Thought Leadership

Written by Welton Hong, Ring Ring Marketing Every year, I travel throughout the country to help funeral home owners make their phone ring and boost market share. Call me a nerd, but I love seeing business owners succeed, especially when it comes to assisting  family members in honoring lost loved ones or planning ahead. On Thursday, Sept. 11, I’ll be joining Chris Cruger, the CEO of The Foresight Companies, and other experts as a speaker at “Mastermind: Elevating Your Funeral Service Business to New Heights,” which is approved by Ohio for 5.5 hours of continuing education. The event will be at the Live! Casino & Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this article, I’ll highlight some of the main items I’ll be highlighting at our Mastermind event. If you focus on these action items as you move toward 2026, you’ll be […]

New data spells out what consumers want from funeral service, but are practitioners listening? Every year, The Foresight Companies takes a hard look at how consumer attitudes and behaviors have evolved regarding funeral service. Unfailingly, we uncover both new insights and repeat challenges. Foresight’s 2025 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study is no different. The data is rich. The insights are clear. The message is urgent: The consumer is changing, but are funeral service practitioners? This year’s study gathered feedback from more than 5,000 consumers and nearly 500 funeral service professionals. This gives us a 90% degree of confidence in the information we gathered, straight from the mouths of consumers and funeral service professionals. The data tells a story of a profession somewhat stuck in neutral while the world around it continues to shift. Consumers are more digital, price-conscious and […]

Written by Jared Tanke I’ve always been fascinated by how much business success comes down to the things you can’t immediately see in a spreadsheet. Sure, numbers are important—revenue, profit margins, and market share all matter—but what separates a truly valuable funeral home from the rest often lies beyond those metrics. It’s the things you invest in today, the ones that don’t show up as line items, that can make all the difference when it’s time to transition your business. Here are some of the key areas operators should focus on to build not just a profitable funeral home, but one that stands out to potential buyers when it’s time to sell. Build a Strong Team and Foster the Right Culture Think about your team. Are they just employees, or are they the heart and soul of your funeral home? […]

Actionable strategies for developing staff into leaders for your firm and community In today’s rapidly evolving funeral industry, leadership is found in the everyday interactions your staff have with grieving families and community members. Transforming your staff into the next generation of leaders is not only vital for sustaining excellence in service but also for driving innovation, deepening community involvement, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Let’s talk about actionable strategies to cultivate leadership among your team members, emphasizing in-person engagement, professional growth, and the profound impact of community involvement. Creating a Vision for the Future Empowering your staff to become the next generation of leaders begins with a clear, shared vision that harmonizes traditional values with modern innovation and deep community involvement. Vision-Driven Culture: Clearly articulate your organization’s mission, values, and long-term goals during in-person meetings. When every […]