The Funeral Industry is Collapsing – But There’s Still Time to Save Yourself
The independent funeral home industry isn't dead, but it's on life support—and the rate of closure is rising fast. That's bad news for an iconic American institution that has served families for generations. But why is this happening? We can't blame the problem on inflation or supply chain issues; we know how to fix those things (more or less), and the problems don't seem to be going away anytime soon. And the problems with profit margins? They aren't really a secret anymore either. We all know the old business model isn't functioning at a level that's barely sufficient. Families are not arranging traditional funeral services, and the growth industries that are taking up the slack are direct cremation and other forms of 'disposal.' And at the high end, everything's being swallowed up by corporate interests.
A System on the Brink
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last looked into the practices of funeral homes, and found widespread deception. In many cases, the homes just weren't providing the honest pricing info they were supposed to, and some of them didn't have the right kind of licenses to operate. There have also been some physical disasters—in Maryland, for example, authorities found a crematory with decomposing bodies inside.
Combining funeral homes into corporate chains and private equity firms has caused prices to rise for consumers—many of whom can no longer afford even a conventional funeral. And yet, what we're getting in return for all that excess cash seems, in a lot of cases, to be far less than care that's even subpar.
On another note, funeral co-ops in Canada have found a way to counter surging prices. They do this by providing their members with well-reasoned and well-priced alternatives to death-purge prices. They also furnish their members with group-rate bargains that make the basic services of dying a little less unaffordable. A case like this illustrates that when it comes to the business of death, both Canadian and U.S. independent funeral homes can do quite a lot to resist the corporate takeover of the last local service of all.
The Solution: Cooperation and Knowledge
Staying in business requires being adaptable. Funeral homes cannot keep operating in isolation. They must form local networks with other end-of-life service providers and work together to achieve the kind of collective common good that the People's Memorial Association (PMA) has long enjoyed.
The Commander Initiative is one of those alliances that can offer that kind of help to funeral homes. So what is The Commander Initiative, and what does it do? To answer those questions, let’s look first at The Commander Initiative itself, then consider a few other similar alliances, and finally talk about the payoffs in kind and cash that can come from all those collective efforts.
Take Action Now
Ensure a strong future for your funeral home by taking timely action. Make the cooperative smaller, reduce expenses, and toughen your overall funeral business. Study and learn from those in your field whom you can see are making things work and avoid the next funeral home "emergency" by learning deep lessons from this one.
Take a look at what comes with your membership! Click Here
Contact The Commander Initiative at once to secure your tomorrow in the funeral business.
www.thecommandersinitiative.com | info@cooperprofessionals.com | 312-442-0443