Are you still stuck in the endless cycle of just selling Buddhist Columbarium spaces? Still trying to compete with rivals solely on price and location? Let me be clear: the columbarium industry has moved far beyond that old game!

Today, I'll reveal the underlying logic that can double your profits—or even help you build a hands-off income system: The Platform Mindset!

Many friends in the Buddhist Columbarium business, are you finding it increasingly difficult? Does it seem like clients are fewer, marketing costs are higher, and profit margins are thinner? Let's think about it: how do traditional memorial halls and columbarium companies typically operate?

You invest heavily in building a mausoleum, buying land, doing high-end renovations, hiring a large sales team, and obtaining various permits—all just to painstakingly sell individual 'niches.' Yes, it's like opening a physical store: the employees are yours, the venue is yours, the utilities are your responsibility, and the salaries come from your pocket. All the heavy assets and operational burdens fall squarely on you.

But have you ever wondered why companies like Alibaba can achieve profit margins as high as 70%? Do they run their own stores? Manufacture their own products? Manage their own warehouses and logistics? Rarely! They built a platform where countless merchants open stores and sell goods. The merchants handle operations, while the platform provides the space, rules, and traffic, taking a cut from the transactions.

Here is the core idea: They 'outsourced' and 'eliminated' massive costs from the very beginning!

So, what inspiration can we draw from this for our columbarium industry?

Our Buddhist Columbarium is not merely a physical space for ashes. It carries the grief for departed loved ones and embodies profound cultural and spiritual beliefs. Especially the Buddhist Columbarium, which originates from Buddhism, emphasizes making offerings, listening to sutras, and attending Dharma services to eliminate the karma of the deceased and help them attain a favorable rebirth. This itself is a highly valuable 'field' with deep spiritual needs.

So, can we transform our columbarium company from a simple 'niche seller' into a 'platform' that serves the deceased and connects the living with relevant service providers?

Imagine this:

• You provide high-quality columbarium facilities that comply with rituals—this is the foundation of your platform.

• You integrate and introduce professional ritual service teams (e.g., cooperative temple monks, professional masters). When families need services like chanting, prayers, or blessing ceremonies, they can book them through your platform. You earn a service coordination fee or commission.

• You connect quality funeral service providers, memorial service planners, and grief counselors. They can offer one-stop services to your clients through your platform. You vet partners to ensure quality and earn referral fees or partnership revenue.

• You develop, or partner to develop, online memorial platforms, e-tablets, and cloud visiting services, allowing families to pay respects from anywhere, creating added value.

• You can even integrate sellers of related memorial items and offering supplies (like flowers, incense, sutras, custom souvenirs) to join your online or offline platform.

Look: the 'stores' (service providers) are run by others, the 'staff' (service personnel) are hired by others, the ritual instruments and offerings might be supplied by others, and the salaries are paid by others. What does that have to do with you? You just need to build this platform, maintain the rules, and serve both end-users (families and partners) well. When a transaction or service occurs, you profit!

With this model, do you still need to employ so many salespeople? Do you still need to struggle with various non-core operations? Doesn't your company become 'lighter'? Doesn't your profit potential expand?

This is just the first step, called 'Platformization.' But next, are your profit sources really limited to columbarium sales and service commissions?

You must break free from the 'Main Business' trap! What is the main business? It's the one that makes you abundant money! If selling niches itself isn't highly profitable now, why cling to it so desperately?

Consider 'Cross-Industry Profitability':

Who are your clients? They are people with certain financial means, who value funeral arrangements, are filial, and have faith. Besides purchasing a columbarium niche, what other needs might they have?

• They might need financial planning and insurance services, especially concerning inheritance and wealth transfer. Can you connect them with reliable financial institutions or advisors?

• They might be interested in health and wellness. Can you organize relevant lectures, events, or connect them with related health products and services?

• They might be interested in traditional culture, Chinese classics, or meditation. Can you provide related courses or experiential activities?

Your columbarium becomes an 'entry point,' attracting a specific demographic. Around this group, you can build a small 'ecosystem,' providing various products and services they might need that align with your brand. At this point, you are no longer just a columbarium company; you are a comprehensive service platform centered around 'Life Care and Cultural Heritage'!

You might say, building a platform and ecosystem sounds great, but it requires investment! Where does the money come from?

This leads to two other vast goldmines most traditional bosses overlook: The Capital Market and The Entrepreneurship Market.

In the past, we were used to keeping our heads down and investing our own money. Now, it's time to change perspective:

1. Capital Market (Equity Financing): Have you considered that your well-designed columbarium platform business model itself holds significant value? The notion that 'wealth comes through equity' is widely accepted today. Many people have idle money and want to invest in promising, defensible projects that align with social trends. Your project,承载着文化, faith, and end-of-life care, if it has a clear model and bright prospects, can absolutely attract external investors. Use other people's money to develop your venture! This is primary market financing. The raised capital not only solves funding issues but can also bring resources and credibility.

2. Entrepreneurship Market (Model Replication/Franchising): How many people in China today want to start a business or change careers? More than you can imagine! Many see potential in the life care industry but don't know how to start. Can your successful model be turned into a replicable package for others to 'franchise' or become your 'city partners' or 'regional agents'?

It's like the story of the pedicurist who started in multi-level marketing. She couldn't sell face masks, but found a market selling 'distribution rights' and 'business opportunities.' Why? Because everyone wants to be a boss and seize an opportunity to change their destiny!

You can license your operational systems, service standards, and brand to them, letting them develop new regional markets or handle specific services. You provide management and the brand; they invest capital and effort. This allows for rapid expansion, earning you brand licensing fees, management fees, or revenue shares. Isn't this much faster and less risky than painstakingly opening branches yourself?

Fellow colleagues in the columbarium industry, let's summarize the core points:

Stop trapping yourself solely in the 'Consumer Market,' fighting countless competitors for scraps in the same overfished pond! That market is flooded. For 20,000 fish, there might be 20,000 or even more anglers. It's too crowded!

You need to step out and see the other two massive markets:

• Use the 'Platform Mindset' and 'Ecosystem Building' to enhance the profitability and resilience of your existing business. Turn the columbarium into an 'entry point' and provide diversified, cross-industry services around client needs.

• Connect with the 'Capital Market,' using equity financing to have more people invest in you, accelerating development.

• Embrace the 'Entrepreneurship Market,' using model replication and franchising to have more people expand the market for you, achieving exponential growth.

The future of business competition is essentially a battle for 'entry points' and 'users'! Whoever captures users and builds their own platform and ecosystem will remain unbeatable!

So, for your columbarium enterprise, will you continue to struggle in the crowded pond, or will you upgrade your mindset to build your own platform and ecosystem that generates continuous value?

Think about it. What will your next step be?