Axel Jean-Francois

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 […]

(Names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. But trust me—these challenges and triumphs are all too real in the funeral profession.) “Fire them, or pack your things.” That was the ultimatum John Smith heard on an otherwise ordinary morning. The funeral home owner—John’s longtime boss—wanted an employee gone for purely personal reasons, a vendetta completely unrelated to job performance. John knew in his gut: that’s not how you run a successful business, and it’s definitely not how you treat loyal staff. Within minutes, he grabbed his stuff, said goodbye to a place he’d poured years of effort into, and walked out. Enough was enough. In that moment, John realized: If I can’t stand by while someone’s wrongfully fired—maybe it’s time I run my own funeral home the right way. But let’s be real—big decisions aren’t always glamorous. […]

Selling a funeral home is more than just signing a contract and transferring ownership. It’s about finding a suitable successor who understands the business’s unique culture, values, and place in the community. Even if the purchase price is right, the deal can still fall apart if the buyer’s style, financing, or approach to due diligence isn’t aligned with what the seller expects. We recently examined a real-life case where a well-established funeral home tried to sell the business. Over time, they engaged with multiple buyers, each with different negotiation styles, expectations, and financial capabilities. Although the final sale did close successfully, the owners went through unexpected twists and delays along the way. This scenario offers lessons that can help funeral home owners, managers, and even staff members understand what really matters in a sale. Whether you are a first-year apprentice […]