Further evidence "regulation" is just legal favoritism.
How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
11–20 of 29 posts
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#12It seems like there is a market opportunity here for anyone motivated enough to take on the old guard in this industry. It's not the most glamorous subject, but there is a lot of money sitting on the table. If someone applied to YC with something like "Funera.ly: the app that makes funeral preparations simple, fairly-priced, and dignified", well I wouldn't be surprised if they got accepted...
Currently plastered all over the Toronto transit system: ads for http://www.basicfunerals.ca/
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#13It seems like there is a market opportunity here for anyone motivated enough to take on the old guard in this industry. It's not the most glamorous subject, but there is a lot of money sitting on the table. If someone applied to YC with something like "Funera.ly: the app that makes funeral preparations simple, fairly-priced, and dignified", well I wouldn't be surprised if they got accepted...
Yup. And everyone in your country is a solid potential customer.
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#14It seems like there is a market opportunity here for anyone motivated enough to take on the old guard in this industry. It's not the most glamorous subject, but there is a lot of money sitting on the table. If someone applied to YC with something like "Funera.ly: the app that makes funeral preparations simple, fairly-priced, and dignified", well I wouldn't be surprised if they got accepted...
Currently plastered all over the Toronto transit system: ads for http://www.basicfunerals.ca/
Ok, I do not want people to be crying at my funerals, but I am not sure I want them to be happily enjoying a bottle of cabernet at my expense. (referring to the picture on their homepage)
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#15This isn't so much about the funeral industry in Louisiana. It's the precedence it could set for anyone else out there who wants to challenge another state regulated cartel (think of car dealerships for example). From the article: "'defendants moved to dismiss based on the legal issue of whether protecting a discrete interest group from economic competition constitutes a sufficient legitimate government purpose.' Put…
Car dealerships, optometry, beauticians, farming, general contracting, you name it there's a regulatory blanket over it. In most states you can't get glasses or contacts made without a prescription that is less than a few years old, for example.
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#16It seems like there is a market opportunity here for anyone motivated enough to take on the old guard in this industry. It's not the most glamorous subject, but there is a lot of money sitting on the table. If someone applied to YC with something like "Funera.ly: the app that makes funeral preparations simple, fairly-priced, and dignified", well I wouldn't be surprised if they got accepted...
Check out Funeral Innovations: http://funeralinnovations.com/
It solves the problem for both the customers/family and the funeral directors. Monument design, obituaries (with a social component), QR remembrance codes, whole webstack management (a la weebly) with custom site design and tracking & SEO, pricing and invoicing, iPad app, and more.
Done by Greg Young and Zack Garbow (YC alum, 08).
The issues they've faced tackling an old and sleepy industry averse to major change and innovation are interesting. There's a great interview on Tech.MN here with Zack about it: http://tech.mn/news/2010/05/03/minnesota-y-combinator-grad-t...
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#17This isn't so much about the funeral industry in Louisiana. It's the precedence it could set for anyone else out there who wants to challenge another state regulated cartel (think of car dealerships for example). From the article: "'defendants moved to dismiss based on the legal issue of whether protecting a discrete interest group from economic competition constitutes a sufficient legitimate government purpose.' Put…
Car dealerships, optometry, beauticians, farming, general contracting, you name it there's a regulatory blanket over it. In most states you can't get glasses or contacts made without a prescription that is less than a few years old, for example.
is that why, probably the longest thread on fatwallet, is about ZenniOptical, which ships from China ?
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#18This isn't so much about the funeral industry in Louisiana. It's the precedence it could set for anyone else out there who wants to challenge another state regulated cartel (think of car dealerships for example). From the article: "'defendants moved to dismiss based on the legal issue of whether protecting a discrete interest group from economic competition constitutes a sufficient legitimate government purpose.' Put…
Title insurance comes to mind as well. I have a friend in law school and we were just discussing disrupting these guys with a startup
$1,470 per search/policy ... at a cost to them of about $100
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#19There has grown in the minds of certain groups in this country the idea that just because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with guaranteeing such a profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is supported by neither statute or common law. Neither corporations or individuals have the right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.
R. A. Heinlein, "Life-Line", 1939
Re: How 38 Monks Took on the Funeral Cartel and Won
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
How can they be amazingly competitive industries AND have amazingly high margins at the same time? I thought those were mutually exclusive things.
the reason is because of the lack of players in the industry in any given locale. First, in my examples above, those businesses are highly undesirable industries to be involved in as an owner and an employee, but highly profitable. Second, most of those above listed businesses are family owned with a lot of experience and background in the industry they represent. Newcomers are viewed as strongly suspicious and since…
Or there's high costs to entry and this can lead to collusions "Lets agree on 100x mark up for this suburb". Eg telcos.