There was a time when if you needed information on a task or a service you went direct to the source to find the information needed. Remember, when your watch didn’t work you would take it to the local jeweler to diagnose the issue. . . . Or if the electronic device you just purchased didn’t work as advertised at first you would go back to the retail store and ask about the operating directions to see if you did […]
In December it will be a full two years since Recompose, the United States first human natural organic reduction (NOR) disposition service was legal and open for business. NOR is more commonly known as “human composting”. We thought it might be a good time — on the precipice of the business’ second anniversary of being open for business to check in and see how things are going. We did so, not with an interview but with information from this recent […]
In my home state of Minnesota there is a sports writer who every Thanksgiving creates an article and makes a case for the worst person or thing that has happened on the Minnesota sports scene in the past year. I’ve taken some inspiration from that but have also taken into account something my mom drilled into me, “If you cannot say something good about somebody, then say nothing at all”. So, in the spirit of recognition, but also taking my […]
Editor’s Note: Today’s guest columnist is Jake Johnson, CEO of Johnson Consulting Group. His article begins here: It’s no secret to anyone right now that businesses everywhere are feeling the impacts of inflation. The funeral profession specifically has seen a rise in costs, and it’s resulted in increased stress and pressure on owners. These shifts are inevitable, and if businesses don’t start making changes and prioritizing their business value for the future, they’ll find themselves at a severe disadvantage. […]
Earlier this week I was informed by a Funeral Director Daily reader that online price lists have started to appear on the websites of Service Corporation International (SCI) funeral homes. Just to be clear, I’m not sure that this is news or not — because I’ve never taken the time to check out individual SCI funeral homes to see if they had price lists or not. However, the comment that I received from a reader was this, “Did you know […]
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven –“. That is the first verse in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 and the 2nd verse goes on to say “A time to give birth, and a time to die“. Any funeral director who has ever spent time on a graveside service standing over an open grave with a pastor or priest giving a final commendation has heard those words. And, those words are prophetic, […]
2022 marked a point in the history of Great Britain’s largest death care provider, Dignity plc, where they planned to increase consumer market share for their services by lowering their prices. What they maybe didn’t anticipate was the highest inflationary pressures in the last 40 years on the costs of their services to happen at the same time. It’s a certain mathematical formula that lower sales prices coupled with increased expenses will result in lower margins. . . and that […]
We’ve all talked about it and see it out in the profession — a lack of trained and licensed funeral directors to combat the coming years when America faces a wave of Baby Boomer deaths. Without the influx of new professionals, many funeral homes will be understaffed which can lead to a vicious cycle of people leaving the profession for a variety of reasons, which in turn, causes less professionals available to do the death care work. . . . […]
Because I report on them, and partly because I just like learning what is happening, I generally read the “Earnings Call Transcripts” that take place every quarter between the public company death care executives and the financial brokers that cover their companies. If you’ve never read these they end up being a “give and take” of questions and answers about how the specific company is performing and what they see with their business moving forward. It gives those who earn […]
It’s November and if you haven’t organized your budget for the 2023 calendar year yet, it is about time to get started. I always did my final work on the budget when November 1 came around and by the 15th of the month it was set for the coming year. I found the easiest way to formulate the budget was look at the expenses first. What required expenses did I have?. . . how much had they went up in […]
