September 25, 2025
Published by 
Matt Blackwell on September 25, 2025
Matt Blackwell on September 25, 2025If you’re an independent funeral home or cemetery owner, tracking public company performance might seem like something only Wall Street cares about. But the truth is, these companies influence the entire profession, especially when it comes to how buyers think, how valuations are framed, and what success looks like in today’s market. At Foresight, we maintain a quarterly model that tracks the two dominant public players in the funeral profession: Service Corporation International (SCI) and Carriage Services (CSV). We analyze their financials, monitor their growth, and benchmark their performance against trends we see across the country. The goal isn’t to mimic every move they make. It’s to study what’s working, what’s not, and use it as a reference point for private business owners who want to grow, transition, or better understand their own value. What the Data Reveals We track […]
September 25, 2025
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on September 25, 2025
Nicole Vullo on September 25, 2025When most people hear the word “branding,” they picture a logo, a website, or maybe a color scheme. But in the funeral and cemetery profession, branding runs much deeper. A strong brand isn’t just what you look like, it’s how you make people feel. It’s the trust you inspire in families, the reputation you carry in your community, and the reason generations return to you in their times of need. Recently, I had the opportunity to lead a training session on Branding Fundamentals in Funeral and Cemetery Services, and the conversation highlighted just how critical branding is for long-term success in our profession. Branding vs. Marketing: Knowing the Difference One of the biggest misconceptions is that branding and marketing are the same thing. They’re not. Branding is your foundation: the “what” and “why” behind your business. Marketing is the “how.” […]
September 25, 2025
Published by 
Taylor Weber on September 25, 2025
Taylor Weber on September 25, 2025What Sellers Need to Know Before the Deal When it comes to selling a funeral home or cemetery business, the letter of intent (LOI) may feel like the finish line but in reality, it’s just the starting point for one of the most critical phases of the transaction: buyer due diligence. At Foresight, we recently gathered our team for an internal training session focused on navigating the diligence process from both the buyer’s and seller’s perspectives. Here are some key insights from that discussion and why early, thorough preparation is the best way to protect value and close with confidence. Why Buyer Due Diligence Matters Due diligence is how a buyer verifies that what they think they’re buying is what they’re actually getting. Diligence reduces risk and uncertainty, impacting everything from valuation and deal structure to timing and close. It’s […]
September 25, 2025
Published by 
Jarod Bernat on September 25, 2025
Jarod Bernat on September 25, 2025Scenario: Paul Gibson, age 63, was the owner and operator of Gibson Funeral Home, a small-town funeral home in a micropolitan area of the Midwest. Paul had built a reputation over decades as a dependable figure in his community, serving approximately 140 families per year. With a lean operation staffed by only himself and another funeral director (also nearing retirement and uninterested in ownership), Paul found himself at a crossroads. After decades of running the funeral home, Paul was ready to retire. He had a two-year horizon before he planned to fully step away and become eligible for Medicare. Willing to consult for a buyer during that transition, Paul envisioned exiting the business gracefully. In 2023, he put the business on the market hoping to achieve a $3 million sale price, a figure based on inflated financials during the COVID-19 […]
September 25, 2025
Published by 
Chris Cruger on September 25, 2025
Chris Cruger on September 25, 2025Why ongoing education is funeral service’s secret weapon, and six actionable steps you should take. If you remember the era of the “after-school special,” you’ll probably recall that these television shows weren’t just entertainment – they were designed to teach life lessons. The programs aimed to leave a meaningful impression and often tackled important topics through storylines that helped the audience reflect, learn and grow. The funeral service profession could benefit from this sentiment regarding lifelong learning. Today, the profession finds itself at a point where education – education for your teams and the families you serve – has become more important than ever. As consumer expectations shift and the complexity of your services increases, your ability to inform must grow in tandem. The Education Disconnect Now in its sixth year, the 2025 “Funeral & Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study” (FCCBS), […]