July 25, 2022
It is not surprising that the transaction environment is still as fast paced as it was this time last year. We were recently asked about the current environment and what to consider when deciding to sell your funeral business. Chris Cruger provides his insights on this important topic. Question: I am considering selling my funeral home in 2022. What does the current environment look like and what should I be considering when selling my business? Chris Cruger: First and foremost, if you want to do anything in 2022, you need to get the ball rolling immediately. The end of the year will be here before you know it and there is no time to waste. We discussed this very topic during the 2022 Funeral (un) Conference and it also introduces a number of other considerations. The first is, are you […]
July 24, 2022
How can you make a positive difference in your community as society trends toward a meaningless tomorrow filled with simple cremation? Most scientists and archaeologists agree that Homosapiens, or modern humans, came into existence between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago. The first known communities, however, did not exist until around 14,000 years ago. But it’s the 9,500-year old Neolithic settlement known as Catalhoyuk, located in south-central Turkey, where nearly 8,000 people gathered, that may hold the key to the rise in major communities. Prior to the discovery of Catalhoyuk, humans were mostly known as nomadic people, hunters and gathers wandering in search of food. Although still up for some debate, archaeologists believe these early settlers came together through shared spirituality and artistic expression, giving way to shared farming and other social customs. There is no doubt that the Neolithic Revolution […]
July 24, 2022
EI, the biggest workplace performance predictor and strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence, begins with you. “Let us all be the leaders we wish we had.”– Simon Sinek, Author and Inspirational Speaker While there is no “I” in TEAM, the winning team you build (or currently have) must start somewhere, and that somewhere begins with you, Mr./Ms. Owner-Operator. By default, and regardless of whether you wanted to be a leader or not, your team looks to you to be captain of your ship. Throughout my career, I have worked for others and found myself wishing that this leader was more “this way” and that leader more “that way.” However, none of us is ever complete and perfect. I have always found myself learning what I should do under past managers and leaders, but just as importantly, I have learned […]
July 24, 2022
I appreciated attending the 2022 ICCFA Annual Convention in Las Vegas. It gave all of us there a feeling of what normal used to be. As I was walking through the exhibit area, one person stopped me and asked, “Is there one single thing we can do to enhance our revenue?” I pondered the question as asked and felt that the topic should be treated as three questions: How do we know what our revenue should be? Is there something we can do to enhance revenue? Is there one single thing we can do to enhance revenue? Allow me to answer the one question, three ways. How do we know what our revenue should be? This is simple math. Revenue should be equal to or greater than overhead. Whether you are a cemetery, funeral home, trade service, or combination operation, […]
July 24, 2022
E-commerce Is What Families Are Expecting Serve future customers. Is that not what all businesses set out to do? Substitute “customers” with “families” and replace “stores” with “funeral homes” and the quote below from the CEO of Walmart could have easily come from Tom Ryan (SCI), Mel Payne (Carriage), Brad Green (Park Lawn), or any other CEO for companies in the funeral, cemetery, and cremation profession. Or replace “customers” with “patients” and “stores” with “hospitals” and this quote can easily apply to hospitals/healthcare as well (and make no mistake about it folks, hospitals are businesses, with the majority of them being for profit). However, the part of the quote that I would like to focus on is “e-commerce” (before tying it all back to the rest of the quote and what it all means to you). So, what is e-commerce? […]




