January 27, 2026
Published by 
Welton Hong on January 27, 2026
Welton Hong on January 27, 2026Written by Welton Hong The call came in at 2:17 a.m. A daughter had just lost her father and didn’t know where to turn. She searched “funeral home near me,” clicked on the first result, and landed on a website that looked professional — but offered little clarity. No hours. No indication of whether someone was available right now. No pricing guidance. Unsure and overwhelmed, she hit the back button and called the next funeral home on the list. That funeral home answered. This scenario plays out every day. Funeral home websites unintentionally fail the very families who need them most. In moments of grief, people are not browsing. They are seeking certainty, reassurance and immediate direction. A funeral home website should answer questions. When it lacks essential information, families do not wait. They move on. Here are six must-have […]
January 27, 2026
Published by 
Chris Cruger on January 27, 2026
Chris Cruger on January 27, 2026Personalization 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 […]
December 22, 2025
Published by 
Jared Tanke on December 22, 2025
Jared Tanke on December 22, 2025Marty Blackwood, age 75, had spent his life doing what few others could: running a small-town funeral home operation in the rural South nearly single-handedly. A lifelong servant of his community, Marty had built a reputation as both dependable and deeply personal in his care for families. Over the years he had expanded his single location into a three-rooftop business. Together his funeral homes served just over 100 families a year, a manageable volume for decades, but now the demands of middle-of-the-night calls and increasingly complex operations were wearing him down. Marty knew it was time to plan his exit. The challenge was understanding what his business was actually worth. One of his longtime advisors suggested a $2.5 million valuation, a number that sounded good, perhaps too good. The business produced about $300,000 in annual cash flow, meaning that figure […]
December 22, 2025
Published by 
Axel Jean-Francois on December 22, 2025
Axel Jean-Francois on December 22, 2025A December reflection I came across that video again the other night. Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World. Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. Most people know the song. Fewer people stop to consider what they’re actually watching. It isn’t a music video. It’s a tribute. Ashes being scattered. A community present with intention. No narration. No explanation. Nothing telling you what to feel or how to interpret it. And yet it works. More than a billion views. A billion quiet pauses. People stopping for a few minutes longer than they planned to. There’s no optimization behind that. No framing. No attempt to guide the reaction. Just something human, landing where it lands. What makes that interesting is the story we often tell ourselves alongside it. That people are moving away from funerals. That ritual is fading. That services are becoming […]
November 25, 2025
Published by 
Luke Potter on November 25, 2025
Luke Potter on November 25, 2025In the funeral profession, operational issues rarely appear overnight. Most red flags emerge slowly, but with quiet signs that something is slipping. For owners juggling families, staffing, community obligations, day-to-day operations, and life in general, it’s easy for these warning signs to go unnoticed, but identifying them early can be the difference. Red flags aren’t failures; they are signals. And the most successful owners are the ones who recognize and address them before they become irreversible. One of the biggest warning signs is inconsistent call volume. Whether calls are declining, stagnating, or shifting toward lower-margin services, the trend matters far more than any single year’s performance. A weak or unclear understanding of market share is another major indicator of a red flag, especially when competition increases or consumer preferences shift. Cremation mix, pricing position, and your alignment with community demographics […]