Have you ever taken a minute to merely sit back, relax, clear your mind and ponder the ”What If’s” of owning and operating a funeral home?

  Try it now… Find a quiet place. Sit yourself down in a comfortable position. Turn off your cellphone and insulate yourself from all other distractions. Take a deep and cleansing breath. Clear your mind and allow yourself to focus on these questions.

•     What If I was able to have contented, motivated, focused, caring and highly dedicated employees working for me every single day? No exceptions!

•     What If I was able to meaningfully reduce my business expenses without sacrificing family service, employee benefits or the quality standards my firm is known for providing?

•     What If I was able to run my funeral business smarter and not have to work longer hours?

•     What If I could be the leading funeral home in my market area and not have to be concerned with what “others” are doing?

•     What If I was able to repeatedly hear the words “I Just Want to be Cremated” coming out of my families mouths at the funeral arrangement conference and actually got a smile on my face because I knew that was a good thing for my business?

•     What If I actually enjoyed running my business, instead of just making it through the day?

•     What If I was able to add a minimum of $10,000 to my bottom line profit margin without serving more families or charging higher prices?

•     What If my pre-need program actually attained the success I think it should have?

  The What If’s can go on indefinitely. The trouble is they will only be contemplations flowing through your mind unless you take specific action to turn them into reality. Can they truly become reality? Most definitely! I know funeral home owners who have done it and they share with me how they did it.

  The first step is recognizing and admitting to yourself that your business has a problem. If you have been experiencing declining call volume; declining profit margin; increasing cremation rates; employee turnover or grumbling and believe everything will be alright. Think again! How will the business challenges you encounter fix themselves? They won’t, unless you take the proper steps to correct them.

  I freely share many of those steps on my Facebook page. Visit and read for yourself, the action steps you can do today that will positively impact your bottom line tomorrow. My Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/FuneralProfitProtectors. I will be sharing more proven tips and techniques in future columns. Something you want me to write about today? Happy to oblige! E-mail me your request: cpkuhnen@gmail.com or call me (859) 307-7223.