biggest issue for many owners is constantly feeling that "resources are scarce."

I once met an owner who said he needed a General Manager. I asked what his requirements were.
He said: First, highly competent! I said that makes sense.
Second, preferably brings their own team, ready to deliver immediately! I said okay.
Third, high loyalty, won't leave after a short time! I agreed.
Fourth... best if they can invest some money to show commitment, say 20%!
I thought to myself, is your company profitable now? He said, not really... So, an unprofitable company, yet demands high competence, a ready team, high loyalty, AND an investment...
I held back and asked if there were more requirements.
He actually said: "Best if they also have an existing client network and can bring business directly!"
I really wanted to feel his forehead and ask if he had a fever. I told him: "Boss, you don't need a General Manager; you need a deity!" If someone were that capable and had all that, why would they work with you? That's just wishful thinking!

Everyone, real resources are often scattered! One person might be deeply knowledgeable about Buddhist Dharma, another might excel in end-of-life care, and another might have extensive contacts with potential clients needing a Columbarium.

What defines an entrepreneur?
An entrepreneur doesn't create something from nothing but integrates! It's about effectively combining the diverse resources already present in society, making them generate 1+1>2 value!
Your resources are assembled piece by piece, not by waiting for a "perfect" person or resource to fall from the sky!

Now, let's talk about Ecology. Think about it: Can a cow grow strong and fat just by being skilled and diligent at eating grass? No! The key lies in which grassland it's on!
If the grassland is lush with water and grass and has a pleasant climate, the cow can thrive with moderate effort. But if the grassland just had a sandstorm and a six-month drought, leaving it barren, what use is it if the cow practices eating dirt 24/7, never sleeping? It would just be eating sand!
Today's business environment is like this potentially damaged grassland. With more players and intensifying competition, relying solely on "internal cultivation" (like optimizing internal management, improving sales skills) has diminishing returns.
Why? Because the Business Ecology has changed!
So, you can't just keep your head down, striving hard in your own "cow pen." You must look up and see the "grassland" you're on! You need to think about how to improve your surrounding Ecological Environment, how to cultivate "external skills"!

For example, suppose you have 10 million RMB, and your mausoleum project needs exactly 10 million. What would you do? Invest all 10 million directly into it?
Many in the past would say "yes." But someone with Ecological Thinking would say: "Don't!"
Why? When you invest all your money into yourself, your company only has your resources as the owner and one mode of thinking.
But if you try another way: Split the 10 million into 10 parts of 1 million each, investing in or forming deep partnerships with 10 related upstream/downstream or cross-industry partners – like excellent funeral service teams, professional Buddhist service providers, life education organizations, fellow Columbarium operators with channel resources, etc.
Just think: wouldn't you instantly connect with 10 different teams, 10 different models, 10 channel networks, 10 brand resources, and the wisdom of 10 bosses?
In the future, if you need talent, couldn't you look among or get recommendations from these 10 partners? If you need to optimize service processes, couldn't you learn from their experiences? Wouldn't new collaboration opportunities arise more easily?
Conversely, if your own project needs 10 million, don't always think about funding it yourself. You can also design a good cooperation model to attract 10 partners who endorse your vision and can bring resources, each investing 1 million.
Through this give-and-take, from its inception, your enterprise isn't an isolated point but instantly possesses a small-scale Resource Agglomeration with 20 (10+10) nodes! This is the underlying logic behind internet giants like Lei Jun, who invested in hundreds of companies before founding Xiaomi! They first built a vast Resource Ecology!

So, what is the core of Ecological Thinking? Two words: Flow!
Just like bananas from Filipino farmers and small commodities from Yiwu bosses – if they cannot flow, the bananas rot on the trees, the goods pile up in warehouses, and neither side benefits. Only when they flow, through mutual exchange, does value generate, allowing everyone to prosper.
Our Buddhist Columbarium industry especially needs Flow! What should we set in motion?
Let Care Flow: From us to clients, soothing their hearts.
Let Culture Flow: Let the wisdom of Buddhism concerning life, rebirth, and compassion flow, offering inspiration and strength.
Let Resources Flow: Break down walls between companies, letting resources like Dharma masters, services, clients, and specialized talent flow, empowering each other.
Let Remembrance and Blessings Flow: Through our services, allow the sentiments of the living to be寄托 (entrusted) and conveyed.

In the past, the Qiao Family Compound advocated "remittance exchange across the land," making silver flow. Jack Ma's eWTP aims to make goods flow globally. And we are committed to making the Love, Wisdom, Resources, and Services of our industry flow effectively!

Therefore, colleagues, please break free from the mindset fixated solely on "how much one Buddhist Columbarium sells for"!
Don't always think about how to increase Revenue; first, consider how to use your product and service to build a Gateway full of trust and care, gathering more people with shared needs and values.
Don't always think about how to control Costs; think more about which links can be handled through Cooperation, Outsourcing, or even Elimination, focusing on your core strengths.
Most importantly, examine your enterprise through the lens of Ecological Thinking! Proactively connect, integrate, and create a (benignly interacting) "small grassland." Dismantle barriers, let resources flow, and maximize value!

When you truly begin to think and act for the prosperity of the entire ecology, you will find that making money is really just a natural outcome.
This is not only an innovation in business models but also reflects the vision and responsibility inherent in our work, which carries the dignity of life and humanistic care!

Remember, your vision determines your outcome!