September 28, 2023
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on September 28, 2023
Nicole Vullo on September 28, 2023The Foresight team is excited to announce that we are introducing a new blog column! When we first started our Ask the Experts and Ask the Analysts columns it was our goal to use these blogs to answer the most important questions funeral and cemetery professionals had about their businesses. With this is mind, we wanted to bring a new perspective to these vital questions: the viewpoint of owners and operators. We are honored to introduce you to Stephen and Diann Anderson, formerly of Anderson Funeral & Cremation Services. Each month Stephen and Diann will provide insightful information to help you improve how to operate your businesses. To start our column, please allow us to introduce you to Stephen and Diann as they tell us their goals for the “Ask the Owner” blog column: To the Funeral and Cemetery Profession, […]
September 26, 2023
Published by Nicole Vullo on September 26, 2023
Nicole Vullo on September 26, 2023Having a succession plan in place for your funeral home or cemetery business is vital in today’s business environment. While there are many elements that go into your succession plan, one that is of high importance is who to choose as your successor. In our latest Ask the Analyst blog, Sierra Heil shares the key consideration when deciding who the successor of your business will be. Question: I am in the process of deciding who to succeed me in my funeral business. What are the important things to consider when selecting my successor? Sierra Heil: For all funeral home owners the decision to choose a successor to sell your business to is a significant and deeply personal one. Your business holds a special place in your heart, as you have helped families during their most challenging times and built up a […]
September 26, 2023
Published by 
Chris Cruger on September 26, 2023
Chris Cruger on September 26, 2023PART 1 OF 3 Written by Chris Cruger with Alice Adams Will you succeed in your profession’s new era? This is the first of a three-part series based on the results of The Foresight Companies’ Funeral & Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study, its annual public/professional funeral and cemetery survey conducted for the past four years. This article will focus on current perceptions and expectations of the consumer public and the gap occurring between these perceptions and those of funeral service and cemetery professionals. The second installment – education, education, education – will appear in the October issue of The Director and provide an extensive “how to” for educating your community. The final article in November will amplify the survey data on the importance of trust and transparency in the reality of consumer perceptions and needs in today’s marketplace. Modern eras are […]
September 26, 2023
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on September 26, 2023
Stephanie Ramsey on September 26, 2023Scenario: Jacob and Cathy Thomas own a thriving funeral business in the Southeast that consists of multiple funeral homes, a crematory, a pet crematory and a cemetery. Jacob and Cathy employ a large staff who are assigned to work at a specific business, each with their own employee handbooks and standard operating procedures based on the nature of the business. Through the various businesses, they and their team successfully serve approximately 100 families each year. Jacob and Cathy are very proud of what they have accomplished. While dealing with employees can be challenging, they feel they have a strong and talented team that provides exceptional care to their families. Recently, they faced a unique employee situation they were unsure how to address. They had an employee, Gerald, who had been hired and assigned to work at the pet crematory, apply […]
September 26, 2023
Published by 
Dan Isard on September 26, 2023
Dan Isard on September 26, 2023In the last generation or so, the funeral industry has lost more than 2,000 funeral home rooftops – from about 22,000 to just under 20,000. How many more are on the brink of going under in the next decade? This month, I offer my assessment of why funeral home businesses die. Charles Darwin is well regarded as a naturalist and biologist, but his thought-provoking propositions dealing with evolution do not just apply to zoology. I believe they equally apply to economic matters. When it is too easy for people to make lots of money, a Darwinian “economic pall” will occur so that only the best and brightest can dominate the business landscape. In short, I think businesses must “migrate, mutate or die.” Some think prejudicially that cremation is a factor in funeral home failures. I disagree. Cremation is only the […]