May 1, 2019
Published by 
Dan Isard on May 1, 2019
Dan Isard on May 1, 2019Many people routinely hear that “debt is bad,” but it’s not if properly managed. I realize that my column is rarely about something with which all funeral home owners and managers will agree, but my role in this world is to provide an alternative point of view. You cannot imagine the joy it gives me to disagree with more than 10,000 owners and managers on a monthly basis. “When you know you know, you fear no man!” one of my early mentors told me. Continuing with our preparation for the 2020 Year of Illumination, I have started dissecting 12 key issues of running a business. This month, we examine debt, and I am going to explain why debt is not bad, if properly managed, and then how to properly manage it. There are seven points to understanding debt. 1. Who […]
April 19, 2019
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on April 19, 2019
Stephanie Ramsey on April 19, 2019There is much talk through all US industries about the difficulties encountered in employing Millennials and Generation Z’s. It is perceived that they have a much different approach to the work environment than Generation X’s and Baby Boomers. Some businesses tend to attract and hire within just a couple generations. For example, Facebook and Google are well known for their trendsetting work environments and are highly attractive to the Millennial crowd. Funeral service is challenged on how to integrate the new generations into a historically based business model. The reality is that funeral businesses always had and likely always will have multiple generations within the business working toward the common goal of serving the families in their communities. For funeral businesses today, the question is how to create an effective work environment that is hospitable to multiple generations so they […]
March 20, 2019
Published by Dan Isard on March 20, 2019
Dan Isard on March 20, 2019To market your message for the future, capitalize on the tools and techniques of communication that exist today. As we prepare to reinvent your business with foresight (ahem, it’s just a common word, folks) and vision for 2020, there is nothing more critical than marketing. Because you cannot assume families will simply come to your funeral home, you must address the methods and design of marketing today – not in anticipation for the turn of the 21st century and not stuck in the 20th century. The key elements of marketing have changed. Everything you thought was marketing 20 years ago has been eviscerated, blown up or has died. The one thing that has not changed is your message. Advertising and marketing attempt to transmit your message to those seeking that message. I contend that the message of funeral directors over […]
March 11, 2019
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on March 11, 2019
Stephanie Ramsey on March 11, 2019Scenario: Jackson-Smith Funeral Service, owned by Bill Smith Jr., is a three-location funeral business in the Midwest. Between the three locations, the business serves more than 350 families per year. Currently the business has five licensed funeral directors, three licensed embalmers and several funeral assistants, some of which are part-timers. All full-time employees are paid by salary and part-time employees are paid hourly. Rather than using a third-party service to perform removal services and embalming after normal work hours, JSFS has created a schedule for its own staff to cover this need. A schedule is posted each month for the employees to follow. Employees are paid each time they perform a removal or embalming after hours regardless of their full-time or part-time status. This is $25 per event (it is anticipated that a removal and an embalming take approximately two […]
March 5, 2019
Published by Dan Isard on March 5, 2019
Dan Isard on March 5, 2019We are living through the most amazing of times as we watch our country go from being a burial-oriented society to being a cremation-oriented society. I say “amazing” because we are dealing with a sociological change that has been taking place for more than 5,000 years but has seen its popularity significantly increase in the last 25 years. Cremation is not a new phenomenon. In my book on cremation, I identified that there is clear archaeological proof that Greek and Macedonian cultures, 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, used cremation as a routine choice for helping a body transform to the next life. These people used cremation because their societal leaders told them to use it. We know with the rise of Judaism, which forbade the use of cremation, the dominant societies used burial. The leaders of the early […]