Business
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…
If you have been involved in leadership for any length of time you will find that any decision that you make, even if you think it is the greatest decision in the world, will not be taken as beneficial to all parties. Someone down the line of employment will wish the decision…
The negotiations to sell and or purchase a funeral home generally involve “what one is buying and how are they paying for it”. It’s pretty common to hear the terms “asset sale”, “real estate”, “convenants not to compete”, “consulting agreement”, “equipment”, “inventory”, and “goodwill” among the nomenclature of the transaction that takes place between…
Over my lifetime some things have just stuck with me. A couple of those things are quotes that share a message of complicated projects or ideas that might seem insurmountable but also give the hope to try. . . because maybe the idea might just work. The first one I remember is…
I. Introduction The funeral profession is built on compassion, care, and continuity – values that have long been passed down through generations. Traditionally, many funeral homes were family-run businesses, with children stepping into the roles of their parents and grandparents. I saw this legacy firsthand during my time at Leverton & Sons in London, a firm…
First of all, you have to understand where I come from. I have a conservative nature to me that all my friends know about. For instance, I’ll play the shot to the center of the green and go for the safe par instead of trying to drop a shot over sand and water…
