Chris Cruger

Interdisciplinary collaboration is a competitive advantage in the funeral service and cemetery professions. In the January 2026 issue of The Director, I, arguing that personalization would define success in 2026 and beyond, challenged you to stand out. I urged you to move past sameness and create experiences that feel authentic, intentional and human. Well, in this month’s column, I will address how to accomplish this. Personalization does not happen in isolation. It cannot be owned by one department, one leader or one role. The most meaningful, differentiated experiences are created when people with different expertise, perspectives and responsibilities work together toward a shared goal. This is where interdisciplinary collaboration comes in. In today’s funeral service and cemetery professions, the complexity of business has outpaced the siloed way in which many organizations still operate. Operations, sales, marketing, preneed, finance, leadership, etc., […]

Personalization as the new advantage in 2026. Each January creates a natural pause – a moment to reset, refocus and reimagine what’s possible. For funeral home owners and cemetery operators, 2026 isn’t just another year on the calendar. It’s the start of a new era for the profession – one defined by personalization, differentiation and the courage to stand apart. Over the past two years, this column has explored various avenues of business. In January 2025, for example, I explored three pillars of success: self-awareness, proactive planning and strong culture. In November 2025, I urged you to build your 2026 strategic plan so that you could act with purpose and discipline at the start of the new year. Now, it’s time to take the next step. Strategy and awareness mean little without execution. And in 2026, execution will be measured […]

Each November, business leaders in every profession pause to look ahead. For funeral home owners and cemetery operators, this isn’t just an annual exercise in forecasting; it’s an opportunity to figure out whether the next year will bring growth, stability or stagnation. If 2025 taught funeral home owners anything, it’s that they can no longer afford to coast. Consumer expectations are evolving faster than the profession can respond. Competition is intensifying. Technology– particularly artificial intelligence – is advancing at breakneck speed. The firms that thrive in 2026 will be those that prepare with clarity, intentionality and discipline right now. This past year, in this column for The Director, I’ve explored themes that point toward this moment. These include the education gap with families, the role of valuations as business self-care, the complexities of succession, the digital avalanche that’s shaping consumer […]

Why ongoing education is funeral service’s secret weapon, and six actionable steps you should take. If you remember the era of the “after-school special,” you’ll probably recall that these television shows weren’t just entertainment – they were designed to teach life lessons. The programs aimed to leave a meaningful impression and often tackled important topics through storylines that helped the audience reflect, learn and grow. The funeral service profession could benefit from this sentiment regarding lifelong learning. Today, the profession finds itself at a point where education – education for your teams and the families you serve – has become more important than ever. As consumer expectations shift and the complexity of your services increases, your ability to inform must grow in tandem. The Education Disconnect Now in its sixth year, the 2025 “Funeral & Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study” (FCCBS), […]

Funeral and cemetery professionals are natural caregivers. They serve grieving families with empathy, walk alongside them during life’s hard moments, and ensure that every detail of every service is handled with care. But in the process of supporting others, those same caregivers can neglect their own needs and those of their firm. There’s a lot of talk about self-care these days – and for good reason. Burnout and compassion fatigue are real risks in funeral service. But self-care isn’t just about bubble baths and meditation. It’s also about financial clarity, operational stability and long-term peace of mind. In short, it’s about taking care of your funeral home, too. One of the most powerful means of professional self-care is something many funeral directors only associate with selling their firm: a business valuation. This article reframes that misconception and demonstrates that a […]