April 23, 2025
Published by 
Gabriel Ngo on April 23, 2025
Gabriel Ngo on April 23, 2025SCENARIO: Randall T. Smith and his wife, Petaluma (“Peta”), had owned and operated their own funeral home and crematory business, Mesa West Funeral Home & Crematory in Midland, Texas, for nearly seven years serving their community with the highest level of service at affordable prices. Then, in 2019, Randall was diagnosed with liver cancer, and in 2020, he passed away. Before Randall died, he told Peta that, “if you ever sell the business, I think it’s worth at least $1.4 million.” Randall and Peta, who were both licensed funeral directors and embalmers, had built Mesa West Funeral Home & Crematory on money they had saved up from years working for a corporate consolidator. Mesa was serving a solid 210 families a year, with total annual Revenue just north of $1 million by 2019. During peak COVID periods between 2020 and […]
April 23, 2025
Published by 
Matt Blackwell on April 23, 2025
Matt Blackwell on April 23, 2025In the ever-evolving funeral and cemetery profession, making informed financial decisions is more critical than ever. Whether you’re managing day-to-day operations, planning for a significant capital investment, or considering a business expansion, a well-crafted financial model can be the key to unlocking clarity and confidence in your decision-making. What Is a Financial Model and Why Does It Matter? A financial model is essentially a comprehensive summary of your funeral home’s income, expenses, and cash flow, all neatly organized in a spreadsheet. It is designed to answer pivotal questions about your business’s future. For funeral home owners, a financial model can help you: Plan Your Budget: Ensure that your revenue streams—from services like funeral arrangements and merchandise sales—cover your expenses, including staff wages and facility upkeep. Evaluate Investments: Decide whether purchasing new equipment (such as a retort or updated vehicles) or […]
April 23, 2025
Published by 
Welton Hong on April 23, 2025
Welton Hong on April 23, 2025Written by Welton Hong, Ring Ring Marketing Running a successful pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaign isn’t just about showing up; it’s about showing up for the right audience. Many funeral homes focus heavily on selecting the “perfect” keywords, but that’s only one side of the coin. If you’re not also eliminating the wrong traffic, you’re leaving the back door wide open—and your ad budget is walking out. Think of your PPC campaign like planning a formal dinner party. Your positive keywords are the invitations you send out: they determine who shows up. But if you don’t set clear expectations or limit plus-ones, you might find your living room packed with folks who thought it was a backyard barbecue. Negative keywords are your way of saying, “This isn’t that kind of party.” Let’s say your funeral home provides high-end funeral services. You […]
March 28, 2025
Published by 
Axel Jean-Francois on March 28, 2025
Axel Jean-Francois on March 28, 2025(Names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. But trust me—these challenges and triumphs are all too real in the funeral profession.) “Fire them, or pack your things.” That was the ultimatum John Smith heard on an otherwise ordinary morning. The funeral home owner—John’s longtime boss—wanted an employee gone for purely personal reasons, a vendetta completely unrelated to job performance. John knew in his gut: that’s not how you run a successful business, and it’s definitely not how you treat loyal staff. Within minutes, he grabbed his stuff, said goodbye to a place he’d poured years of effort into, and walked out. Enough was enough. In that moment, John realized: If I can’t stand by while someone’s wrongfully fired—maybe it’s time I run my own funeral home the right way. But let’s be real—big decisions aren’t always glamorous. […]
March 28, 2025
Published by 
Taylor Weber on March 28, 2025
Taylor Weber on March 28, 2025(Note: names, specific locations, and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. The scenarios described, however, are real and reflective of genuine trends in the funeral and cemetery profession.) Across the country, funeral homes are experiencing a seismic shift. With skyrocketing real estate prices and evolving preferences for funeral services, providers are reconsidering their traditional reliance on physical facilities. This shift has prompted a growing number of funeral homes to adopt “asset-light” models—operating without traditional brick-and-mortar spaces, leveraging third-party partnerships and rented spaces to deliver meaningful, personalized funeral experiences. While this innovative approach offers substantial growth potential, it also presents unique challenges, as two similar but ultimately very different funeral homes discovered. Evergreen Farewell Services: Losing Sight of the Mission Evergreen Farewell Services was established with a clear, heartfelt mission: to provide families with deeply personalized, environmentally friendly funeral […]