July 30, 2024
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on July 30, 2024
Nicole Vullo on July 30, 2024Three Things You Can Do Right Now to Future Proof Your Business According to a recent article published by the University of Kansas School of Education & Human Sciences1, the U.S. education system “has been struggling to keep up with other countries in terms of educational performance … The consequences of this educational gap are far-reaching … The USA is now the worst-educated workforce in the industrialized world.” Based on the results of our 2024 Funeral & Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study (FCCBS) , the U.S. funeral and cemetery profession may just be in a similar position when it comes to educating consumers about both its products and services … and itself. And that’s not all. Other data from recent studies highlight another key challenge facing the funeral and cemetery industry: an impending avalanche of customers who live their lives online […]
July 30, 2024
Published by 
Luke Potter on July 30, 2024
Luke Potter on July 30, 2024Establishing a funeral home or cemetery business for future success is crucial for its longevity as well as for a smooth ownership transition. You must be proactive in this approach and take early steps as opposed to waiting for when it must be done. We asked Financial Analyst, Luke Potter to go into further detail on the process. Question: What steps can I do now in my business plan to set my funeral home up to be successful? Luke Potter: Setting up a funeral home for future success is essential for ensuring its longevity and the smooth transition of ownership. Proactive succession planning is a key component of this preparation. By identifying and mentoring potential successors early, whether they are family members or key employees, funeral directors can provide continuity and stability. Developing leadership skills and creating a comprehensive transition […]
June 27, 2024
Published by Nicole Vullo on June 27, 2024
Nicole Vullo on June 27, 2024Written by Wanda Sizemore, Homesteaders Director-Training & Development I have been fortunate to work in many funeral homes throughout my career, from all across the country. I have found that the differences between these businesses are significant, but in a lot of ways all funeral homes are alike: We are all here to serve families when they need us most, and that is true no matter what your role is in the funeral home. Like many of you, I came to the profession through personal tragedy after the unexpected loss of my mother and brother-in-law. In the days that followed, my family was understandably overwhelmed with grief and stress. When it became clear my boss at the time was not able to offer me the time and space I needed to process these catastrophic losses, I left my employer and […]
June 27, 2024
Published by Nicole Vullo on June 27, 2024
Nicole Vullo on June 27, 2024Written by Diann Anderson, formerly of Anderson Funeral & Cremation Services Why Momentum Matters: Transforming Your Funeral Home from Stagnation to Success and Making a Lasting Impact As the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words, and the best way to illustrate a point is by telling a story. I would like to tell you the story of two different funeral home businesses. I cannot think of a more engaging way to stress the importance of your business having momentum than painting the picture representing the difference between two different business models – one that has it and pursues keeping it and one that doesn’t care. In this article I am going to tell you exactly why your business must have momentum for you to realize success. I am opening up my vault of experience and will be sharing […]
June 27, 2024
Published by 
Jarod Bernat on June 27, 2024
Jarod Bernat on June 27, 2024As the first half of 2024 comes to a close, it is time to take a look back at how the year has unfolded so far. I’m sure everyone established a budget at the start of 2024, and I’m also sure everyone has set aside time to review how they’ve done versus their expectations through the first six months of the year. Could you read my sarcasm there? Okay, maybe it’s a bit presumptive to assume everyone took time to budget their year out, especially since we’re talking about a profession that’s infamous for being a 24/7 commitment. But it is vitally important to our evolution as business owners to set goals each year, and then afterwards, reflect on our performance against those goals. This means that we must intermittently self-evaluate to identify times in which we may need to […]