Business
A few days ago The Pittsburgh Business Times published a feature story on hometown company Matthews International. It’s a very interesting article that goes back into the history of the company and how it has now expanded into a diversified business that casts a shadow in a lot of industries. . . .including Death…
On July 4, 1776, the 2nd Continental Congress of the 13 American colonies unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence announcing the colonies separation from Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonies reasons for wanting the separation. I love history, and especially American history. At one time I studied the writings of Thomas Paine…
Today marks the beginning of July and the first day of the second-half of 2025. I figured it was a good time to sincerely thank all the readers and sponsors who continue to make Funeral Director Daily the Number One choice for “Business News” in the Death Care profession. I started blogging to…
When you are in a competitive business you need to acquire customers and then find a way to make sure that those customers are “commited to you”. Many times acquiring the customer might be the easy part, but making sure the customer stays commited to you and loyal to your brand can be…
In the last couple of weeks I’ve noticed articles that truly point to Death Care as being at a nexus, or intersection, of technology and tradition. Today’s Funeral Director Daily article brings you information and links to articles that truly show that Death Care is changing. There is one article that shows…
We keep hearing that about 50% of the family owned funeral homes in North America will change hands within the next decade. . . .If there are about 20,000 funeral homes in the U.S. and Canada that means that about 10,000 will be sold. That’s a lot of transactions. The companies that help…
Are we living in the age of Debt, Demographics, and Disruption? And, if we are, are there parallels from life and investing that might also move into the Death Care realm? I heard the phrase “Debt, Demographics, and Disruption” when I sat down to catch my breath on Wednesday afternoon after returning from…
I tried something different last week and had a five-part series on how “Out-of-the-Box” thinking may change Death Care. The series of articles was well recieved and, from feedback I recieved, seemed to make people think. . . even if they don’t think my thoughts will become a reality anytime soon. Joel…
When I look at the long-term trends of democratic countries — countries that I define by having free and fair elections for leaders — I see historical movement towards more “socially economic” values. For instance, when I look at European countries that were founded much earlier than the United States I sense a pattern…
Smart companies look for “Line Extention” to help them grow. I learned a little about “Line Extension” in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when I served on a Board of Wells Fargo. At that time, CEO Richard Kovacevich realized that Wells Fargo had satisfied customers in the banking business. He realized that…
