Nicole Vullo

Written by Alan D. Wolfelt PhD As you know, there are many families out there who are more difficult to satisfy than in the past. Some observers have noted that today’s consumers are “never satisfied customers.” Many of the families you serve are not familiar with the value of funerals. In addition, we now live in a culture that is convenience and efficiency oriented. These are only two of the many factors that have influenced why some families consider holding “parties” as opposed to meaningful funeral ceremonies. In the face of these challenges, it seems those of you committed to the future of funeral service confront an important choice. On the one hand, you can decide to give up and project that it is the difficult family’s problem. On the other hand, you could work to really listen to the […]

Written by Bruce I. Wiener, Managing Partner of Akerman LLP’s Tallahassee, Florida Office Thoughts of a sale or succession planning may be top of mind or beginning to percolate for some death-care professionals. At the same time, allocating time for these matters and tending to real estate housekeeping tasks can be challenging as your days are filled with serving families and your communities. These tasks can pile up over time, making the outlook on completing them formidable. So, if a sale is on the agenda, time should be set aside to fully assess your real estate assets to structure and plan for a potential transaction ahead. Once a purchase and sale agreement has been entered into, the transaction can move very quickly. But the transaction can fail just as quickly if issues arise during the due diligence process and the […]

Whether you realize it or not, you already have a personal brand. Everyone does. But let’s clear up a common misconception: personal branding is not about self-promotion, bragging, or flexing. Instead, your brand is your reputation—it’s how you are perceived by your friends, family, colleagues, and, most importantly, the people you serve. Every interaction—whether in person, digital, or over the phone—contributes to your personal brand. So, let’s dive into what personal branding truly is and why it matters. Your Brand Is More Than Just Aesthetic Your personal brand is not a product, a logo, or a cool photo. While these elements can enhance your brand, they are simply accessories—visual cues that help people remember you. For example, my personal style includes red nails, wearing black, floral prints, and sometimes a combination of both! But beyond these elements, my brand is […]

Written by the Team at Family Shield Credit As many funeral home owners and directors would agree, sometimes it can be hard to talk about payment with families during an arrangement. Because of this, funeral homes often times will perform a service and then look to collect payment afterwards. Next things next, your accounts receivables start to pile up and now you are spending more time on collections than you are focused on running your business and meeting with families. If this sounds like a familiar problem, it might be time to look for another solution to help. Family Shield Credit has made strides to address this very problem, and while they have only been around for just 3 years, they have already helped over 500 funeral homes across 24 states. By offering affordable loan options to families ranging from […]

Written by Wendy Russell Wiener, Managing Member, WRW Legal, PLLC During December, my law practice assisted clients with seven difference instances of “We _____ed the wrong body!”  In some of those cases, the blank was filled with “cremated”, in others with “interred”, in another with “delivered”.  And, yes, I said SEVEN in one month.  You might be thinking, “Wendy, just what type of clients do you have?!”  But, I assure you my clients are the best in our industry and profession. What did every single one of the incidents have in common?  Simple failure to pay attention.  That’s it.  In every case, a human failed to properly identify the decedent that they were retrieving from refrigeration and took the decedent they retrieved, which was the wrong decedent, to their final disposition or in one case to the wrong destination. So, […]