February 27, 2025
Published by 
Axel Jean-Francois on February 27, 2025
Axel Jean-Francois on February 27, 2025Let’s cut to the chase: Ignoring the Fed right now is like pretending it’s still 2019—and that’s a fast track to trouble. Interest rates are higher than they’ve been in 23 years, inflation is cooling off slower than we’d like, and your staff could bail for better hours at Amazon if you blink wrong. Sound dramatic? Maybe. But for funeral home owners, it’s the new normal. A Quick Reality Check: Ryan’s Dilemma Take Ryan in Louisiana. Back when COVID-19 cases were sky-high and interest rates were rock-bottom, he invested in a beautiful new facility to better serve his community. Fast-forward to 2025: calls have dropped from the pandemic levels, and his adjustable loan rate keeps inching up. Now that once-profitable expansion is weighing him down—monthly payments ballooned, and Ryan’s scraping for every dollar just to break even. That’s exactly why […]
December 23, 2024
Published by Axel Jean-Francois on December 23, 2024
Axel Jean-Francois on December 23, 2024Selling 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 […]
October 30, 2024
Published by Axel Jean-Francois on October 30, 2024
Axel Jean-Francois on October 30, 2024Running a successful funeral home involves understanding where your business stands in the profession. At Foresight, we help funeral home owners gain valuable insights into their business’s financial health by analyzing trends and averages. But what does this mean for you, and how can it benefit your business? This post offers some practical tips on how comparing your business’s financial results to funeral and cemetery profession averages can help you make informed decisions—without needing a background in finance. Why Data is Important As a funeral home owner, you might not think daily about comparing your numbers to others in the profession. But knowing where your business stands is essential for long-term success. At Foresight, we use data to create benchmarks—standard points of comparison—that help you see how your costs, revenue, and other financial figures stack up with others. This information […]