Axel Jean-Francois

How Psychology, Expectations, and “Cold Feet” Shape Funeral Home Successions When people talk about selling a funeral home, the conversation usually jumps straight to valuation multiples, EBITDA, and financing structures. The math, of course, matters. But in real succession scenarios, the numbers are rarely what determines success or failure. The real variable is human behavior. Recently, our team advised on a multi-generation funeral home transition involving a century-old firm in the Midwest. For confidentiality, we’ll refer to it as Heritage Funeral Group. The situation was not unusual by the profession’s  standards, but it was revealing in all the right ways. It showed, in real time, how legacy, emotion, and expectations collide once a transition stops being theoretical and starts becoming real. And it’s a preview of what much of the profession will face over the next decade as long-tenured owners […]

How one legacy funeral home chose change over a quick sale—and made payroll boring again. Names, locations, and certain details have been changed to protect client confidentiality. “No stories,” the banker said. “Show me what changed.” Jordan slid a single page across the table—discounts frozen, comp corrected, Tuesday cash huddle, and a date circled in ink: the day the 36% note would die. Payroll hit in six days. Miss it, and a generations-old reputation cracks in one afternoon. Six weeks earlier, the partners at Harborstone Memorial—an East Coast firm serving a tightly knit, heritage-rich community—had considered selling to close out their mortgage. Instead, they tried something harder: change the way they ran the place—fast, in order, and with receipts. This is the ninety-day play that made that choice real. The slide (and the line they wouldn’t cross) It never starts […]

Why lenders only pay for profits they can trust—and how every funeral-home leader, from CEO to apprentice, can keep theirs real A COVID-Era Deal That Didn’t Survive Diligence In 2021, “Cascade Memorial” (Pacific Northwest) signed an LOI a bit over $4M. Lenders’ Quality-of-Earnings (QoE) review knocked nearly 20% for overstated preneed revenue and one-off COVID relief credits. The sellers walked; two years later the home sold closer to $3M. That gap wasn’t a market glitch—it was profits a lender didn’t trust. Why this matters (to everyone) • Public-company CFOs: figures must stand up to board and banker scrutiny. • Independent owners: no surprise haircuts at closing. • New apprentices: numbers tell your story—learn the clean version first. With near-9% rates and shifting service mix, lenders ask not just “How much did you make?” but “How confident are we you’ll make […]

Selling a funeral home isn’t like selling a used sedan. You’re passing on a community landmark—a place where neighbors mourned parents. Every extra week a sale drags feels like someone’s poking that legacy with a stick. Recently, our Foresight team—analysts, directors, and spreadsheet warriors—gathered to talk about deals that just won’t close. We tossed a QR code on the screen and asked: “Give us one word for deals that refuse to close.” The word cloud exploded: FRUSTRATED, EXHAUSTED, ANXIOUS, ANNOYED. Not a single “thrilled.” That’s deal fatigue. Let it fester, and it’ll torch value faster than a broken retort. Here’s your survival playbook: how to spot deal fatigue, why it happens, and how to keep your sale—and your sanity—on track. What Deal Fatigue Looks Like Deal fatigue is the slow-burn stress that creeps in when: Deadlines keep sliding. “Just another […]