This Family Funeral Home Has Served Its Detroit Community Since 1919. Here's How It Uses Technology to Stay Relevant. Antonio Green's great-grandfather opened James H. Cole Home for Funerals 102 years ago, and Green intends to carry his family legacy forward.

By Jason Feifer

As a new leader helps a company grow, they'll face a major question: What parts of this business stay as they are, and what parts need to evolve?

Now try answering that question at a 102-year-old company in an industry where change is rarely welcome.

That's Antonio Green's task as the director of his family's funeral home, the James H. Cole Home for Funerals in Detroit. It was opened in 1919 by his great-grandfather, and Green grew up watching how his family served and supported its community. He now wants to carry on that legacy — while also updating the company and setting it up for the next 100-plus years.

He's adopted new technological tools and expanded his definition of the community his business can serve. And he offers this advice to entrepreneurs — at companies one or 100 years old! — who want to try new things and see what works.

"We tend to fall into the mindset of, "If it doesn't work, trash it,'" he says. "You might be building something that might be used 10 years down the line, that you don't even know about. Just because it's something that doesn't catch fire right away, don't abandon it."

Instead, he says, try new things and constantly monitor their value. Maybe they serve a small role now — but can serve a big one later.

In this conversation, Green explains how he's implemented that strategy at the James H. Cole Home for Funerals.

Jason Feifer

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief

Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine and host of the podcast Problem Solvers. Outside of Entrepreneur, he is the author of the book Build For Tomorrow, which helps readers find new opportunities in times of change, and co-hosts the podcast Help Wanted, where he helps solve listeners' work problems. He also writes a newsletter called One Thing Better, which each week gives you one better way to build a career or company you love.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Innovation

4 Ways Market Leaders Use Innovation to Foster Business Growth

Forward-thinkers constantly strive to diversify and streamline their products and services, turning novelties into commodities desired by many.

Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Since Middle School': She Started a Side Hustle on Facebook Marketplace — Then a 'Game-Changer' Grew It to $25,000 a Month

Leena Pettigrew's "entrepreneurial spirit" inspired her to build a business with earnings that outpaced her full-time income.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

'I Want the Best People on Our Teams': Meta Is Laying Off More Than 3,000, CEO Mark Zuckerberg Calls for 'Extensive Performance-Based Cuts' — Read the Memo

In an internal memo shared on Tuesday, Zuckerberg said it's "going to be an intense year" at the company.

Leadership

From Elite Athletes to Tech Titans — Discover the Surprising $100-Million Habit That Leads to Extraordinary Success

Success comes from mastering focus, eliminating distractions and prioritizing what truly matters.