August 16, 2017
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on August 16, 2017
Stephanie Ramsey on August 16, 2017As a business owner or manager, there are times when you’re faced with employee performance issues. These employees are usually not your worst employee or brightest star. They did not commit fraud or anything that would lead you to move to immediate termination. They just don’t seem to be the most comfortable fit. Owners and managers eventually reach a point where they feel they must make a difficult decision. Should they let an employee go and find a replacement or should they keep them on and hope to help them improve their less than stellar performance? Well-known quotes and proverbs may start racing through your mind such as “roll the dice and hope for the best” or “the devil you know is better than the one you don’t know” when faced with this type of situation. The bottom line is […]
August 16, 2017
Published by 
Dan Isard on August 16, 2017
Dan Isard on August 16, 2017Most do not know the history of cremation. If we don’t understand the history, we are ill-equipped to deal with the results of the past. While the roots of cremation go back more than 5,000 years, we began the modern age of cremation in the 1870s. Before the modern world of cremation, bodies were cremated in outdoor pyres or within outdoor cremation pits. Cremation became “modern” in the 1870s, when an Italian professor named Ludovico Brunetti invented the first commercial cremation chamber. Brunetti demonstrated his cremation “furnace” at the Vienna Exposition in 1873. An improved commercial retort was demonstrated at the World’s Fair in 1876 in Philadelphia. Cremation had been a part of the culture of many eastern religions as well as other Christian religions that were starting anew in the 1600s. In Great Britain, the modern cremation movement was […]
July 14, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on July 14, 2017
Dan Isard on July 14, 2017Let’s face it funeral friends: Technology in the funeral profession is here to stay. It’s not a fad that people simply use to play games or catch up with each other. It has become woven into the fabric of our lives, both professionally and privately. In preparing to write this article, I considered different facets of a funeral, cremation and burial, and where technology has created a better experience for families while boosting the productivity of funeral directors. Before a call ever takes place, a funeral home must promote itself in such a manner that prompts a consumer to make contact regarding an impending death or a death that has occurred. In days gone by, marketing for funeral homes was simple. We are in a relationship business, so visibility in operative communities was a must, and frankly, is still an […]
July 14, 2017
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on July 14, 2017
Stephanie Ramsey on July 14, 2017 Scenario: ABC Funeral Home, owned by Jim and Jane Smith, is a funeral home considered to be the market leader in a Midwestern town with a population of approximately 300,000. Part of its approach to maintaining market share is its high quality of family services fostered primarily through its experienced and qualified staff. ABC Funeral Home pays its employees well and offers competitive benefits. They live in a state that recognizes at-will employment. Finding quality employees is challenging for everyone in the area. Recently, one of ABC Funeral Home’s senior funeral directors gave notice indicating that he would be joining another firm in the area. His resignation indicated that he would stay with the firm another 30 days. Jim accepted his resignation, but he was concerned about his senior employee stealing confidential and proprietary information, so he told the […]
July 1, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on July 1, 2017
Dan Isard on July 1, 2017Fear of going to jail for noncompliance of filing taxes is not the first reason you need good accounting. Bankruptcy is a much more frequent event. Still, it’s better to be prepared. By Daniel M. Isard At the young age of 19, I was promoting concerts in Philadelphia when I got a call from a bar owner who wanted to have three concerts at his large venue. This guy was, as we would say in South Philly at the time, “mobbed up.” But I didn’t care who hired me – I needed money for college. As the first concert was taking place, I sat in the box office doing “the count” – confirming receipts versus tickets sold. When I finished, I found the bar owner in the rafters watching the concert where the sound and light guys were […]