October 27, 2021
Published by 
Dan Isard on October 27, 2021
Dan Isard on October 27, 2021Why be influenced by someone you don’t respect? A confident owner/manager who knows that his staff and firm deliver exceptional service has no competitors. Since I first set foot in a funeral home in 1984, one best new thing has come along and evolved. No, you can’t buy it. No, you can’t steal it. And no, you can’t copy it from your competitor. This new thing, however, will help you increase your profit and the value of your business by thousands. Will it bring a smile to your face? Absolutely! Is it advertised in the pages of this magazine? No. In fact, if you add it to your repertoire, you will be the only one to have it. You should be warned that it is as infectious as any virus, though, so it will infect your staff and those […]
October 27, 2021
Published by 
Curtis Rostad on October 27, 2021
Curtis Rostad on October 27, 2021Most employers are at least aware of the issue of independent contractor versus employee. But making the determination has never been clear. The Department of Labor issued a final rule clarifying the standard for independent contractor versus employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). That may sound encouraging, but it is doubtful that the rule consisting of more than 1,200 pages makes the designation any easier. In reality, the rule only clarified the factors to consider that are still open to interpretation. The effective date of the final rule was March 8, 2021. Why does this designation make a difference? There is a financial incentive to declare a worker an independent contractor. But declaring one independent does not make it so—under the law. If a worker is deemed to be an independent contractor, the employer is not required to […]
September 29, 2021
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on September 29, 2021
Stephanie Ramsey on September 29, 2021Scenario: Sally and Steve Mooney started Weacrematieu Cremation and Funeral Services 25 years ago. Located in the heart of a popular tourist area in the Southeastern United States, the local population continues to expand as jobs are readily available and the cost of living reasonable. Weacrematieu has experienced significant growth each year in the number of families it serves, which has created challenges for Sally and Steve in terms of hiring licensed qualified staff and creating attractive benefit programs to retain them. It has been difficult to find employees who see working at Weacrematieu as a “calling” rather than just a “paycheck.” To encourage employees to have long-term vision, some of the benefits require employees to be employed for extended periods prior to qualification, such as the retirement plan. Sally has created an employee handbook that provides a summary of […]
September 28, 2021
Published by Dan Isard on September 28, 2021
Dan Isard on September 28, 2021In last month’s issue, I explained what a business plan is and laid the groundwork for why you need to have one. This month, I want to take you deeper, so, instead of more theories, I asked two industry veterans to contribute their thoughts. The first is Steve Shaffer, CEO and president of Homesteaders Life Insurance Company. Shaffer didn’t start at the top of this company; he spent the past two decades in public accounting, joined a national acquirer as its CFO and then founded one of the top acquisition companies before leaving it to join the preneed world. I also spoke with Chris Cruger, managing partner at the company I founded, The Foresight Companies. He had a major background in finance and operations within the funeral business before joining Foresight. Today, he influences some of the most successful funeral […]
September 28, 2021
Published by Dan Isard on September 28, 2021
Dan Isard on September 28, 2021NFDA Consumer Awareness and Preferences Survey Commentary Complementary consumer surveys show three strong cultural trends for which you may need to adjust your business. Imagine you answer the phone and the voice says, “I have data compiled independently that will tell you what consumers are saying about funeral service and what they expect from a funeral provider.” You might cautiously ask, “Well, that’s all well and good, but how recent is this data?” The mysterious salesperson responds, “It is all from within the past year, tracking consumer changes since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Not wanting to seem too easy a sell, your next question would probably be, “Well, how much is this data?” To which the shadowy huckster replies, “It’s about $250,000, payable in one easy payment.” At that moment, you have an involuntary muscle spasm and hang […]