Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny LeBlanc.
Danny, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Well it all started 4 decades ago when I was about 10 years old in a rice field in Fannett Texas. Prior to that, the largest income I ever had was derived by the number of coke bottles I could collect for coke bottle exchange money. We’re talking about looking at 85 cents in your hand and fantasizing about what all you could buy with it. Good times.
Once that first hourly check from working in the rice fields came for $40 well let’s just say the entrepreneurism shot threw my veins at the speed of light. Since that moment I have never looked back. I knew how to make money and money was good. The formula was simple; The harder you work the more money you make. So I worked hard in school and out of school until I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration – Finance degree from Lamar University in 1990. For next appx. 15 years after I obtained my degree I followed the statistical college grad norm of 3 career changes before settling in long term at a company. However, that just wasn’t going to do it for me. You see I was infected with entrepreneurism at the innocent age of 10 years old when I got that first check in the rice fields for $40 and working for a company just was not going to cut it for me. I had to be my own boss and that meant I had to work for myself. Little did I know, the biggest jerk I would ever work for would be myself. Jesus A. Christ! No breaks, no rest, no sleep. No money to pay someone else to do it for you just a vision of taking my purpose in life to another level. My first and current venture is a company called Automated Trackers.
Automated Trackers is a construction scheduling software called SAM (Superintendent’s Automated Manager) and VIC (Vendor’s Information Console). This software is used locally by Chesmar Homes, Highland Homes, and Westin Homes as well as other companies throughout Texas and the nation to build houses. As this venture grew and developed revenue streams the money was always put back into the company to grow it.
I live with the fear of wealth as it would be a distraction that would make me walk away from it all and disappear in a bottle somewhere in the Caribbean with a meaningless existence for the rest of my life. That’s just not me. So with my BBA from Lamar University, I just started thinking and thinking. What would be my best target market? Well that wasn’t too hard, the Baby Boomers. So as I thought about the Baby Boomer target market and monitored my surroundings over a few years I notice the funeral industry was growing and the statistical data said it was going to continue to grow as the Baby Boomers approached end of life planning. I know, sounds morbid as hell but business was on my mind. So being the software engineer/inventor that I am I created my latest business model widget, Final Farewells. Final Farewells is an end of life planning website that is free to the public and funded by advertisers. It is something that everyone needs and it’s free. One of the greatest creations of my life and it took about 7 years to create with a little over 100k invested but it’s my kind of company. Well what do you mean by that? Well I will tell you what I mean by that. It’s a cyber company just like SAM and VIC software. There is nothing you can touch, nothing to ship, nothing to warehouse. Just a SAAS (Software As A Service) that generates residual income. I like to refer to them as modern day oil derricks. They just keep producing and producing cash flows with excellent profit margins created by the cyber nature of the products. So that’s me. Danny LeBlanc. Always working that angle. 🙂
Has it been a smooth road?
Has it been a smooth road? That’s hysterical. We do realize the IRS has its place in the big picture of any business venture? Oh the good ole IRS. I like to refer to them as my only pen pal. I often said that it would be cheaper to pay the mafia for protection. LMAO. Of course, there have been hurdles and setbacks in addition to the IRS. There have been overdrawn bank accounts, there have been late payments but most importantly there was a vision that saw past all of that. Any business venture, no matter what size it may be, is just a big game of chess. You make a move and monitor the reaction. You make another move and monitor the reaction. You play for the trophy and you play to win but make no mistake about it, you must play a very high stakes game. You never have enough money and people are constantly taking advantage of you. You can never afford the amount of personnel that you need and you are always one step behind the financial game. It is a very complex web to navigate but it can be navigated if you focus on tomorrow as opposed to today.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Final Farewells story. Tell us more about the business.
In my career, I have learned to follow only the ventures one is passionate about as well as to only follow ventures that I myself would want to utilize. At Final Farewells, I have done exactly that. Created a free service for all to use that gives each of us the last word when we depart from this beautiful earth. When we pass and bid our Final Farewells we should do this in a dignified manner that celebrates our life the way each of us want it to be celebrated. To date we don’t have that last word of how we will deliver our Final Farewells to our family and friends. Until now, Final Farewells patented process delivers the last word for each of us. Until now, the final celebration of every person who has left this earth has been planned and set forth by a family member or friend who all too often has no idea what your real wishes were for this final get together to celebrate your life.
With Final Farewells, you will find a simple way to plan your last day yourself and have your wishes delivered to those that need to know. You will decide everything and be in full control. Do not leave this burden on your loved ones who really haven’t a clue what you want and are in a state of mourning. Your loved one is mourning your passing and does not want to deal with all these details.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see my industry growing over the next 5-10 years. However, economic models are very accurate at creating dips in the charts on a 20 year cycle. That said, looking at 5 to 10 years out is a pipe dream. In respect to the housing bubble burst of 2008, one must have his eye on 2028 and plan accordingly
Contact Info:
- Address: Final Farewells
8524 Hwy. 6 N. Suite 504
Houston, Texas 77095 - Website: https://www.finalfarewells.com/
- Phone: 713.893.5822
- Email: dleblanc@FinalFarewells.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finalfarewellsfuneralpreplanning
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Final_Farewells
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEjZP1oK7DuZMSQBfM7-buQ
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
