August 25, 2022
Published by 
Chris Cruger on August 25, 2022
Chris Cruger on August 25, 2022Top challenges facing those who lead the team and how to deal with them. One thing nobody impressed upon you when you were chosen for a position of leadership is the importance of simply showing up – to be there to handle situations with integrity, confidence and a balanced head; to be the guiding light; to be present; to be there when you’re needed, whenever that might be. Another thing no one told you was that you are supposed to have all the answers. Actually, that’s not true, but it isn’t far off. As the profession moves into this post-pandemic era, there is greater need for quality leaders today than ever before, which also means there is tremendous opportunity for young professionals today. Whether that journey leads to working for someone else or for yourself, success will likely require you […]
August 25, 2022
Published by 
Dan Isard on August 25, 2022
Dan Isard on August 25, 2022Cemeteries are not Funeral Homes. Their mission is very different from their sibling within the deathcare business. A cemetery is a long-term provider of care versus a funeral home, which is short term. The funeral home may have an intense relationship with a family, going from stranger to intimate member of the family within two to five days. The cemetery may start out as a stranger, but the relationship will go on for generations (a generation is measured as a term of 20 years). But both funeral home and cemetery are important providers to survivors in the event of death. Yet, many funeral homes spend a lot of time, money, and effort promoting their “independent” or “family ownership.” Cemeteries do not. And for good reason. Cemetery Ownership If we look at the history of cemetery ownership, there are a few […]
August 25, 2022
Published by Dan Isard on August 25, 2022
Dan Isard on August 25, 2022Nothing is worse for a columnist, especially one in the darkening days of his career, than to repeat himself or herself endlessly. If you do that, you become the print version of that elderly uncle who tells you for the seventh time in two days the same story from his glory days. I use “uncle” instead of being gender neutral or defaming an aunt because men tend to live in the past more than the fairer sex. When an elder female family member wants to belabor a point, she just reminds you that she already told you something, averts her eyes and goes back to her mah-jongg tiles. Anyway, as that aging uncle, I won’t remind you that your profession must rebuild funeral service licensure and education for the future. (See my previous columns for discussions on that.) I will […]
July 26, 2022
Published by 
Foresight on July 26, 2022
Foresight on July 26, 2022The team at The Foresight Companies are passionate about the funeral and cemetery profession. The knowledge that we teach our profession is not opinion, it is empirical facts and findings based on what the consumer is thinking about the funeral and cemetery profession. This is how they see the profession and they embracing new ways of doing things. When the pandemic began in 2020, we saw how fast our profession was hit due to the increased amount of deaths that were occurring. Certainly, all the first responders were put to work to aide and guide us through the pandemic. But what also emerged was the title of Last or Final Responders. These are the funeral and cemetery professionals who could not skip a beat and needed to work diligently and quickly to help families with shocking and sudden losses due […]
July 26, 2022
Published by Foresight on July 26, 2022
Foresight on July 26, 2022At The Foresight Companies our mission is to provide our clients with customized financial and operational solutions. We deliver results through our passion for the profession and the communities they serve.