Homesteaders Blog

Leadership Development for Funeral Professionals

As we look to the future of funeral service, one thing is clear: investing in your team is the key to your business’s long-term success. Whether you're navigating staffing challenges or preparing the next generation for leadership, a strategic focus on development and retention can strengthen your business and elevate your care.

6 Simple Ways to Transform Your Preneed Appointment Setting

In the competitive world of insurance sales, a successful preneed strategy starts with one critical step: securing the appointment. And in today’s world, getting confirmed face time with a lead isn’t as easy as it seems. Between unreturned calls and no-shows — not to mention general scheduling challenges with lives revolving around a calendar jam-packed with activities and obligations — and it can feel like a never-ending uphill battle. But with the right strategies, you can turn appointment setting from a pain point into your power move.

Spring Cleaning for Your Funeral Home Business

As the seasons change and spring arrives, it’s the perfect time to refresh and reorganize your funeral home. Spring cleaning for your funeral home business isn’t just about tidying up. It’s an opportunity to refresh operations, improve customer service and enhance your reputation.

From updating customer records to deep cleaning carpets, here’s a comprehensive spring cleaning checklist with tips to revitalizing your funeral home this season.

Preneed Planning for the Sandwich Generation

As funeral professionals, you understand the evolving needs of families in your community. Among the most complex and growing demographic is the “sandwich generation” — adults who are responsible for their aging parents while also supporting their own children, therefore “sandwiched” between two vastly different family groups. Balancing these responsibilities often leads to looking for ways to reduce financial burdens and plan for the future, making preneed planning an ideal solution.

Connecting with this generation can help relieve some of their financial burdens, while allowing your funeral business to secure financial stability. Keep reading for how to best connect with and share the benefits of preplanning with the sandwich generation.

Top 5 Blog Posts for Funeral Professionals in 2024

At the end of each year, we like to pause and reflect on the opportunities we’ve had to connect with you, our readers, through the Homesteaders Blog. As you begin to look ahead and plan your goals for 2025, we encourage you to revisit our most popular posts from last year.

Our Top Calling Hours Podcast Episodes of 2024

As we reflect on our first year of the Calling Hours Podcast and think about the amazing conversations we’ve had with leaders in the funeral profession, we hope our guests have inspired you as much as they have us. From exploring emerging trends to sharing stories of resilience and innovation, we’re shining a spotlight on some of our most popular episodes.

Get Ready for the NFDA Convention 2024: What We’re Doing and What You Have To Look Forward To

Get ready to embrace the vibrant energy of New Orleans at the 2024 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) International Convention & Expo, happening October 20-23. The Big Easy, with its unique blend of culture, history and mouth-watering cuisine, provides the perfect backdrop for this year’s event!

Ways Funeral Directors Can Support Families Grieving Suicide Loss

Funeral directors, more than anyone, see firsthand the devastating emotional and physical effects families experience when faced with the unexpected loss of a loved one. And when their loved one dies by suicide, their grief becomes even more complex. On top of deep sorrow, families impacted by suicide loss often struggle with a multitude of complicated emotions – shock, guilt, anger, shame and confusion. 

3 Ways Funeral Homes Can Support Bereaved Spouses

It goes without saying that the basis of a funeral professional’s job is organizing the necessary logistics of a funeral arrangement for families and individuals experiencing the recent loss of a loved one. But there are many ways to provide additional care and compassionate support that go beyond the rudimentary details of the service.

Homesteaders Introduces Calling Hours, A New Podcast For Funeral Professionals

Funeral professionals have many responsibilities that demand a great deal of time. Combined with constantly evolving changes in the profession, it can be difficult to stay connected to the latest trends, technologies and practices happening within the industry. Podcasts are a useful way to hear the latest news and information in a convenient and accessible format. Although, there are millions of podcasts available to stream at your fingertips, so it can be difficult to sort through to find one focused on the funeral profession. That’s why Homesteaders is pleased to announce our new podcast, Calling Hours, which is solely dedicated to the deathcare industry and developed specifically for funeral professionals.