Maggie McMillan (Wiefels): Why raising prices, losing customers, can still make more money | #39

The Direct Cremation Podcast

Maggie McMillan quietly runs the #1 funeral company in Southern California, one largest and busiest regions in the country. Serving thousands of families a year. Her expansive funeral empire covers everything from prestigious full-service funeral homes, an eco-conscious natural burial cemetery, a handful of online cremation services, and an essential B2B mortuary services company.

Just a few of her properties include: Wiefels & Son Mortuary, Wiefels Cremation and Funeral Services, All California Cremation, Simply Remembered, Joshua Tree Memorial Park.

In this episode, Maggie pulls back the curtain on her recipe for success, showing commitment to excellence without resorting to shortcuts. Also, join us as we watch the first real conversation between Maggie and Will as they reflect on their journey as competitors in the fiercely competitive Southern California death care landscape.

Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(01:08) Welcome to Direct Cremation Podcast
(02:36) Quick summary of Maggie's family businesses
(04:36) Maggie's refreshing response to Tyler's invitation
(05:32) Maggie: I've not found a great shortcut in deathcare
(07:58) You don't have to have massive amounts of funeral homes or case counts to be successful
(10:39) Raising the prices a little bit isn’t going to turn families away
(16:37) How Maggie's journey to deathcare started
(19:31) Did Maggie's 4-year university experience help shape how she works in her family business today?
(23:01) Any unspoken pressure from the parents?
(24:09) The biggest difference between the cremation society model and the funeral home
(28:09) How Maggie successfully manages so many businesses and brands
(30:00) "You really can't do it alone"
(32:32) Work ON the business not IN the business
(35:59) Trends in deathcare that Maggie is excited about
(42:23) What Maggie thinks deathcare will look like 10 years
(48:14) Maggie's thoughts on having to post prices online

For Innovative Funeral Directors Blazing a Trail. Find us at https://directcremation.com
Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Want to start a cremation brand yourself? Learn how the some of the biggest cremation brands do it at https://www.partingpro.com

Learn the playbook responsible for growing my family business to over 4500 calls a year without digital marketing: https://wdgroupconsulting.com