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May 12, 2014
Published by 
Dan Isard on May 12, 2014
Dan Isard on May 12, 2014Most small business owners do not understand accounting. You do not have to comprehend the complex intersections of the general ledger, the balance sheet and the resulting income statement. Many think that the reason to do accounting is to file accurate tax returns. Accurate tax returns are important, but the reason to do accounting is to have the data to know what is driving or impairing your business. The bigger issue is that it’s more important to look at business operations than going through the motions of completing a tax return. With up-to-date financials I can see if a business is hitting its budget, and if not, why not. If it is exceeding the budget…
May 12, 2014
Published by Dan Isard on May 12, 2014
Dan Isard on May 12, 2014For almost three decades, funeral homes have coexisted with hospice, and to many, it’s been a symbiotic coexistence. Both are experts in dealing with the dying and survivors of the deceased. Hospice, in general, has been a great aid to our society in recognizing that death is as much part of the life cycle as is birth. Dear Hospice, It is 4:26 a.m., and I am thinking about a phone call I had with a client. The call was identical to many other calls I have had with many other clients over the years. Hospice, you were the topic of the discussion. I hope your ears were burning. My client called to ask how to handle the referrals…
May 12, 2014
Published by Dan Isard on May 12, 2014
Dan Isard on May 12, 2014A Call to Change the Education of Funeral Directors Every decade I get motivated to change another dynamic of this profession. In the 1980s, it was eradicating the guarantee from preneed – and in the 1990s, it was to increase the reasonable profit from operating a funeral home. The advent of the 21st century makes me want all funeral homes to employ aftercare and other outreach marketing offerings. I also have another goal: Changing the educational requirements for licensure of this profession. You might not like what I am about to write here, so if you are happy with this profession having more cynics attacking it, lower profit margins and lower average revenue per call, turn to another article. If you want to join me to oppose these trends, please read on…
May 6, 2014
Published by Dan Isard on May 6, 2014
Dan Isard on May 6, 2014the evolution of our profession Over the course of the past three decades I have written hundreds of articles for this profession. This will be the one most subject to ridicule and disdain from this profession. I will tell you that reading this article is going to upset many of you. I am not going to apologize for this modest proposal. Like most change, you may not like it, but let me be the first to raise this concept. In case you were not an English literature major, the title of this article was intentionally chosen. In 1729 Jonathan Swift, the author of “Gulliver’s Travels,” wrote a satirical essay of the same name I have chosen. It was during the time of the Irish potato famine. Swift’s modest proposal was that the Irish eat their children. While the concept is abhorrent, it was dark humor. I am not proposing funeral directors eat their young, but […]
May 1, 2014
Published by Dan Isard on May 1, 2014
Dan Isard on May 1, 2014Overhead, a simple component of the profit and loss statement (P&L), comprises every cost your business incurs. In fact, as you will discover, it comprises all costs, whether deductible or non-deductible. In fact, it is really more than the deductible and non-deductible items that represent every cost you incur to operate your business. Of course, overhead doesn’t really include…