Wayne Herring
00:00:0000:00:25
Hey, business builders. We're joined today by Jamie Connell. Jamie is a member of business builders, and Jamie is a 4th generation owner. He's a co owner with a cousin of Connell Funeral Home in Bethlehem, Sylvania. And Jamie, great to have you in our community. Great to have you to chat for a few minutes today about things that you're up to, things that you're creating. So yeah. Thanks for spending some time with us.
Jamie Connell
00:00:2600:00:28
Thanks for having me. Appreciate the invitation.
Wayne Herring
00:00:2900:00:39
Yeah. For sure. So, Jamie, no pressure, could be a big question, but you can also take it more shallow too. Who are you and why are you here?
Jamie Connell
00:00:4000:01:05
So first and foremost, I'm a father. I have, 3 boys, 14, 11, and 7. They're into all sorts of different sports. And so right now, 1st and foremost, I'm a father. I'm happy to drive them everywhere. Even more thrilled that they're good people and becoming their own little selves. So all good on that front. Next, I'm a husband.
Jamie Connell
00:01:0600:02:00
My wife and I are married for 16 years and we're very fortunate to be happy and healthy and having the the 3 boys that keep us busy. And then the the last piece would be a business owner. And that brings me to you. You know, I was introduced to to you and the group by Matt Culp, who we work with very closely and, really needed some guidance with vision and getting the vision to be put into work and put into place. And that's really why I'm here is to get better as a business owner and which is amazing is that not only have I done that and gotten better as a business owner from when I came in. There's still a lot of work to do, but from when I came in. But also, I've become a better father and a better husband because of it. You know, I'm definitely more focused.
Jamie Connell
00:02:0100:02:06
All those great things have come out of this group and and meeting you and and all the rest of the members.
Wayne Herring
00:02:0700:03:08
Super. Yeah. No. I so appreciate that you started off with being a dad. When I was considering building this community and finding people to join, you're the kind of person that I wanted to serve, somebody who is building a successful business, somebody who does care about profit and building something that can operate for at least periods of time, without them, it's something that we're we're all working to do as business builders, have an enterprise that is like its own thing, and we don't have to be on it all the time. But, also, yeah, definitely that I I was looking for people who wanted to live intentionally and believe that they could create their life intentionally and bring in different ingredients and components, because I thought that all of you would work together to share those ways that are are working for you, and you exemplify business builder. So yeah, I'm really glad you're here.
Jamie Connell
00:03:0800:03:52
I appreciate that. It's been it's been an amazing experience working with so many people that are brilliant in their own industry. And I always thought, well, I own a funeral home. There's nothing that I can really have in common from a business perspective with some of the members in the group. But really, what I'm discovering is I have a heck of a lot more in common with most of the members than I thought. Business is is business. And although there are different intricacies of different industries, you really can learn a lot from people that are working outside of your own industry. And I have learned quite a bit.
Jamie Connell
00:03:5200:03:58
And certainly, absorbed more than I'm giving. I'm working on that, but it definitely absorbed more than I'm giving.
Wayne Herring
00:03:5900:04:52
Well well, that's from your perspective. I'm not sure that other people would say that. But, yeah, I get it. I feel the same way in the groups that I'm in. I remember you asked me when I was just getting to know you and you were considering joining, you asked me a question that had to do with, you know, I don't know, should I join an industry specific thing, or should I come to the Business Builders where it's industry agnostic? And I think my answer was somewhere around, I think both things are valuable. I there there are things I learned from the other coaches in my life that I'm probably not gonna learn from the owner of a funeral home. And then there's things in my coaching world that look like a problem to all of us that you, through your interactions with the public, may have figured out that I can then take over into that world. So I think, yep, both things are useful.
Wayne Herring
00:04:5300:05:15
So as as people are considering joining, one of the things they wanna know is who are these people I'm gonna hang out with and do life with and learn from and so could you tell us a bit about how do you get to be the 4th generation co owner of a funeral home? What's your journey? How did you get to this I love the smile. The people that are listening can't hear the smile.
Jamie Connell
00:05:1600:05:47
It's a Funny story because although I am a 4th generation funeral director in my family, I didn't grow up in it. My dad's an attorney, so He was not part of the funeral family. So it growing up, I never thought in a 1000000 years this is where I'd be working. I was pre law in college. Took my LSAT, got into a couple law schools, woke up one day and said, I don't think I wanna be a lawyer. And I thought my dad was gonna kill me. He didn't. He was very supportive.
Jamie Connell
00:05:4800:06:29
So I actually coached football for a year. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. So I coached college football for a year and I took classes. And in that time frame, I was also working part time at the funeral home. And I was doing things like washing cars and, you know, answering phones. But one of the jobs that I had at that time with delivering packages to families after the service was over. And it was things like the book that people signed when they came to pay their respects or death certificates. If they had items that they had displayed, you know, we put those in package, I deliver them.
Jamie Connell
00:06:3100:07:02
And people were so grateful for what my family and the staff was doing for them. That I it it made me think, wow. This maybe something that I should look into a little bit. So I was kind of at a a crossroad. I was still coaching football. I was kind of doing this. And, October 14, 2000, my my grandfather died, who was the 2nd generation. And which also happened to be my birthday.
Jamie Connell
00:07:0200:07:25
And I said it has to be some type of sign. Right? This is him telling me, going this direction. So I did and ended up going back to school after I graduated college. I went to mortuary school and just worked my way through All of the jobs at the funeral home, and 23 years later, here I am still still in it. Still loving it too.
Wayne Herring
00:07:2500:08:06
That's got and I've heard a lot of stories from well, not I've heard a lot of stories from you, like, in a good way. That's not like, oh, I've heard a lot of stories from you. No. I've heard a lot of stories from you, and I've got to spent time with you in the funeral home and talk through how you joined in the family. And I've seen pictures of your family. And following you on social media, like, just over the weekend, I saw that all the the company fleet, which is hearses and big black cars for the family, all went through a local charity, a car wash, which, you know, funeral homes, like, little bit morbid, and I love having you around for a bit of that. We can always kind of laugh and brainstorm how to get you more business. But I've heard a lot of stories.
Wayne Herring
00:08:0600:08:47
I haven't heard the one, though, about delivering things and how that, impacted you. But I'm not surprised because some of our conversations have to do with, how do you differentiate yourself and the industry that you're in and and really care, for families and care for people is what comes through all the time, Jamie. Like, doing grief walks with people. This is just how you're wired. This is how you think to help take care of people in one of the darkest Time's Lot of Life. And it's easy, of course, for me to go, why in the world would anybody wanna go, you know, leave the law and go do what you do? But you're really built for it. And when the chips are down, we're all glad that people are willing to do what you do.
Jamie Connell
00:08:4700:09:39
I heard something recently, and It resonated with me and it would be a heart with an ear. So be able to love someone, be able to comfort someone and also be able to listen to them and really hear them. And a lot of times in what we do, We're asked to do a lot of different roles. But one of the the biggest for us is to really listen to people because a lot of times Folks can talk and they're not really being heard. So we have this amazing ability in the role that we have, where we're almost led into the inner sanctum of the family and they share things with us that they don't share with other people, even some of their best friends. And it's really it's one of the coolest things about what we do, but it's also one of the most special because we don't take that lightly. That's it's a pretty special time.
Wayne Herring
00:09:4000:09:51
I hear that. And, also, I just really, what occurred to me is sometimes that when you meet families, there's, like, fighting and stuff too. There's disagreement. Right?
Jamie Connell
00:09:5200:10:30
Yeah. So we have, among the hats that we wear, event planner, funeral director, usher. One of those hats that we wear is referee. And occasionally, We definitely become a family referee. Again, we're in that inner sanctum and we're hearing things that they're not sharing with some of their best friends sometimes. And sometimes we become a mediator. It's in those cases, it's really sad. But at the same time, we're trying to help them through this dark time and get through the next couple days and whatever we can do to be supportive, equally supportive.
Jamie Connell
00:10:3100:10:38
Right. We we do. But, yeah, that's a that's a real thing. And it's unfortunately, it's happening more and more. We're seeing that more and more.
Wayne Herring
00:10:4000:11:10
So that's how you got into the the family business, even though your father wasn't the direct in that line of 4th generation. But how did you then become an owner? And I think that's of interest to people that either are joining our group or who are considering our group, because a lot of business owners think about transitioning to subsequent generations, or other people might be in a situation where they're hoping key employees buy the business from them. That might be their plan. So how did you get to be an owner?
Jamie Connell
00:11:1100:11:46
So, my 2 uncles owned the funeral home prior to my cousin and I. And they had set the business in a course that is headed in the right direction. It's very successful. And to your point earlier, they made it where they were in the business, but they did such a good job of creating the staff around them and the people around them, where they could do other things. They could do the PR, they can go out and and do golf events. And they allowed us to be professional. They didn't look over our shoulders. They weren't micromanaging.
Jamie Connell
00:11:4700:12:54
They really gave the staff and opportunity to grow. And I just happened to be able to be in the family, but I felt like they were giving me enough responsibility that I was kind of probably checking boxes on, is maybe what they would be looking for in the next owner of the company. But to their credit, they were giving the responsibility and then checking in to make sure that, you know, I was following through with those tasks that they were giving me. We didn't have a traditional succession plan. So the transition wasn't the smoothest. It wasn't like we had this mapped out. But I learned so much through that succession and what to do and what not to do. So getting to talked to people that are in this group that have experience with succession planning and have experience with how to transition a business from either 1 generation to another or to someone that's not even family.
Jamie Connell
00:12:5400:13:06
To get to know those people and to learn what the process that what a good process could be to really help for a smooth transition. That's been really eye opening and something that I'm grateful for.
Wayne Herring
00:13:0700:13:19
But, ultimately, I think you and your cousin we're buying the business from family. It wasn't just a, oh, here you go. Here's a gift. Here's the keys.
Jamie Connell
00:13:1900:13:19
Yeah.
Wayne Herring
00:13:1900:13:28
And you had to make a little bit of a gutsy, just not a little bit, probably a lot, like, in terms of borrowing money or taking on risk. Right?
Jamie Connell
00:13:2900:14:04
Sometimes I feel like the risk was too much at the time. And again, once I've discussed with people in the group about Debt, good debt and bad debt. It makes me feel more comfortable knowing that this is okay. We're gonna be okay. You know, the business is doing well and the debt that we took on to buy the business from our uncle is good. We're getting where we need to be by borrowing the money to pay for the business. And we did that. So we're paying for the business, but then we're right now, my cousin and I own the real estate and the property as well.
Jamie Connell
00:14:0500:14:19
So getting into a different LLC, having the the properties in the LLC, It's been also another experience of just a learning experience, but just fantastic.
Wayne Herring
00:14:2100:14:22
How many employees do you have right now?
Jamie Connell
00:14:2400:14:29
So we have team full time employees and about another 15 part time.
Wayne Herring
00:14:3000:14:36
In the part time ones are the ones that help on part cars and those kind of things.
Jamie Connell
00:14:3700:15:09
Exactly. Yeah. And a lot of the support of days of funerals, and they're here holding doors and things like that. Most of our part time staff is retired. So they've had a a career and then they've come into this role. It's almost like a social event. And It's great for us because they know so many people in the community and we appreciate that they have those relationships with people in the community and people in the community feel comfortable coming here. Oh, I know them and, yeah, I'll see them there, you know, that type of thing.
Jamie Connell
00:15:1000:15:16
So they are a significant a portion of our business, a significant part of our business.
Wayne Herring
00:15:1700:15:25
That'll probably turn into a good soundbite, like, because when we go to the villages is in Florida or whatever, but would like to have a social circle. And they've got lots to contribute.
Jamie Connell
00:15:2600:15:56
Yeah. And some of them, again, you're talking about Industry different industries and what you can contribute, none of them really worked in the funeral industry. But they've all had some type of successful career. And some of that translates into what they're doing. Customer service is a big piece of that. Just be nice to people. Right? That's huge. But others have some work experience or life experience that has actually helped the business in other way.
Jamie Connell
00:15:5600:15:58
So, yeah, that's a real thing.
Wayne Herring
00:15:5800:16:31
So one thing that occurs to me is the industry you're in, the funeral industry, seems like there are a lot of businesses that are multi generational family business. And also there's been a lot of consolidation, and there's been big companies buying up the smaller businesses. Why is it so prevalent that they have transitioned family to member to family member to family member? And also, like, what is going on with acquisitions? And does that create any unique pressures for you?
Jamie Connell
00:16:3200:17:11
I think, especially in Pennsylvania. But it's like this in a lot of states. There are a lot of small family run operations. So your child is basically raised in the business. So that transition happens pretty easily because they're you have the the child that's coming up in the business they're already in. But there also are conglomerates that are They're buying a lot of those small mom and pop shops. So there are a a lot of small family run operation. And what happens is you're already in the business.
Jamie Connell
00:17:1100:17:56
You're growing up in the business. So that transition is pretty easy from 1 generation to the next. But some of those small family businesses, they they either don't have children or the children don't have any interest in taking over that best. And that's when the the bigger conglomerates will come in and and say, hey. We're certainly happy to keep your legacy going. A lot of times they'll keep the the name of the firm to make it look like, hey, we're still small home hometown funeral home. But right now, just like many other industries, you have boomers that are ready to retire. And in in many of these other industries as well, they have options.
Jamie Connell
00:17:5700:18:12
So you have private equity you can sell to. You have someone that might be a competitor that you wanna sell to. You have someone that has been working for you that you can sell to. So you have those Those options. Got it. So you're in
Wayne Herring
00:18:1200:18:20
the funeral home business. I can't help but ask this question. Like, what are some of your key metrics that you look at? How do you managed this business by the numbers.
Jamie Connell
00:18:2200:19:01
Yeah. It it's a strange business and it's a fine line that we walk because at the end of the day, we're here to serve. You know, it's a service industry. But To be in business and to be served, we have to be successful from a business perspective. So we look at things like number of families we're serving. We're looking at the type of items that they're purchasing. We're looking at the cost of the supply that we're bringing in, caskets and vaults and urns and what, you know, cost it. Pretty much what another business would, you know, be looking at.
Wayne Herring
00:19:0100:19:23
Yeah. And and we know that money and profit I mean, profit can be the result of just a well run efficient business, but also dollars per funeral, for for example, or for me, dollars per client is an indication of how much service you're putting into the world and the the degree to which you're really helping people. Right?
Jamie Connell
00:19:2400:19:59
Yeah. And that and those metrics are important. And something again that I'm learning through the group is how important they are because it really steers some of the decisions that you make. How successful you are can be based on or is based on those number of families that you're serving. Or if in another industry, the the number of clients that you have coming through the door. Those are important things to recognize or else you're not there or you're the one that's selling your business to the the the conglomerate or the competitor.
Wayne Herring
00:20:0000:20:44
Right. One of the things that you've worked on, one of the things that you share with our group is that you're serving people, like and even you're working on a new site, and it says, okay. Have you experienced a death in your family or is one imminent? That's one place where I might come to your website, wants some help, and I don't know what to do, and I'm looking for a resource, and then I could call you or one of your directors, and you could walk me through that. There's that part of it. And then you're also doing preneed sales. You're helping people by getting them all set up. Now I will tell you that I used to listen to Dave Ramsey, and I've listened to Dave's, yeah, whatever, his the total money makeover. And and he would say, don't buy preneed funerals because if they're selling it, that means they're making money on it.
Wayne Herring
00:20:4400:21:18
Well, of course they are, but I'm curious. Like, I know that what you're selling there has value, and if I think of that family in the crucible, it's really easy to say that, oh, they're gonna make money on it, but when it's, like, in the moment and somebody has passed away, then I think a lot of people are probably grateful that the pre need work has been done. So why should people consider that? Or why do you know that you're putting service in the world when you offer that pre need, package.
Jamie Connell
00:21:1900:22:07
We sit across from families all the time that they're trying to do the right thing. They don't know what the right thing is because they never had the conversation. So something as simple as, do I want a traditional burial or do I want a cremation? They don't know the answer. So even just that piece of it, just the plea preplanning portion of it is so important. The pre funding is a completely different thing. So the the Dave Ramsey's point, for us, it's actually better if someone had life insurance. They had their own funding set aside for a funeral, but we knew the detail and then they would pay us when they passed, you know, when we provide that service. Because what happens is when people pre fund it, we actually take those funds.
Jamie Connell
00:22:0700:22:55
We invest them And then whether that that investment makes money or not, they're still guaranteed our services. So no matter how much our prices go up, that family doesn't owe any more money. So, you know, we take the risk. The the end of the day is we we want to be able to provide value. If a family finds value in knowing that, hey, mom or dad wanted to have this type of service and they don't have to worry about making those difficult decisions at a time when they they really don't wanna be, then that's really what we're aiming for. That's that's the goal. Provide the value and and have them make less decisions at a difficult time. So that's really the the preneed, in a nutshell.
Jamie Connell
00:22:5500:22:56
That's the benefit.
Wayne Herring
00:22:5700:23:33
Yeah. Got it. Makes sense. So enough about your business for a moment. Just to wrap up with a couple questions. So kids and being a husband, sure, really important, and the business, really important. What do you like to do when you're not working? Or dad and, of course, I know about some of your rocking, and I remember pulling in to our venue for our spring live camp, and you were doing pull ups on the playground, and we you and I were both in a the Pete Koch strength challenge to to see how many burpees you could do in 3 minutes and things like that. But who are you when you're not working? Tell us some fun stuff.
Jamie Connell
00:23:3400:24:24
I do like rocking. I like it, which is basically putting weight into a a backpack and either running or moving. Of course. Had a bad taste, like and really how I got into that was another group. I was invited to a group of guys that worked out every Tuesday and they've become some of my best friends and we actually text every day the same way that Business Builders is a group that really checks in and make sure that your business is is staying healthy and your mind is staying healthy. This group has really made it so easy for me to keep my body healthy and very motivating in the same way that business builder groups motivate. It just so happens that they put weight and backpacks and but that's how they do it. So these rocking events are great.
Jamie Connell
00:24:2400:24:52
I've learned amazing leadership skill at some of these rocking events because they're typically led by special forces either retired or if they're still in the military. So I love doing that physical exercise. I love doing I love documentaries. Reading, I'm okay at, and I can read a bit And I do love a good book, but I, and then it's a documentary. You you know, all of the the factual especially history. I do like I do like history.
Wayne Herring
00:24:5200:24:53
What's something you watched recently?
Jamie Connell
00:24:5500:25:08
The most recent documentary I watched was not about history. It was, sports, which I also love. And it was Swamp King about the Florida football team when Tebow was there. Great. I definitely recommend it. It's worth the watch.
Wayne Herring
00:25:0900:25:10
Swamp Kings?
Jamie Connell
00:25:1100:25:12
Swamp Kings.
Wayne Herring
00:25:1200:25:12
Okay.
Jamie Connell
00:25:1300:25:16
Yeah. It's very good.
Wayne Herring
00:25:1600:25:29
Great. What is it like balancing when you lead with, I'm a dad first, 3 boys, and a husband, and then I've got this business that is a legacy, and I have to pay off the loan and all that. Like, What's it like balancing those things?
Jamie Connell
00:25:3000:26:02
I feel like I'm on a a tight rope sometimes, but it's a lot of fun. I get to spend a lot of good time with my boys because of the opportunity that I have to be a business owner. And because I have a wonderful staff that takes care of details from day day to day. It wasn't always like that. I was in the business. I was living in the trenches. Business builders helped me realize that there's a different way. And that's really been one of the the best things that I've gotten from business builders.
Jamie Connell
00:26:0300:26:04
More time with my family.
Wayne Herring
00:26:0500:26:20
What are you considering that we've been using this I've been using this phrase lately, like, we're considering certain things. Could be a business move, could be a physical fitness thing that I was considering. So what kind of things are you considering for the future?
Jamie Connell
00:26:2100:26:51
Our biggest consideration is expansion. There's opportunity for us to, you know, purchase a competitor. There's opportunity for us to go in a completely different direction. So what we're considering is expansion Versus we're doing fine where we are. Do we keep everything small and and tight and altogether here in our shop in Bethlehem, or do we expand and grow and maybe find other opportunities?
Wayne Herring
00:26:5200:27:19
Yeah, nice. And you don't have to have the answer for that. I appreciate you just sharing that you're considering that. And it's not only you. You also have, like, a cousin. And so a whole episode for another day for anybody who has a business partner, right, especially if they're a family member. But you're not only considering your own moves, but you have to maybe not get consensus, but it's about listening to what they want, what you want back and forth. So, yeah, we'll save that for another day.
Wayne Herring
00:27:1900:27:31
So it's useful, though, to know that you have that experience when it comes to the group. What would you say to somebody for how to get the most out of this business builders program and the other people, etcetera.
Jamie Connell
00:27:3100:28:21
So when I first joined the group, the first thing I was concerned about was confidentiality. And immediately, when I got into, my Tuesday group, That concern went away. Everything is very private. The other thing that, I discovered is once I got into some 1 on 1 with some of the crew. I mean, very easy to talk to, very easy to bounce ideas off of. And the amount of information that I'm receiving from, you know, these conversations. It's really been life changing and it's really put in our business in a direction that can't be stopped. It's very easy to think about, you know, I'm just going to do what I'm doing over here everything's fine.
Jamie Connell
00:28:2100:28:48
I'm happy which of those things were true, but to kind of put yourself out there And get to know some of the the business builders is is really been really been special. In in what you offer, Wayne, this the value is It's a ridiculous value. It's been a a great opportunity for me, and I appreciate that I was introduced to you and to everyone that's been a part of Business Builder. An excellent
Wayne Herring
00:28:4900:29:28
well, great. I'm super happy to hear that. And and I'm so glad that you're doing those 1 on 1 conversations in with other people. And I know they're getting as much out of it as you are. For me personally in the group that I'm in, yeah, it takes time, of course, but I keep a page of notes on different people. And I don't know what it is about sharing with another human and then listening to them, but sometimes it helps me see that I'm happy. Right? Sometimes it helps me, like, oh, yeah. Like, I I've had a lot of good things going on in life, in so I'm I'm glad you're plugging into that.
Jamie Connell
00:29:2800:29:48
It it's funny too because sometimes I'll give recommendations to someone, and I'll say, Why don't you use that recommendation? Yeah. Yeah. Like, it's so it's so easy to to kinda just push those to the side. But when you actually are able to to voice those, thoughts. You put them out in the world and and then you can use them.
Wayne Herring
00:29:4900:29:56
Yeah. That's good stuff. Jamie, thanks again for your time today, and thanks for being a part of our community. We appreciate you.
Jamie Connell
00:29:5700:29:59
Thanks, Wayne. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
