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Cemetery Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

cemetery business plan template

If you’re looking to create a cemetery business plan, you’ve come to the right place!

Over the past 25 years, the PlanPros team has helped over 1 million entrepreneurs and business owners write business plans….and many of them have started and grown successful cemetery businesses. Below is an example of a business plan for a cemetery business.

Cemetery Business Plan Example

Below is our cemetery business plan template and sample plan created using our free ai business plan generator :  

I. Executive Summary

Company overview.

At EternalRest Memorial Park, we offer a serene and dignified final resting place in the beautiful Rochester area. We provide peace of mind and a tranquil environment where memories of loved ones can be cherished. Our meticulously landscaped park is not just a cemetery; it is a sanctuary for reflection and remembrance. Understanding the unique needs of each family, we offer personalized monuments and pre-planning services to ensure that their wishes are fulfilled and the burden on families during difficult times is alleviated. Our commitment to excellence in service and the care we provide distinguishes us as a trusted member of our community.

Success Factors

Our success stems from our ability to provide a beautiful, easily accessible location paired with a wide range of memorial services. We have achieved recognition through our personalized approach to monuments, comprehensive pre-planning, and compassionate support. We also lead in innovation, integrating digital tributes and interactive markers that resonate with families seeking modern memorialization methods. Our active community engagement through events and memorials further solidifies our bond with the families we serve, establishing us as a central figure in Rochester’s life celebration and remembrance community.

Industry Analysis

The death care industry is an essential service sector, remaining stable despite economic fluctuations. We exist within a market that is experiencing a gradual shift towards personalized and non-traditional memorial services. Environmental concerns are influencing the rise of green burials, while technological advancements are introducing new ways to memorialize loved ones. As the baby boomer generation ages, the industry forecasts an increase in demand for burial services, making this an opportune time for our park to expand and innovate within the Rochester region.

Customer Analysis

Our customer base is diverse, encompassing various demographics, religious backgrounds, and personal preferences for memorialization. We cater to families and individuals seeking a final resting place that offers not just traditional burial options but also personalized and meaningful experiences. Our services are designed to meet the needs of those who value a serene environment and those who are considering pre-planning for end-of-life arrangements. By understanding and respecting the unique wishes of each customer, we ensure that every experience at EternalRest Memorial Park is comforting and dignified.

Competitive Analysis

Direct competitors:.

  • Green Meadows Cemetery: A traditional cemetery offering standard burial options.
  • Sunrise Funeral Home & Memorial Park: Provides funeral services and burial plots.
  • Tranquil Gardens Crematorium: Specializes in cremation services and memorials.

Our competitive advantage lies in our prime location, comprehensive service range, and commitment to innovation and community engagement. We offer modern memorialization methods, such as digital tributes and interactive grave markers, that set us apart from competitors. Our dedication to compassionate support and active participation in community events establishes EternalRest Memorial Park as a preferred choice for those in Rochester seeking a peaceful and respectful memorial experience.

Marketing Plan

At EternalRest Memorial Park, our marketing plan is built around a diverse range of products, services, and pricing strategies to cater to the needs of our customers. We offer traditional burial plots, cremation services, personalized monuments, and innovative digital tributes, ensuring that our pricing is competitive yet reflective of the high-quality service we provide. Our promotions plan employs a multi-faceted approach, combining online marketing, community involvement, referral programs, print and broadcast advertising, direct mail campaigns, and a strong focus on customer service excellence. We aim to reach out to families in a respectful manner, ensuring that our park is considered a premier choice for memorial needs in Rochester.

Operations Plan

Our operations plan focuses on delivering exceptional service through key operational processes that include grounds maintenance, customer service, and event coordination. We maintain high standards to ensure our park remains a beautiful and peaceful environment. Milestones to be accomplished include the expansion of our digital tribute services, the development of new sections of the park for green burials, and the implementation of advanced customer relationship management systems. These milestones will enhance our service offerings and improve the overall experience for families who choose EternalRest Memorial Park.

Management Team

The management team at EternalRest Memorial Park is composed of seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the death care industry. Our members bring a wealth of knowledge in cemetery management, grief counseling, business operations, and customer service. As a team, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of care and respect for the families we serve, while ensuring the sustainable growth and success of our park. We take pride in our collective expertise and our shared vision of providing a peaceful and dignified resting place for the community.

Financial Plan

To achieve our growth goals and enhance our service offerings, EternalRest Memorial Park requires additional funding. This capital will be allocated towards expanding our memorial options, integrating innovative technologies, and improving our facilities. Investment in these areas will allow us to meet the evolving needs of our customers, maintain our competitive edge, and continue to provide exceptional service in the death care industry. With the right financial support, we are poised to solidify our position as the leading memorial park in Rochester.

Below is an overview of our expected financial performance over the next five years:

FY 1 FY 2 FY 3 FY 4 FY 5
Revenues $4,946,622 $5,356,352 $5,800,019 $6,280,436 $6,800,646
Direct Expenses $3,056,720 $3,212,445 $3,376,104 $3,548,101 $3,728,861
Gross Profit (%) 38.2% 40% 41.8% 43.5% 45.2%
Other Expenses $103,153 $106,282 $109,507 $112,829 $116,252
Depreciation $160,000 $160,000 $160,000 $160,000 $160,000
Amortization $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Interest Expense $99,000 $99,000 $99,000 $99,000 $99,000
Income Tax Expense $534,712 $622,518 $719,392 $826,176 $943,786

II. Company Overview

Products & services.

Understanding the importance of preserving memories, we at EternalRest Memorial Park offer a range of products and services to cater to the varying needs and preferences of our clients. Our selection includes high-quality cremation urns for those who prefer cremation, a variety of caskets that cater to different tastes and budgets, and an array of monuments and memorialization options to create a lasting tribute to your loved ones. We are here to support you through every step of this important process.

Our Location

EternalRest Memorial Park is situated in the heart of Rochester, NY, making it accessible to the local community. Our location was carefully chosen to provide convenience to our customers, ensuring that the memory of their loved ones is always within reach.

Our confidence in the success of EternalRest Memorial Park stems from several key factors. Our founder brings invaluable experience from running a successful cemetery in the past, ensuring that we understand the nuances of this sensitive business. Moreover, our location and services are unparalleled in the area, setting us apart from other cemeteries and providing a unique offering to our customers.

History, Legal Structure & Accomplishments

Since our inception on January 5, 2024, EternalRest Memorial Park has been structured as a Limited Liability Company, combining the flexibility of a partnership with the liability protection of a corporation. Our journey began with the creation of a distinctive logo and the development of our company name, which resonates with the peace and perpetuity we offer. We also take pride in having secured a prime location that enhances our ability to serve the Rochester community. These accomplishments mark the first steps in our commitment to becoming a cornerstone in the community for remembrance and reflection.

III. Industry Analysis

Market projections suggest that the cemetery industry in the United States will witness positive growth in the foreseeable future. Factors such as an aging population and increasing awareness about pre-planning burial arrangements contribute to the expected market growth. As individuals become more conscious of end-of-life planning, the demand for cemetery services is anticipated to rise. This presents a promising opportunity for EternalRest Memorial Park, a new cemetery serving customers in Rochester, NY, to establish itself and cater to the growing needs of the community.

Trends in the cemetery industry align favorably with the goals and offerings of EternalRest Memorial Park. One notable trend is the shift towards personalized memorial services and unique burial options. Modern consumers seek more than a traditional burial plot; they desire a personalized experience that reflects the life and preferences of their loved ones. EternalRest Memorial Park can capitalize on this trend by offering customizable memorial options and innovative burial arrangements, providing a unique and meaningful experience for its customers. By staying attuned to industry trends and adapting to evolving customer preferences, EternalRest Memorial Park can position itself as a leading provider in the Rochester, NY, cemetery market.

IV. Customer Analysis

Below is a description of our target customers and their core needs.

Target Customers

EternalRest Memorial Park will target local residents who are seeking a final resting place for themselves or their loved ones. This primary customer base is comprised of individuals planning for future needs and families who have recently lost a member. The park will offer a range of options to cater to the diverse preferences and financial capabilities within the community.

The memorial park will also serve a niche segment of customers interested in environmentally friendly burial options. Eco-conscious individuals will find solace in the park’s commitment to sustainable practices. EternalRest will tailor its services to provide natural burial options that attract this growing demographic.

Additionally, EternalRest Memorial Park will cater to the needs of the veterans’ community in Rochester. Special sections and memorial features dedicated to those who have served in the armed forces will be a part of the park’s layout. This focus will not only honor the service of veterans but will also fulfill the specific commemorative desires of this customer segment.

Religious and cultural groups within Rochester will find EternalRest Memorial Park accommodating to their burial rituals and traditions. The park will have distinct sections and offerings that respect the burial customs of various faiths. This inclusivity will position the park as a preferred choice for diverse communities seeking a resting place that aligns with their cultural values.

Customer Needs

EternalRest Memorial Park understands the profound need for a dignified final resting place that honors the memory of loved ones. Customers can expect high-quality cemetery grounds that provide a serene and beautifully maintained environment for reflection and remembrance. The park ensures that every detail is handled with care, offering peace of mind to families during a difficult time.

Recognizing the diverse needs of the Rochester community, EternalRest Memorial Park offers a variety of interment options, including traditional burial plots, mausoleum entombments, and cremation services. Customers have the flexibility to choose a memorial that aligns with their personal, cultural, or religious preferences. Additionally, the park can accommodate pre-planning arrangements, allowing individuals to make thoughtful decisions about their own memorials in advance.

Convenience and accessibility are key concerns for visitors, and EternalRest Memorial Park addresses these needs by maintaining a well-structured facility. The park is designed with navigable pathways and clear signage, ensuring that guests can find their way with ease. For those seeking support and guidance, the compassionate staff are readily available to provide assistance and answer any questions related to cemetery services or maintenance.

V. Competitive Analysis

Direct competitors.

EternalRest Memorial Park’s competitors include the following companies:

Mount Hope Cemetery

Mount Hope Cemetery offers a variety of burial options, including traditional ground burials, mausoleum entombments, and cremation services with options for niche or ground interment. Their price points vary depending on the choice of service and location within the cemetery. Mount Hope Cemetery is known for its historic significance and extensive 196-acre landscape, making it a choice for those who appreciate historical and natural beauty.

Mount Hope Cemetery serves a diverse customer segment, including all religious and cultural backgrounds, and is located within Rochester, NY. They also offer specialized areas, such as a veterans’ plot and a garden for infants. The cemetery’s key strengths include a well-maintained environment and a rich historical setting; however, some may find the older sections less pristine compared to newer cemeteries.

Riverside Cemetery

Riverside Cemetery provides traditional burial plots, cremation services with options for urn placement, and has a mausoleum. Their pricing structures are competitive and cater to various budgetary needs. They are known for their scenic views of the Genesee River, contributing to a peaceful atmosphere for visitors and loved ones.

Riverside Cemetery’s location in Rochester, NY, allows it to serve the local community and nearby regions. They attract a broad spectrum of customers, including individuals seeking a serene riverside setting for their final resting place. Riverside’s key strengths lie in its picturesque location and attentive groundskeeping; however, their facilities may not be as modern as some newer competitors.

Hanford’s Landing Cemetery

Hanford’s Landing Cemetery offers ground burial options and cremation services, including columbarium niches. The cemetery has a range of price points tailored to meet different financial situations. Although smaller in size, Hanford’s Landing Cemetery is appreciated for its intimate and personal approach to services.

Located near the water, Hanford’s Landing Cemetery serves primarily the local Rochester community, focusing on personalized services for families and individuals. The cemetery’s strengths include its commitment to personal attention and its tranquil setting. Weaknesses may stem from its limited size, which could affect future availability and a range of options compared to larger cemeteries.

Competitive Advantages

At EternalRest Memorial Park, we understand the importance of location when it comes to honoring and commemorating loved ones. Nestled in a serene and easily accessible part of the community, our park provides a tranquil final resting place that offers convenience for visiting family members and friends. We pride ourselves on maintaining a beautifully landscaped environment that promotes peace and reflection. Moreover, our range of services surpasses that of neighboring cemeteries, as we cater to a variety of memorial needs, including personalized monuments, and offer comprehensive pre-planning assistance to ensure wishes are respected and families are comforted during difficult times.

In addition to our prime location and exceptional services, our commitment to innovation sets us apart. We incorporate the latest technology in memorialization, such as digital tributes and interactive grave markers, allowing visitors to connect with the memories of their loved ones in a modern and meaningful way. Our staff are dedicated to providing compassionate support and are trained in the latest best practices in memorial care. We also actively engage with our community, hosting events that celebrate life and remembrance, which fosters a strong bond with the families we serve, and establishes us as a pillar of support in the Rochester area.

VI. Marketing Plan

Our marketing plan, included below, details our products/services, pricing and promotions plan.

Products, Services & Pricing

Traditional ground burial sites.

EternalRest Memorial Park offers traditional ground burial sites that provide a serene final resting place. The park ensures that these sites are well-maintained within a peaceful and dignified setting. Clients can choose from single plots, companion plots, or family lots. The average cost for a single ground burial plot starts at approximately $2,000, which includes the opening and closing of the grave but may not cover other expenses such as a headstone or grave marker.

Standing Columbaria

For those who prefer cremation, EternalRest Memorial Park provides standing columbaria. These are elegant structures where clients can house the urns containing their loved ones’ ashes. The niches in the columbaria are available in various sizes to accommodate different urn dimensions. Prices for a niche in a columbarium start at around $1,500, depending on the location within the structure and the size of the niche.

Gardens for the Scattering of Cremated Remains

The park also features specially designed gardens for the scattering of cremated remains. These gardens are landscaped to provide a tranquil environment for families to visit and reflect. The scattering service includes a simple ceremony and a permanent record of the location where the ashes have been scattered. The cost for scattering cremated remains within these gardens can range from $300 to $600, including the ceremony and documentation.

Private Family Estates

For families seeking a more exclusive option, EternalRest Memorial Park offers private family estates. These private areas are set apart from the general burial grounds, allowing for a more personal and intimate atmosphere. Private family estates are customizable to reflect the family’s wishes and can include features such as private mausoleums, benches, and landscaping. The pricing for private family estates varies greatly based on size and customization options, typically starting at $20,000 and increasing with added features and design complexity.

Promotions Plan

EternalRest Memorial Park recognizes the importance of a respectful and serene final resting place. To ensure that families are aware of the services and the tranquil environment it offers, the park employs a variety of promotional methods tailored to meet the needs of the community it serves.

Online Marketing

In the digital age, EternalRest Memorial Park understands that an online presence is crucial. The park maintains a user-friendly website that provides detailed information about its services, pricing, and the beauty of the grounds. Virtual tours allow potential customers to experience the serenity of the location from the comfort of their own homes. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies are in place to ensure that the park appears prominently in search results when individuals are looking for cemeteries in Rochester, NY.

Social media platforms are also integral to the park’s online marketing strategy. Regular posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter keep the community engaged and informed about EternalRest’s services and events. Paid advertising campaigns on these platforms target the local area, increasing visibility and awareness.

Community Involvement and Outreach

EternalRest Memorial Park actively participates in the local Rochester community. By sponsoring events and partnering with local businesses and religious organizations, the park fosters relationships and builds trust within the community. Hosting informational seminars on topics related to end-of-life planning also positions EternalRest as a knowledgeable and compassionate resource for those facing difficult decisions.

Referral Programs

The park implements referral programs that encourage current customers to refer friends and family, rewarding them with incentives that provide value and appreciation for their support. This word-of-mouth marketing strategy is effective in building a strong reputation within the local community.

Print and Broadcast Advertising

Traditional advertising methods still have a place in EternalRest’s promotional mix. Local newspapers and magazines will carry thoughtfully designed ads, ensuring reach to a demographic that prefers print media. Radio spots on local stations will also serve to communicate the park’s message to a wider audience.

Direct Mail Campaigns

EternalRest Memorial Park will utilize direct mail campaigns to reach out to families in the area. These personalized mailings will provide information on the park’s offerings, as well as sympathy and support to those who have recently experienced loss.

Customer Service Excellence

Above all, EternalRest prioritizes customer service excellence. Each interaction is handled with care and sensitivity, ensuring that families receive the support they need. Positive customer experiences often lead to organic promotion through testimonials and personal recommendations.

EternalRest Memorial Park is dedicated to helping families during their most difficult times with dignity and respect. Through a combination of online marketing and community-focused strategies, EternalRest establishes itself as a premier choice for those seeking a peaceful and dignified final resting place.

VII. Operations Plan

Our Operations Plan details:

  • The key day-to-day processes that our business performs to serve our customers
  • The key business milestones that our company expects to accomplish as we grow

Key Operational Processes

To ensure the success of EternalRest Memorial Park, there are several key day-to-day operational processes that we will perform:

Customer Service Operations:

  • Respond promptly to inquiries from potential clients and bereaved families.
  • Provide compassionate and professional guidance to customers planning funerals, burials, or purchasing plots.
  • Ensure customer service staff are well-trained in grief management and knowledgeable about the services offered.

Sales and Marketing:

  • Conduct tours of the cemetery grounds for prospective clients.
  • Market cemetery services through appropriate online and offline channels to reach the target audience in Rochester, NY.
  • Update the EternalRest Memorial Park website and social media platforms with relevant information, including services, pricing, and events.

Grounds Maintenance:

  • Maintain the cemetery grounds to ensure a serene and respectful environment.
  • Regularly inspect and clean the grounds, including headstones, monuments, and communal facilities.
  • Manage landscaping to keep the cemetery aesthetically pleasing throughout the seasons.

Interment Operations:

  • Coordinate burial schedules and ensure all necessary preparations are made in advance.
  • Handle grave digging and preparation with care and respect for the deceased and the grieving families.
  • Oversee the proper installation of headstones, markers, and vaults in accordance with the cemetery’s regulations.

Administrative Tasks:

  • Keep accurate records of all burials, plots sold, and maintenance activities.
  • Manage financial transactions, including invoicing and payment processing for cemetery services.
  • Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations regarding cemetery operations.

Security and Safety:

  • Implement security measures to protect the property and ensure a safe environment for visitors and staff.
  • Regularly review and update safety protocols to prevent accidents and injuries on-site.
  • Conduct periodic training sessions for staff on safety and emergency procedures.

Community Engagement:

  • Organize and host community events to foster relationships and maintain the cemetery’s presence in the local community.
  • Participate in local outreach programs to educate the public about pre-planning and memorialization options.
  • Collaborate with local funeral homes, religious organizations, and community groups to provide comprehensive services.

Continual Improvement:

  • Gather feedback from customers to improve services and customer experiences.
  • Stay informed about industry trends and adopt best practices in cemetery management.
  • Invest in the professional development of staff to ensure high-quality service delivery.

EternalRest Memorial Park expects to complete the following milestones in the coming months in order to ensure its success:

  • Secure a suitable location for the cemetery that meets local zoning regulations and offers a serene environment for clients.
  • Obtain all necessary permits and licenses for cemetery operations, including burial permits and environmental clearance.
  • Develop the infrastructure of the cemetery, including landscaping, plot delineation, roads, and facilities.
  • Launch an effective marketing campaign targeting the Rochester, NY community to build brand awareness and promote the cemetery’s services.
  • Establish partnerships with local funeral homes and religious institutions to create referral networks.
  • Recruit and train a compassionate and professional staff to provide excellent customer service to grieving families.
  • Hold a grand opening event to officially launch EternalRest Memorial Park and begin offering services to the public.
  • Implement a customer relationship management system to maintain high service standards and manage client relationships effectively.
  • Reach a milestone of conducting a certain number of burials or cremations per month to correspond with a revenue goal of $15,000/month.
  • Monitor and adjust business strategies based on feedback and operational performance to ensure continuous improvement and sustainability.

VIII. Management Team

Our management team has the experience and expertise to successfully execute on our business plan.

Management Team Members

EternalRest Memorial Park management team, which includes the following members, has the experience and expertise to successfully execute on our business plan:

Abigail Wright, CEO

Abigail Wright, CEO, brings a wealth of experience and a track record of success to EternalRest Memorial Park. With a background in cemetery administration, she has previously managed a cemetery, showcasing her ability to handle the unique challenges of the industry. Her expertise in operations, client services, and strategic planning are instrumental in guiding EternalRest toward fulfilling its vision of providing dignified and respectful memorial services. Abigail’s leadership is defined by her compassionate approach and her commitment to honoring the memories of loved ones, which is crucial in maintaining the park’s reputation and trust within the community.

IX. Financial Plan

Funding requirements/use of funds.

To accomplish our growth goals, EternalRest Memorial Park needs $990,000 in funding. Key uses of this funding will be as follows:

Capital Investments
Land $500,000
Location Buildout $100,000
Buildings (Office/Chapel/Storage) $200,000
Non Capital Investments
Working Capital $50,000
Staff Salaries (First 3 Months) $90,000
Initial Marketing and Advertising $20,000
Initial Rent/Lease (3 months) $10,000
Supplies $5,000
Insurance (First Year) $15,000

Financial Projections

financial projection cemetery business plan

5 Year Annual Income Statement

FY 1 FY 2 FY 3 FY 4 FY 5
Revenues
Revenues $4,946,622 $5,356,352 $5,800,019 $6,280,436 $6,800,646
Direct Costs
Direct Costs $3,056,720 $3,212,445 $3,376,104 $3,548,101 $3,728,861
Salaries $72,814 $75,023 $77,299 $79,644 $82,060
Marketing Expenses $6,067 $6,251 $6,441 $6,637 $6,838
Rent/Utility Expenses $6,067 $6,251 $6,441 $6,637 $6,838
Other Expenses $18,203 $18,755 $19,324 $19,911 $20,515
Depreciation $160,000 $160,000 $160,000 $160,000 $160,000
Amortization $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Interest Expense $99,000 $99,000 $99,000 $99,000 $99,000
Net Operating Loss $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Use of Net Operating Loss $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Taxable Income $1,527,749 $1,778,623 $2,055,407 $2,360,505 $2,696,532
Income Tax Expense $534,712 $622,518 $719,392 $826,176 $943,786
Net Profit Margin (%) 20.1% 21.6% 23% 24.4% 25.8%

5 Year Annual Balance Sheet

FY 1 FY 2 FY 3 FY 4 FY 5
Cash $1,186,622 $2,481,041 $3,953,138 $5,631,193 $6,525,937
Other Current Assets $424,600 $459,769 $497,852 $523,369 $566,720
Intangible Assets $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Acc Amortization $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Fixed Assets $800,000 $800,000 $800,000 $800,000 $800,000
Accum Depreciation $160,000 $320,000 $480,000 $640,000 $800,000
Preliminary Exp $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Current Liabilities $268,185 $281,669 $295,834 $305,077 $320,426
Debt outstanding $990,000 $990,000 $990,000 $990,000 $0
Share Capital $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Retained earnings $993,037 $2,149,142 $3,485,157 $5,019,485 $6,772,231

5 Year Annual Cash Flow Statement

FY 1 FY 2 FY 3 FY 4 FY 5
Net Income (Loss) $993,037 $1,156,105 $1,336,014 $1,534,328 $1,752,745
Change in Working Capital ($156,414) ($21,686) ($23,917) ($16,273) ($28,002)
Plus Depreciation $160,000 $160,000 $160,000 $160,000 $160,000
Plus Amortization $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Fixed Assets ($800,000) $0 $0 $0 $0
Intangible Assets $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Cash from Equity $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Cash from Debt financing $990,000 $0 $0 $0 ($990,000)
Cash at Beginning of Period $0 $1,186,622 $2,481,041 $3,953,138 $5,631,193

What Is a Cemetery Business Plan?

A cemetery business plan is a document that outlines the strategies you have developed to start and/or grow your cemetery business. Among other things, it details information about your industry, customers and competitors to help ensure your company is positioned properly to succeed. Your cemetery business plan also assesses how much funding you will need to grow your business and proves, via your financial forecasts, why the business is viable.  

Why You Need a Business Plan for your Cemetery Business

A business plan is required if you are seeking funding for your cemetery business. Investors and lenders will review your plan to ensure it meets their criteria before providing you with capital. In addition, a cemetery business plan helps you and your team stay focused. It documents the strategies you must follow and gives you financial projections you should strive to achieve and against which you can judge your performance.  

Cemetery Business Plan Template PDF

Download our Cemetery Business Plan PDF to help guide you as you create your business plan for your own cemetery.  

cemetery business plan pdf

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How to Start a Cemetery

start a cemetery

Starting a cemetery can be very profitable. With proper planning, execution and hard work, you can enjoy great success. Below you will learn the keys to launching a successful cemetery.

Importantly, a critical step in starting a cemetery is to complete your business plan. To help you out, you should download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template here .

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here

14 Steps To Start a Cemetery :

  • Choose the Name for Your Cemetery
  • Develop Your Cemetery Business Plan
  • Choose the Legal Structure for Your Cemetery
  • Secure Startup Funding for Your Cemetery (If Needed)
  • Secure a Location for Your Business
  • Register Your Cemetery with the IRS
  • Open a Business Bank Account
  • Get a Business Credit Card
  • Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
  • Get Business Insurance for Your Cemetery
  • Buy or Lease the Right Cemetery Equipment
  • Develop Your Cemetery Marketing Materials
  • Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Cemetery
  • Open for Business

1. Choose the Name for Your Cemetery

The first step to starting a cemetery is to choose your business’ name.  

This is a very important choice since your company name is your brand and will last for the lifetime of your business. Ideally you choose a name that is meaningful and memorable. Here are some tips for choosing a name for your cemetery:

  • Make sure the name is available . Check your desired name against trademark databases and your state’s list of registered business names to see if it’s available. Also check to see if a suitable domain name is available.
  • Keep it simple . The best names are usually ones that are easy to remember, pronounce and spell.
  • Think about marketing . Come up with a name that reflects the desired brand and/or focus of your cemetery.

2. Develop Your Cemetery Business Plan

One of the most important steps in starting a cemetery is to develop your startup business plan template . The process of creating your plan ensures that you fully understand your market and your business strategy. The plan also provides you with a roadmap to follow and if needed, to present to funding sources to raise capital for your business.

Your business plan should include the following sections:

  • Executive Summary – this section should summarize your entire business plan so readers can quickly understand the key details of your cemetery.
  • Company Overview – this section tells the reader about the history of your cemetery and what type of cemetery you operate. For example, are you a municipal cemetery, rural cemetery, churchyard, or a legal family cemetery?
  • Industry Analysis – here you will document key information about the cemetery industry. Conduct market research and document how big the industry is and what trends are affecting it.
  • Customer Analysis – in this section, you will document who your ideal or target customers are and their demographics. For example, how old are they? Where do they live? What do they find important when purchasing products or services like the ones you will offer?
  • Competitive Analysis – here you will document the key direct and indirect competitors you will face and how you will build competitive advantage.
  • Marketing Plan – your marketing plan should address the 4Ps: Product, Price, Promotions and Place.
  • Product : Determine and document what products/services you will offer 
  • Prices : Document the prices of your products/services
  • Place : Where will your business be located and how will that location help you increase sales?
  • Promotions : What promotional methods will you use to attract customers to your cemetery? For example, you might decide to use pay-per-click advertising, public relations, search engine optimization and/or social media marketing.
  • Operations Plan – here you will determine the key processes you will need to run your day-to-day operations. You will also determine your staffing needs. Finally, in this section of your plan, you will create a projected growth timeline showing the milestones you hope to achieve in the coming years.
  • Management Team – this section details the background of your company’s management team.
  • Financial Plan – finally, the financial plan answers questions including the following:
  • What startup costs will you incur?
  • How will your cemetery make money?
  • What are your projected sales and expenses for the next five years?
  • Do you need to raise funding to launch your business?

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

3. choose the legal structure for your cemetery.

Next you need to choose a legal structure for your cemetery and register it and your business name with the Secretary of State in each state where you operate your business.

Below are the five most common legal structures:

1) Sole proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is a business entity in which the cemetery owner and the business are the same legal person. The owner of a sole proprietorship is responsible for all debts and obligations of the business. There are no formalities required to establish a sole proprietorship, and it is easy to set up and operate. The main advantage of a sole proprietorship is that it is simple and inexpensive to establish. The main disadvantage is that the owner is liable for all debts and obligations of the business.

2) Partnerships

A partnership is a legal structure that is popular among small businesses. It is an agreement between two or more people who want to start a cemetery together. The partners share in the profits and losses of the business. 

The advantages of a partnership are that it is easy to set up, and the partners share in the profits and losses of the business. The disadvantages of a partnership are that the partners are jointly liable for the debts of the business, and disagreements between partners can be difficult to resolve.

3) Limited Liability Company (LLC)

A limited liability company, or LLC, is a type of business entity that provides limited liability to its owners. This means that the owners of an LLC are not personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. The advantages of an LLC for a cemetery include flexibility in management, pass-through taxation (avoids double taxation as explained below), and limited personal liability. The disadvantages of an LLC include lack of availability in some states and self-employment taxes.

4) C Corporation

A C Corporation is a business entity that is separate from its owners. It has its own tax ID and can have shareholders. The main advantage of a C Corporation for a cemetery is that it offers limited liability to its owners. This means that the cemetery owners are not personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. The disadvantage is that C Corporations are subject to double taxation. This means that the corporation pays taxes on its profits, and the shareholders also pay taxes on their dividends.

5) S Corporation

An S Corporation is a type of corporation that provides its owners with limited liability protection and allows them to pass their business income through to their personal income tax returns, thus avoiding double taxation. There are several limitations on S Corporations including the number of shareholders they can have among others.

Once you register your cemetery, your state will send you your official “Articles of Incorporation.” You will need this among other documentation when establishing your banking account (see below). We recommend that you consult an attorney in determining which legal structure is best suited for your company.

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4. Secure Startup Funding for Your Cemetery (If Needed)

In developing your cemetery business plan, you might have determined that you need to raise funding to launch your business. 

If so, the main sources of funding for a cemetery to consider are personal savings, family and friends, credit card financing, bank loans, crowdfunding and angel investors. Angel investors are individuals who provide capital to early-stage businesses. Angel investors typically will invest in a cemetery that they believe has high potential for growth.

5. Secure a Location for Your Business

When looking for a location for your cemetery, it is important to find a place that is accessible to the public and has enough space to accommodate all of the graves. You should also consider the climate and weather conditions in the area and the topography.

6. Register Your Cemetery with the IRS

Next, you need to register your business with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which will result in the IRS issuing you an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Most banks will require you to have an EIN in order to open up an account. In addition, in order to hire employees, you will need an EIN since that is how the IRS tracks your payroll tax payments.

Note that if you are a sole proprietor without employees, you generally do not need to get an EIN. Rather, you would use your social security number (instead of your EIN) as your taxpayer identification number.

7. Open a Business Bank Account

It is important to establish a bank account in your cemetery’s name. This process is fairly simple and involves the following steps:

  • Identify and contact the bank you want to use
  • Gather and present the required documents (generally include your company’s Articles of Incorporation, driver’s license or passport, and proof of address)
  • Complete the bank’s application form and provide all relevant information
  • Meet with a banker to discuss your business needs and establish a relationship with them

8. Get a Business Credit Card

You should get a business credit card for your cemetery to help you separate personal and business expenses.

You can either apply for a business credit card through your bank or apply for one through a credit card company.

When you’re applying for a business credit card, you’ll need to provide some information about your business. This includes the name of your business, the address of your business, and the type of business you’re running. You’ll also need to provide some information about yourself, including your name, Social Security number, and date of birth.

Once you’ve been approved for a business credit card, you’ll be able to use it to make purchases for your business. You can also use it to build your credit history which could be very important in securing loans and getting credit lines for your business in the future.

9. Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits

There are a few licenses and permits you’ll need to start a cemetery. You’ll need a business license, a cemetery license, and a permit to bury human remains. You may also need a zoning permit, depending on where you plan to locate your cemetery.

10. Get Business Insurance for Your Cemetery

There are a few different types of insurance you may need to operate a cemetery.

Some business insurance policies you should consider for your cemetery include:

  • General liability insurance : This covers accidents and injuries that occur on your property. It also covers damages caused by your employees or products.
  • Workers’ compensation insurance : If you have employees, this type of policy works with your general liability policy to protect against workplace injuries and accidents. It also covers medical expenses and lost wages.
  • Commercial property insurance : This covers damage to your property caused by fire, theft, or vandalism.
  • Business interruption insurance : This covers lost income and expenses if your business is forced to close due to a covered event.
  • Professional liability insurance : This protects your business against claims of professional negligence.

Find an insurance agent, tell them about your business and its needs, and they will recommend policies that fit those needs. 

11. Buy or Lease the Right Cemetery Equipment

The equipment you will need to run your cemetery includes a casket lowering device, casket carriage, cremation stands, a turf trailer, shovel, rake, and a hoe. You will also need a lawn mower and a leaf blower.

12. Develop Your Cemetery Marketing Materials

Marketing materials will be required to attract and retain customers to your cemetery.

The key marketing materials you will need are as follows:

  • Logo : Spend some time developing a good logo for your cemetery. Your logo will be printed on company stationery, business cards, marketing materials and so forth. The right logo can increase customer trust and awareness of your brand.
  • Website : Likewise, a professional cemetery website provides potential customers with information about the products and/or services you offer, your company’s history, and contact information. Importantly, remember that the look and feel of your website will affect how customers perceive you.
  • Social Media Accounts : establish social media accounts in your company’s name. Accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or other social media networks will help customers and others find and interact with your cemetery.

13. Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Cemetery

The software needed to run a cemetery includes a customer relationship management (CRM) system to keep track of customers, as well as a grave booking system to reserve graves. You may also want to invest in a mapping system to track the graves and a financial accounting software to manage the finances.

14. Open for Business

You are now ready to open your cemetery. If you followed the steps above, you should be in a great position to build a successful business. Below are answers to frequently asked questions that might further help you.

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How to Start a Cemetery FAQs

Is it hard to start a cemetery.

It is not too hard to start a cemetery if you are familiar with the industry, as it is a relatively simple process. All you need is an area of land and the approval of the local government. You also need a plan for the layout of the graves and the entrance and exit locations.

How can I start a cemetery with no experience?

There are a few ways you can start a cemetery with no experience. One way is to find a professional in the field and work with them. Another way is to read books or articles about starting and running a cemetery. Finally, you can attend workshops or seminars to learn about the cemetery business.

What type of cemetery is most profitable?

The type of cemetery that is most profitable is a private cemetery. A private cemetery is a for-profit cemetery that is owned by an individual or organization. Private family cemeteries typically charge higher prices for their services than public cemeteries. They may also offer a wider range of services and products, such as funeral planning and monument sales.

How much does it cost to start a cemetery?

The cost of starting a cemetery can vary depending on the size and location of the cemetery. Typically, the cost ranges from $10,000 to $50,000. This includes the purchase of land, the development of gravesites, and the installation of fencing and landscaping.

What are the ongoing expenses for a cemetery?

There are a number of ongoing expenses for a cemetery. One of the largest expenses is the cost of maintaining the grounds. This includes mowing the lawn, trimming the bushes, and cleaning up any debris. Another large expense is the cost of employee salaries. Cemetery employees typically work in maintenance or administrative roles. Finally, there are also the costs of utilities, such as water and electricity.

How do cemeteries make money?

Cemetery business owners make money by selling burial grounds and tombstones. They also may offer maintenance and upkeep services for an additional fee. Some cemeteries also generate income by hosting events, such as funerals and memorial services.

Is owning a cemetery profitable?

Owning a cemetery can be profitable because there is a consistent customer base. Family members will always need a burial space for their loved ones. In addition, most cemeteries charge maintenance fees on an ongoing basis, which can provide a reliable source of income. Finally, many people are willing to pay premium prices for prime real estate in a cemetery, which can generate a significant profit for the owner.

Why do cemeteries fail?

One of the reasons cemeteries fail is that they are not properly maintained. Poor maintenance can be due to a lack of funding or simply a lack of staffing. Cemeteries also fail because they are located in areas prone to flooding or other natural disasters.

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How to Start a Cemetery in 14 Steps (In-Depth Guide)

Updated:   February 1, 2024

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Opening a cemetery is a rewarding career path, helping those with lost loved ones honor the dead. As of 2028, the cemetery services market in the United States could reach $6.2 billion if it follows the current projection for a 2.8% compound annual growth rate between 2023 and 2028.

cemetery business plan pdf

Have you considered getting into the end-of-life business? More people are drawn to the prospect as funeral homes fill up across the country. The barrier to entry is lower than you may expect. With some grit and savvy planning, you can launch your cemetery or crematorium.

This comprehensive guide covers how to start a cemetery. You’ll learn insider tips on sourcing equipment, gaining licensure, marketing your services, and much more. Here’s everything to know about becoming a cemetery business owners.

1. Conduct Cemetery Market Research

Market research is an important part of starting a successful cemetery business. Research offers insight into your target market, marketing outlets, pricing guides, and how to manage business expenses. It also helps you determine whether to open traditional burial grounds or family cemeteries with specialty plots.

cemetery business plan pdf

Some details you’ll learn through market research include:

  • The top 50% of industry players hold over 80% of the market share, so you’ll need to carve out a niche.
  • Areas with large numbers of aging citizens and minimal existing funeral options are prime targets.
  • Illinois is home to nearly 200 cremation facilities versus just 30 spread throughout South Dakota.
  • Annual revenue for a typical funeral home ranges anywhere from $300,000 for independent operations up to $5.6 million for leading corporate consolidators like Service Corporation International.
  • Industry profit margins are attractive, averaging around 19%.
  • While National Funeral Directors Association members charge over $7,500 on average for full-service funerals, new players can come in below market price.
  • Zoning laws, emissions limits, licensure prerequisites, and other red tape vary significantly across jurisdictions.

Arlington National Cemetery receives over 3 million visitors each year, exemplifying the public’s enduring fascination with death. If your research confirms sufficient demand in a given area, initiating a cemetery business could pay off both financially and emotionally as you help families find closure. Solid market research helps build a solid cemetery business plan.

2. Analyze the Competition

Entering the funeral services industry means going head-to-head with other cemeteries of long-standing operations. Carefully scrutinize your competitors to spot potential advantages you can leverage as the new venue in town.

cemetery business plan pdf

Drive around within a 20-mile radius of where you want to establish your cemetery and document every existing option. Note if the grounds appear outdated, unkempt, small, or lacking in parking or amenities. Also, consider their proximity to expressways and population hubs. These characteristics reveal openings for a conveniently located, modern facility.

Search online directories and review sites to gauge community perceptions of incumbents. Sort funeral homes and cemeteries by rating and number of reviews. Low scores or limited feedback indicate dissatisfied families who may welcome a fresh alternative for memorial services.

Analyze the digital presence of competitors as well. Search their names on Google and browse the first few pages of results along with their websites. Do they appear outdated? How easy is it to navigate and find pricing? Mobile responsiveness and loading speeds also impact user experience.

Additionally, check whether rival venues have embraced virtual tours and online planning tools. For example, 15% of client meetings at NorthStar Memorial Group now take place via video conference. SCI Direct also lets families customize nearly 200 aspects of services through digital catalogs. If local outfits haven’t yet invested in these technologies, you can market your facility as the modern, convenient choice.

Pay attention to the types of products and services competitors provide too. Consider offering specialty options around green burials, cremation jewelry, or veteran memorials as ways to differentiate. This data illuminates exactly how to tailor your venue to both stand apart and give customers what they want but aren’t currently receiving from legacy operators.

3. Costs to Start a Cemetery Business

Getting a cemetery up and running entails extensive upfront investment. You’ll need to secure land, gain licensure, purchase equipment, hire staff, and more. Many items require deep pockets, but costs vary based on state regulations, business size, and other aspects.

Start-up Costs:

Land Acquisition – The largest start-up cost is purchasing a plot of land for the cemetery itself. The price per acre fluctuates tremendously based on location. Rural lots can go for as little as $2,000 per acre, while spaces near metro areas average around $100,000 according to industry professionals. Plan for at least 10 acres to allow room for future expansion.

Licensing & Permits – States have different requirements around owning and operating cemeteries. Processing fees for licenses, permits, insurance, and other paperwork can cost $5,000 or more. You may also need to fund certified public records of interment rights and maps of property plots.

Excavation & Development – After acquiring land, you must prepare it for burying bodies. Costs include clearing trees/debris, installing roads & water systems, landscaping, fencing, and signage. This can range from $20,000 for basics up to $500,000+ for high-end builds. Many states mandate perpetual care funds as well, involving large upfront deposits to cover future maintenance.

Equipment – Backhoes, hearses, lowering devices, cremation chambers, urns, and caskets all require major capital. Even basic gear for a small operation starts around $75,000. Facilities offering cremation services need even more equipment, with top-quality retorts running $150,000+.

Staff – Bring on a licensed funeral director as your legally mandated responsible party. Their median salary is $55,000. You’ll also need groundskeepers, morticians, office help, and potentially cemetery sales reps. Estimate $250,000+ for first-year personnel costs if launching with 5+ employees.

In total, expect over $500,000 in starting capital to open a no-frills cemetery. $1 million or more provides ample operating runway for the first few years.

Ongoing Costs:

Facilities Maintenance: Upkeep of landscaping, roads, buildings, and equipment will run a few thousand dollars per month minimum. Costs scale up for larger grounds.

Labor: Payroll quickly becomes the largest recurring cost. Industry wages range widely from $35k for groundskeepers up past $150k for general managers of big cemeteries. Plan for $200k+ in annual salaries.

Administration: Marketing, advertising, accounting, legal fees, and general overhead like utilities and office supplies tally another $5-10k per month for many operations.

To sustain the business as interment plots sell over decades, contribute consistently to prepaid funeral trust funds and perpetual care reserves amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Though capital-intensive, death care remains a necessity. If you secure financing and control costs once open, a cemetery can deliver stable long-term profits. Adjust projections based on decisions around size, pricing, and service offerings as you develop your unique business plan.

4. Form a Legal Business Entity

When establishing a cemetery, the legal structure you choose impacts everything from daily operations to taxes and personal liability. Weigh these key considerations for each entity type to make the best decision upfront.

Sole Proprietorship

As the simplest framework, sole proprietorships involve minimal paperwork. You can instantly start transacting as an individual owner. However, you assume full legal and financial risk if sued over issues like mismanaged funds or safety incidents on the premises. For a cemetery with significant liability exposure, protecting personal assets is prudent.

Partnership

Forming a partnership spreads responsibility across multiple owners through a formal agreement. However, each partner can still be personally liable for collective business actions. Disagreements between even long-term friends commonly dissolve partnerships as well. The shared nature causes complications if one person wants to exit or adapt the vision over time.

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

For cemetery entrepreneurs, LLCs offer the best protections with minimal drawbacks. LLCs limit legal and financial liabilities, preventing owners’ assets from being seized if the business faces a lawsuit or bankruptcy. They deliver tax efficiencies too as profit/loss passes through to members’ returns, avoiding corporate double taxation.

LLCs provide flexibility to onboard investors, secure a business credit card, and execute complex cemetery ownership transfers across heirs. Sales of multi-grave plots with varying access rights over decades benefit from an LLC’s sturdy legal standing. Simple member agreements allow refining operations and ownership stakes.

Corporation

C-corps involve extensive incorporation paperwork and more complex accounting. They better shield owners from legal liability but face double taxation on company earnings and dividends paid to shareholders. For cemeteries, they only suit large consolidators seeking to raise funds via public stock offerings. Stick with an LLC or S-Corp otherwise.

While more work upfront than sole proprietorships, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES enable cemetery founders to protect personal assets if sued or facing bankruptcy – a frequent risk in this industry. They also allow easing into partnerships, raising investment capital, and evolving ownership structures as the business grows. Form your cemetery as an LLC from day one for maximum protection with minimal hurdles.

5. Register Your Business For Taxes

Before accepting any payments or hiring staff, register your budding cemetery venture with federal and state tax authorities. This legitimizes your business and enables you to comply with tax obligations.

Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Also called a Federal Tax ID Number, EINs uniquely identify business entities. The IRS uses them to track tax returns, payments, and other paperwork.

As a cemetery owner, you need an EIN to open business bank accounts, apply for specific licenses and permits, and hire employees.

The EIN application process takes just a few minutes online. Simply provide basic information about your business structure and ownership details at IRS.gov .

Print and retain the EIN confirmation notice for your records. The IRS does not charge an application fee.

Register for State Taxes

While the EIN handles federal taxes, visit your state revenue department’s website to register for a tax ID number for filing returns and remitting sales tax.

For example, if launching a cemetery in California, you would register with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration for a seller’s permit. Likewise, Texas-based operations obtain a tax ID through their Comptroller’s Office.

Many states let you register for sales tax IDs and other business licenses during a single application session. Follow the steps for your state to ensure full compliance.

Display Tax Certificates

Customers commonly ask to see licenses and tax registrations before purchasing cemetery goods and services. Obtain certificates for your EIN, sales permits, and other registrations. Prominently showcase these around your facility and on your website to reinforce credibility and transparency.

Keeping up with evolving tax codes remains challenging for a new business owner. Consider enlisting an accountant or law firm that specializes in the death care industry to handle filings and stay compliant.

6. Setup Your Accounting

With frequent cash transactions, perpetual care trusts, and complex ownership transfers, a cemetery’s financial tracking must be air-tight. Implement centralized accounting software and enlist a tax professional from the start to stay compliant.

Accounting Software

Accounting software like QuickBooks automatically syncs income and expenses across integrated bank/credit card accounts to simplify balancing the books. QuickBooks even lets you upload scanned receipts and invoices along with transaction records for easy lookup later. Custom charts of accounts and automated reminders for tax payments are both features to look forward to.

Hire an Accountant

While the software does the heavy lifting in recording day-to-day activity, an accountant provides indispensable high-level guidance. Experts well-versed in death care compliance verify your ledgers and filings are accurate across local, state, and federal requirements for taxes, business permits, trust management, and more.

Open a Business Bank Account

Be sure to separate all cemetery finances from your banking and spending. Keeping accounts distinct simplifies reporting at tax time. The best practice is establishing a business checking account and credit card solely for company transactions.

Apply for Business Credit Cards

Apply for company cards just as you did your EIN, providing your business legal name, EIN, and owners’ Social Security Numbers for the application. Business cards often offer bonus point incentives plus higher limits since balances are tied to company earnings rather than your income alone.

7. Obtain Licenses and Permits

Before hosting your first memorial service, secure all required approvals from local and state agencies. Find federal license information through the U.S. Small Business Administration . The SBA also offers a local search tool for state and city requirements.

Cemeteries fall under robust oversight by state boards and must obtain operating licenses. For example, the Georgia State Board of Cemeteries enforces codes related to prepaid services, merchandise sales, cemetery manager qualifications, and conduct standards.

Most states also require a certified funeral director to oversee each physical location as the legally accountable manager. These licensed mortuary science practitioners underwent training on burial procedures, embalming, cremation, and other hands-on aspects of memorial events.

Check municipal statutes as well for any special use permits, land grading approvals, fire and safety certificates, or other requirements unique to cemeteries in your area. The zoning board may need to formally approve construction plans based on environmental impact studies.

Common regional requirements also include installing fences or other buffers between grave sites and adjacent properties. Approvals take time so start the permitting process early.

Don’t overlook obligations around Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) rules too. For example, provide personal protective equipment like gloves, masks, and safety glasses for grounds maintenance teams. Document proper training as cemetery work entails hazardous substances for embalming and frequent heavy lifting.

8. Get Business Insurance

Given the nature of death care, prudent cemetery owners secure robust business insurance coverage immediately upon launch. Policies shield your company’s finances while protecting families on your grounds.

Without coverage, a major accident, injury, or lawsuit can instantly upend operations. Imagine a scenario where memorial guests trip on uneven pavement, resulting in broken bones and five-figure hospital bills. The cemetery would bear full responsibility for these crushing medical fees without insurance.

Likewise, picture an employee improperly sealing a crematorium oven, causing an explosive fire that forces a month-long shutdown. The lost revenue and repair costs could permanently shutter the business.

Another example is groundskeepers spilling fertilizer into a pond, breeding toxic algae. This causes a health hazard and a drawn-out legal battle with massive penalties.

In any of these real situations, your unprotected cemetery itself shoulders steep fines and legal fees. Possible bankruptcy creates further turmoil for grieving families who prepaid for burial plots or services.

The right insurance defends against worst-case scenarios. Commonly recommended packages include:

  • General liability – Covers property damage, bodily injuries, and related legal claims from accidents on your premises
  • Commercial property – Repairs/replaces buildings, equipment, and furnishings due to theft, disasters, etc.
  • Workers comp – Handles medical care and lost wages for on-the-job staff injuries
  • Business interruption – Reimburses income lost if unable to operate for a covered reason
  • Directors and officers – Defends against claims alleging misdeeds by decision-makers

Packages range from $500 annually for bare basics to $5,000 for robust protection. Quotes vary based on your location, cemetery size, and coverage limits selected.

9. Create an Office Space

Though much of your time is spent on cemetery grounds, securing office space proves indispensable for admin tasks like contacting suppliers, planning events, and keeping financial records.

Coworking Space

Shared workspaces like WeWork allow renting office capacity by the month rather than signing long-term leases. Coworking desks start around $300 monthly plus variable fees for extras like meeting rooms and printers. These spaces provide turnkey office infrastructure without ownership hassles when launching a venture.

Commercial Office

Leasing modest commercial space near your cemetery begins at around $1,000 monthly for roomy options with parking. While costlier than other routes, dedicated offices reinforce perceptions of reliability for grieving customers. Soundproofed walls prevent background noise from disturbing emotional conversations too.

10. Source Your Equipment

Launching a cemetery requires substantial upfront investment in heavy equipment for excavating, landscaping, and handling caskets. Whether buying new or used, know your financing options.

New Equipment

Purchasing brand-new earth-moving equipment like backhoes, payloaders, and lowering devices provides reliability and warranty protection. New caskets, cremation chambers, and specialty vehicles like hearses also ensure premier condition.

Used Equipment

Savvy entrepreneurs source slightly used models initially through classifieds or auction sites, then upgrade later. Search Craigslist using keywords like “backhoe loader,” and “hearse”, plus your state.

Private sellers on Facebook Marketplace also commonly offload funeral vehicles and tools due to retirement. Expect to pay 40-60% less than new. Search broadly within a few hundred miles to maximize chances of discovery.

Rent Equipment

Short-term rental works nicely for small cemeteries only excavating graves upon need rather than pre-digging hundreds of plots. However, frequent transport and setup prove time-consuming.

Leased Equipment

Leasing commits to year+ agreements requiring monthly payments comparable to financing purchases. While essentially long-term rental, leases enable accessing costly gear otherwise out of reach for startups facing capital constraints.

11. Establish Your Brand Assets

Distinguishing your cemetery amidst a sea of legacy funeral homes requires thoughtful brand-building from the start. From logos to websites, unify visual identity across assets to spark trust and recognition.

Getting a Business Phone Number

RingCentral provides custom 800 numbers and call routing to any employee device for consistent connections with grieving families. Expect around $30 monthly for a dedicated business line to list across marketing materials.

Creating a Logo and Brand Assets

Customizable logo creation services like Looka generate countless refined options incorporating input around imagery, typography, shapes, and themes meaningful to you. Expect around $50 per chosen design.

Purchasing a Domain Name

Secure an easy-to-remember domain that evokes your venue’s essence, like SerenityMemorialCemetery. Domain registrars like Namecheap offer registrations around $15 annually.

Creating Business Cards and Signage

Custom signs marking cemetery driveways and key buildings aid visitors. Craft signage and especially business cards exuding refinement and expertise. Offer cards to grieving families touring the grounds.

Vistaprint provides 500 basic cards for under $50. Send cards when mailing documentation as well to reinforce your brand.

Building a Website

Well-designed websites showcase grounds and memorial options at length while easing online tributes or event coordination. Employ user-friendly site builders like Wix for a quick launch. If you prefer custom coding, specialized cemetery site developers abound on freelancer platforms like Fiverr starting at around $500.

12. Join Associations and Groups

Tapping into networks of fellow cemetery owners and funeral directors accelerates growth through shared knowledge. Both local groups and broader online communities provide camaraderie and counsel.

Local Associations

Area funeral professional associations like the Tri-County Funeral Directors Association and statewide collectives such as the Ohio Cemetery Association and Ohio Funeral Directors Association facilitate meetups and advocacy. Membership fees run a few hundred dollars annually.

Local Meetups

Keep tabs on relevant conferences and tradeshows nearby as well. Event listing services such as Meetup centralize details around statewide cemetery owner forums, death care legal seminars, and conventions like the ICCFA Expo held annually.

Facebook Groups

For broader 24/7 idea exchange from funeral pros worldwide, join selected Facebook Groups like Cemetery . Its members frequently discuss trends, ethical dilemmas, and vendor recommendations threaded by topic.

More niche discussions happen within smaller communities like ROYAL FUNERAL SERVICES . The collective knowledge within these groups provides invaluable perspectives beyond just regional circles.

13. How to Market a Cemetery Business

Gaining visibility within the grief-stricken communities you aim to serve remains an enduring priority when launching a cemetery. Implement multifaceted outreach highlighting your grounds’ accommodating features and dignified service.

Tap into Personal Networks

Early on, your connections provide the most promising lead sources, including friends and family members. Satisfied families who found solace thanks to your memorial events make ideal brand advocates. Consider discounts for each new customer they refer your way.

Word of mouth builds organically but stays accelerated by incentives and gentle encouragement to share positive experiences. These personal endorsements influence locally better than any advertisements could.

Digital Marketing Approaches

  • Search ads on Google spotlight your cemetery and offerings to nearby people already hunting relevant keywords around memorial planning. Tailor copy and landing pages to match their mindset and intent.
  • Facebook looks to expand memorialization features for users to tribute passed relatives digitally right within their existing connections and content. Consider sponsoring related posts to drive awareness.
  • Launch a blog publishing thoughtful advice articles around grief, estate planning, cremation options, and other topics families face when experiencing loss. Quality content earns organic search traffic and positions your guidance as a comfort.
  • Email nurture campaigns guide subscribers through memorial planning decision points via periodic supportive content and event promotions after signup.

Traditional Marketing Techniques

  • Print brochures for an on-site display to capture contact details from visiting families as they tour grounds and facilities. Follow up after to build relationships.
  • Place ads in regional newspapers and funeral trade publications to reach older demographics still paging through print rather than purely digital content.
  • Seek partnerships with hospices, churches, and other community groups that counsel grieving members. Offer venue discounts in exchange for formal recommendations when appropriate.
  • Local radio spots could supplement digital efforts, but measure response rates closely before committing extensive ad spending.
  • Billboards stand as high-visibility options but evaluate their distraction factor and fleeting impression time compared to digital channels.

14. Focus on the Customer

When families entrust your cemetery to memorialize loved ones, unmatched compassion, and care build loyalty that fuels referrals and repeats. In an industry with minimal repeat transactions, reputation becomes the growth engine.

cemetery business plan pdf

Set expectations with newly grieving patrons that your dedicated staff will handle every detail and question surrounding interment with grace and precision. Then follow through flawlessly.

Customize ceremonies based on religious and cultural traditions important to each family. Send handwritten notes conveying your team’s condolences around anniversaries or relevant dates.

Making these empathetic gestures earns tremendous goodwill that converts relatives and friends into enthusiastic advocates who endorse your cemetery during their difficult times.

While no marketing matches the power of word-of-mouth referrals, earning such endorsements requires genuinely prioritizing customer care over profits. Invest in hospitality training for your team, build transparent processes, and solicit feedback to continually improve.

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Sample Cemetery Service Business Plan Template PDF

Cemetery business plan sample.

Do you know how to start a private cemetery business?

How much money do cemeteries businesses make? No one on earth is going to escape the inevitable end. People die every day and more people are dying, this is why there are many cemeteries all over the world.

Without the cemeteries and those running it, imagine what would happen to the ever-increasing number of dead bodies, maybe we would have them littered around the streets or have more cremations instead of funerals.

Need to write a plan for your venture? Download a FREE Business Plan PDF Sample to develop a template for your own startup.

Because of cemeteries, loved ones can now bury their dead with respect. No doubt, the act of lowering dead bodies to the ground has come to stay.

There are public cemeteries everywhere, but private ones are coming up because of space shortage.

Many people would rather choose another type of business because of the delicate nature of the cemetery service business, but the truth is that it is very lucrative and will stand the test of time.

If you have intentions of going into the cemetery business, you will need a proper business plan to give your venture direction. Here is a template from which you can draft your private cemetery business plan.

Here is a sample business plan for starting a cemetery.

Name of Business: Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc.

Table of Content

  • Executive summary
  • Products and services
  • Vision statement
  • Mission statement
  • Business structure
  • Market analysis
  • Cost of starting
  • Sources of capital

Executive Summary

Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc. is a licensed cemetery business that will be located in the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. We have secured a suitable facility, one that is approved by the government for the operations of a standard cemetery.

We aim to provide an honorable resting place for the remains of the deceased, we will respect the wishes and beliefs of our clients concerning their beloved deceased and at all levels, our organization structure at Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc. will be centered on the clients and their satisfaction.

We are set to run a world-class cemetery business service and though we are just starting, we are sure to be the most sought after in no time because we have done our research and consultations which have led us to pinpoint the way many existing cemetery service companies are lacking in customer satisfaction and we will focus on those areas.

Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc. will offer extra services like providing obituary to news media and using the information and materials our clients provide us, we will go as far as helping them make memorial websites for their deceased.

Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc. is a family business that is founded by Michael Cage and will be run by him and his immediate family members. The founder has degrees in both business administration and cemetery services with over 15 years hands on experience in the cemetery industry at both national and state levels.

Products and Services

Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc. will offer the following products and services to customers;

  • Transportation of the deceased
  • Sale of graves and other needed spaces
  • Maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery
  • Columbarium operations
  • Provision of embalming services
  • Mausoleum operations
  • Provision of mortician services
  • Sale of flowers, obituary notice, and other merchandise of funeral
  • Memorial garden maintenance

Vision Statement

To be the most sought-after cemetery service brand in not only Atlanta but in the entire United States of America.

Mission Statement

To deliver excellent cemetery services to our clients anywhere we are located and to be ranked among the top five cemetery service providers in the United States of America.

Business Structure

The growth of Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc. has a lot to do with our workforce, though it is a family business, we will use a structure that gives room for other employees. We will hire the best hands to join us and make a structure that looks like this;

  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Director of cemetery services
  • Human resources manager
  • Accountants
  • Morticians and cemetery workers
  • Marketing officer
  • Security officer
  • Customer service personnel

Market Analysis

We will target customers by forming a good relationship with mortuary owners. Since they preserve bodies until it is due for burial, and it is our job to carry out the burying, we will strike a deal with them so that they get commissions for every burial they refer to us.

These days, people go to the media (both printed and electronic) to look for cemetery service brands.

Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc. will have a strong presence in the media and also get reviews.

Cost of Starting

After much consultation, calculations, and research, we know it will cost us the sum of $450,000 to start the business. This covers everything, including the salary of workers for the first four months.

Source of Capital

The founder, Michael Cage will be the main source of money for starting the business.

Call to Glory® Cemetery Services, Inc. will be open to partnership and another financial investment as the business expands to more parts of the USA.

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ProfitableVenture

Private Cemetery Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Real Estate Industry » Private Cemetery

Cemetery Business

Are you about starting a private cemetery? If YES, here is a complete sample private cemetery business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE .

It is an undeniable fact that death is one inevitable part in the equation of human existence, and so the need to prepare for it cannot be overlooked. Some people go as far as buying insurance to take care of their own funeral when they die; whilst others state clearly in their ‘will’ the type of funeral they would prefer. This goes to show that the funeral home business will always thrive as long as human exist.

A Sample Cemetery Service Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

The cemetery services industry comprises of businesses that primarily operate sites or constructions reserved solely for the interment of human or animal remains. The industry also includes companies that offer cremation services.

If you are a closer watcher of the Cemetery Services industry, you will rightly observe that the industry is one of few industries that successfully dug it out of the recessionary woes that once plagued its companies during the recession period in the united states.

With increasing disposable income and a growing proportion of US citizens reaching 65 years and older, families have become far more likely to purchase high-value industry merchandise and burial services, thereby increasing the revenue generated in the industry.

These factors are expected to continue going forward. Nevertheless, experts projected the number of cremations is going to rise, hence threatening the growth in the cemetery services industry.

The Cemetery Services industry is indeed a very large industry and pretty much thriving in all parts of the world especially in developed countries such as United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia and Italy et al.

Statistics has it that in the United States of America alone, there are about 7,112 licensed and cemetery services companies scattered all across the United States of America and they are responsible for employing about 33,518 employees.

The industry rakes in a whooping sum of $4bn annually with an annual growth rate projected at 4.1 percent within 2011 and 2016.

The establishments with the lion share of the available share in the industry are SCI and StoneMor. A recent report published by IBISWORLD reveals that the regions with the greatest concentration of cemeteries and crematories in the United States are the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast and the Great Lakes.

The distribution of cemeteries and crematories is related to population trends and age structure. Additionally, consumer preferences for cremation, opposed to burials, are another important factor that can influence the share of establishments.

The report further stated that the Mid-Atlantic has the greatest share of cemeteries in the United States in 2016, estimated at 26.5 percent of the total.

Pennsylvania is the most heavily concentrated state in the country in terms of industry establishments, holding an estimated 10.9 percent of cemeteries and crematories in 2016. New York follows as a close second with 9.6 percent of establishments.

No doubt, as the population ages, it is obvious that the number of deaths in the United States and all over the world is anticipated to increase and this will in turn create market for the cemetery services industry. Nonetheless, continued competition from discount retailers and the ease of online ordering from casket manufacturers, as well as a rise in low-priced cremations, are expected to curtail prices for funeral home operators.

If you are contemplating starting your own cemetery services business in the United States, you should ensure that you carry out a thorough market survey and feasibility studies. If you get some key factors wrong before starting your own cemetery services business, then you are likely going to struggle to stay afloat.

2. Executive Summary

Glorious Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is a registered and licensed cemetery business that will be located in the outskirt of Cape May – New Jersey in a neatly renovated and secured government approved facility; a facility that is specifically designed and equipped with the needed facility for a world – class cemetery services.

We will offer services such as interment services, sale of graves, plots and other spaces, cemetery maintenance and upkeep, mausoleum operation, crematory operation, columbarium operation, memorial garden supervision, animal and pet cemetery management amongst other related services.

Glorious Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is a family owned and managed business that believe in the passionate pursuit of excellence and financial success with uncompromising services and integrity which is why we have decided to venture into the cemetery services industry by establishing our own cemetery services company.

We are certain that our values will help us drive the business to enviable heights and also help us attract the numbers of clients that will make our business breakeven within the shortest time frame possible.

At Glorious Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. we will arrange services in accordance with the wishes of surviving friends and family members of the deceased, whether immediate next of kin or an executor so named in a legal will. We will take care of the necessary paperwork, permits, and other details, such as making arrangements with the cemetery, and providing obituaries to the news media.

We will go as far as posting obituaries online and use materials submitted by families to create memorial websites We are going to be a customer-centric cemetery services business with a service culture that will be deeply rooted in the fabric of our organizational structure and indeed at all levels of the organization.

With that, we know that we will be enables to consistently achieve our set business goals, increase our profitability and reinforce our positive long-term relationships with our clientele, partners (vendors), and all our employees as well.

Glorious Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a firm, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our customers’ needs precisely and completely whenever they patronize our products. We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human, sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our customers.

Glorious Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is a family business that is owned and managed by Clement Jenkins and his immediate family members. Clement Jenkins has college degrees in Mortuary Science and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

He has over 10 years of hands on experience working in the cemetery services industry both at state and national level before starting Glorious Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc.

3. Our Products and Services

Glorious Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is set to operate a standard cemetery services company in. The fact that we want to become a force to reckon with in the cemetery services industry means that we will go all the way out to give our clients a lasting and pleasant memory of their bereaved family members and friend.

We will render services that that will make them want to come back as well as recommend our cemetery services to their friends, family members and business partners. These are the services and amenities that will be made available to our clients;

  • Cemetery maintenance and upkeep / Providing graveside committal services
  • Mausoleum operation
  • Columbarium operation
  • Memorial garden supervision
  • Animal and pet cemetery management
  • Interment services /Providing funeral services
  • Sale of graves, plots and other spaces
  • Providing embalming services
  • Providing mortician services
  • Selling funeral merchandise (e.g. caskets, flowers and obituary notices)
  • Transporting the deceased

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

  • Our vision is to establish a cemetery services brand that will become the number one choice for residence in the whole of Cape May – New Jersey and other cities in the United States.
  • Our vision reflects our values: integrity, service, safety, excellence and teamwork.
  • Our mission is to deliver reliable, genuinely, caring and excellent cemetery services superior to what our competitions can offer in any location where our cemetery services will be situated and to ensure that we work hard to grow our cemetery services company to be listed amongst the top 10 cemetery services company in the United States of America.

Our Business Structure

The success of any business is to a larger extent dependent on the business structure of the organization and the people who occupy the available role in the organization.

Although Glorious Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is a family run business, we will still work with a business structure that will give room to the minimal employees (mostly part – time employees) to explore their creativity, feel belong and full integrate into the organization’s philosophy.

We are aware that when recruiting for a business such as cemetery services company, your aim should be to look for people who can handle grieving and bereaved people not just people looking for a job in other to be able to pay their bills and that is exactly what we will look out for.

We will only recruit people with good customers’ service skills, people with compassion, people who can empathize, who love this line of business and people who don’t have any problem handling dead bodies. We will not make the mistake of recruiting people with the wrong skill sets, because we know they can ruin our business before it even gets started.

This is why we will make sure we recruit smartly and wisely; people with the right mindset to help us achieve our business goals and objectives in record time. In view of that, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;

  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Cemetery Services Director
  • Human Resources and Administrative Manager
  • Accountants / Cashiers
  • Mortician, Undertaker and Cemetery Workers
  • Marketing Officer (Contract Worker)
  • Customer Service Executive
  • Security Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer – CEO:

  • Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions providing educational opportunities.
  • Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
  • Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
  • Responsible for providing direction for the business
  • Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
  • Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of the magazine production and distribution process
  • Evaluates the success of the organization

Cemetery Services Director:

  • Obtains information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
  • Oversees the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
  • Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
  • Plans, schedules, or coordinates funerals, burials, or cremations, arranging details such as floral delivery or the time and place of services.
  • Arranges for clergy members to perform needed services.
  • Gives instructions as it relates to the opening and closing of graves.
  • Provides information on funeral service options, products, or merchandise and maintain a casket display area.
  • Informs survivors of benefits for which they may be eligible.
  • Offers counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
  • Discusses and negotiate prearranged funerals with clients.
  • Maintains financial records, order merchandise, or prepare accounts.
  • Provides or arrange transportation between sites for the remains, mourners, pallbearers, clergy, or flowers .
  • Plans placement of caskets at funeral sites or place or adjust lights, fixtures, or floral displays.
  • Directs preparations and shipment of bodies for out-of-state burial.
  • Manages cemetery services operations, including the hiring, training, or supervision of embalmers, funeral attendants, or other staff.
  • Arranges for pallbearers or inform pallbearers or honorary groups of their duties.
  • Receives or ushers people to their seats for services.
  • Participates in community activities for cemetery services promotion or other purposes.
  • Provides emotional support to the bereaved
  • Arranges for removal of the deceased’s body
  • Files death certificate and other legal documents

Morticians, Undertakers and Cemetery Workers

  • Performs various tasks to arrange and direct funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of body to mortuary, cemetery maintenance and upkeep / Providing graveside committal services, mausoleum operation, columbarium operation, and memorial garden supervision
  • Handles the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
  • Handles the removal of the deceased’s body
  • Performs embalming duties as necessary
  • Closes caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites.
  • Prepares the remains (body)
  • Interviews family or other authorized person to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, aiding with the selection of officials for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners.

Admin and HR Manager

  • Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
  • Maintains office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.
  • Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
  • Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
  • Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
  • Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
  • Carries out staff induction for new team members
  • Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
  • Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
  • Oversees the smooth running of the daily office activities.

Marketing and Sales Officer

  • Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
  • Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of development projects.
  • Writes winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with company policy
  • Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for the business
  • Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
  • Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
  • Documents all customer contact and information
  • Represents the company in strategic meetings
  • Helps to increase sales and growth for the company

Accountant / Cashier:

  • Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
  • Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
  • Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
  • Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting
  • Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
  • Responsible for administering payrolls
  • Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
  • Handles all financial transactions for the organization
  • Serves as internal auditor for the organization

Client Service Executive

  • Welcomes clients and potential clients by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
  • Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
  • Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
  • Manages administrative duties assigned by the general manager in an effective and timely manner
  • Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries
  • Receives parcels / documents for the company
  • Distributes mails in the organization
  • Handles any other duties as assigned by the human resources and admin manager.

Security Officer:

  • Ensures that the facility is secured at all time
  • Controls traffic and organize parking
  • Gives security tips to staff members from time to time
  • Patrols around the building on a 24-hour basis
  • Submits security reports weekly
  • Any other duty as assigned by the funeral home director.

6. SWOT Analysis

Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is fully aware that they are coming into an industry that can be highly competitive which is why they have decided to pay attention to the SWOT analysis for the organization.

We know that once we are able to identify our strength, our weakness, our threats and the opportunity that is available to us, we will be able to come up with good business strategies that will help us achieve all our business goals and objectives.

We know that if we get things right before starting our cemetery services business, we will not have to struggle before attract loyal clients and building our membership base to a level where we can easily breakeven in record time.

We hired the services of Dr. Cosmos Princeville, a HR and Business consultant with bias in business structuring to help us conduct SWOT analysis for our company and he did a pretty good job for us. Here is a of the result we got from the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc.;

Our area of strength cannot be farfetched; the location of our cemetery services company is perfect for such business, our management team has robust experience in the cemetery services industry, our customer’s services is second to none in the whole of Cape May – NJ and our facility is top notch and highly secured 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

We critically looked into our Business model and we were able to identify two major weakness. One is the fact that we are a new business and the second is the fact that we may not have the financial resources required to match up with existing and leading cemetery services companies in Cape May – New Jersey and also generating the needed hypes that can drive traffic towards our facility.

  • Opportunities:

One thing is certain, people will always die and they would need the services of cemetery services industry. Our cemetery services facility is well – located in busy area, hence there are loads of business opportunities for us. Besides we are the only cemetery services within a 45 miles’ radius where ours is located.

Some of the threats that we are likely going to face as a cemetery services business operating in the United States are unfavorable government policies – the government, the arrival of a competitor within our location of operations and global economic downturn which usually affects purchasing / spending power.

There is hardly anything we can do as regards these threats other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for our good.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

  • Market Trends

If you are a closer watcher of the trends in the Cemetery Services industry, you will rightly observe that the industry is one of few industries that successfully dug itself out of the recessionary woes that once plagued its companies during the recession period in the United States.

Lastly, cemetery services businesses in the United States of America are traditionally run by families except for few instances and there are various insurance companies that have funeral insurance policies for their clients. Building a good working relationship with them will position your cemetery services business to help them handle some of their policy holders.

You can also help them market their funeral insurance cover with the agreement that you will be the one to handle the funerals of the customers you bring to them. This is of course will be a win-win for both parties, and every business person would want to go into such agreement.

8. Our Target Market

It will be safe to say that the target market for cemetery services cuts across people of all class, race, religion, and culture as long as they value their deceased loved ones and would want to give them befitting burial or cremation as required.

In view of that, we have created strategies that will enable us reach out to various corporate organizations and individual clients who we know can’t afford to do without our services. We have conducted our market research and survey and we will ensure that our cemetery services company is well accepted in the market place.

These are the groups of people we intend marketing our cemetery services to;

  • Insurance companies
  • Owners of mortuaries
  • Retirees and Pensioners
  • Corporate Executives
  • Government Officials
  • Business People
  • Celebrities
  • Military Men and Women
  • Sports Men and Women
  • Everyone who resides in our target locations.

Our competitive advantage

A close study of the cemetery services industry reveals that the market has become much more intensely competitive over the last decade. As a matter of fact, you have to be highly creative, customer centric and proactive if you must survive in this industry.

We are aware of the stiffer competition and we are well prepared to compete favorably with other leading cemetery services companies in Cape May – New Jersey and throughout the United States and Canada.

Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is launching a standard cemetery services provider that will indeed become the preferred choice of residence of Cape May – New Jersey. We have enough parking spaces that can accommodate well over 50 cars per time.

As a matter of fact, the location of our cemetery services company is perfect for such business, our management team has robust experience in the cemetery services industry, our customer’s services is second to none in the whole of Cape May – NJ and our facility is top notch and highly secured 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups cemetery services providers) in the industry meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our aims and objectives.

We will also give good working conditions and commissions to freelance sales agents that we will recruit from time to time.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

  • Sources of Income

Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the cemetery services industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to attract guests on a regular basis and sign retainer – ship with most of our corporate clients.

Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. will generate income by offering the following services for individuals, families and for corporate organizations;

10. Sales Forecast

One thing is certain when it comes to providing cemetery services, if your facility is well secured well positioned and you have the right business network, you will always attract customers cum sales and that will sure translate to increase in revenue generation for the business.

We are well positioned to take on the available market in Cape May – New Jersey and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first six month of operations and grow the business and our clientele base.

We have been able to critically examine the cemetery services industry and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projections are based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions that are peculiar to similar startups in Cape May – New Jersey.

Below are the sales projections for Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. it is based on the location of our business and other factors as it relates to cemetery services providers start – ups in the United States;

  • First Fiscal Year-: $250,000
  • Second Fiscal Year-: $450,000
  • Third Fiscal Year-: $750,000

N.B : This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same facility and services and customer care services as we do within same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.

  • Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

It is important to clearly state that in this dispensation, customers use the Internet to find cemetery services providers, to read reviews, to view facility available and the location of the cemetery services provider; loads of processes have gone digital.

Which is why most cemetery services companies are increasingly adopting technology and the internet for marketing and advertising their business and we are not going to be left out.

We are quite aware that one of the ways to get people to patronize your cemetery services company is to build good business relationship with owners of mortuaries, insurance companies and hospitals et al. Having a good working relationship with people mortuaries will enable them refers people to you; since their job is to preserve corpses and yours is to conduct a befitting burial.

We will go all out to strike a deal with them that will ensure that they get a commission for any referral we get from them. In summary, Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. will adopt the following sales and marketing approach to win customers over;

  • Building strong partnerships within our industry and with other stakeholders across the United States of America
  • Ensure that we put our market scale and knowledge to good use
  • Continuously Improving the efficiency of our cemetery services and operating processes
  • Delivering consistent customer experiences to all our clients; making our first impression count positively
  • Hire the services of experts to make our brands the first choice for families and corporate organizations
  • Continuously Improving the performance of our brands
  • Promote our business online via our official website and all available social media platform
  • Advertise our cemetery services business in relevant magazines, national dailies, Satellite TV stations and Radio station
  • Open our cemetery services business in a grand style with a party for all.
  • Make use of attractive hand bills to create awareness and also to give direction to our cemetery services facility
  • Position our signage / flexi banners at strategic places in and around Cape – May, New Jersey
  • Create a loyalty plan that will enable us reward our corporate clients such as insurance companies and owners of mortuaries
  • Engage on road shows within our neighborhood to create awareness for our cemetery services business.

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is in the cemetery services industry to make profit and we can only make profit if we steadily increase our customer base. No doubt, in order to remain relevant in the cemetery services industry in Cape May – New Jersey, we will continue to create hype around our business brand.

We will ensure that we leverage on all conventional and non – conventional publicity and advertising technique to promote our cemetery services brand. Here are the platforms we intend leveraging on to promote and advertise Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc.;

  • Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
  • Sponsor relevant community based events / programs
  • Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our services
  • Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around Cape May – New Jersey
  • Engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
  • Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
  • Contact corporate organizations by calling them up and informing them of Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. and the services we offer
  • List our cemetery services company in local directories / yellow pages
  • Advertise our cemetery services company in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
  • Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

Our pricing system is going to be based on what is obtainable in the industry, we don’t intend to charge more (except for premium and customized services) and we don’t intend to charge less than our competitors are offering in the United States of America.

Be that as it may, we have put plans in place to discount our products and services once in a while and also to reward our loyal customers (corporate clients such as insurance companies and owners of mortuaries).

  • Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.

Here are the payment options that Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. will make available to her clients;

  • Payment via bank transfer
  • Payment with cash
  • Payment via POS
  • Payment via mobile money platform
  • Payment via online bank transfer
  • Payment via check
  • Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment for services and products without any stress on their part. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials to clients who may want to deposit cash or make online transfer for our services and products.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

When it comes to starting a cemetery services business, loads of factors influences the amount that will be required to successful launch the business.

Factors like the location you intend starting the business, the size of the cemetery services business you want to start i.e. the number of employees and facilities et al, and of course the state of the economy as at when you intend start the business. Here are the key areas where we intend spending our start – up capital;

  • The fee for registering the business in the United States of America – $725.
  • Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits as well as the accounting services (software, P.O.S machines and other software) – $3,300.
  • Marketing promotion expenses for the grand opening of Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. in the amount of $3,500 and as well as flyer printing (2,000 flyers at $0.04 per copy) for the total amount of $3,580
  • The cost of leasing a facility with government approval for the kind of business we want to run – $ 100,000
  • The amount needed to renovate our facility (electrical, furnishings, plumbing, painting and landscaping) – $10,000.
  • The cost for the purchase of furniture and equipment – $10,000
  • Other start-up expenses including stationery – $1000
  • Phone and utility deposits – $3,500
  • The cost for initial inventories and supplies – $10,000.
  • The Cost of launching a Website – $600
  • The cost opening party – $5,000 (optional)
  • The cost for payment of salaries for the first 3 months of operations – $50,000
  • Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $5,000

Going by the report from our research and feasibility studies, we will need an average of $200,000 to start a small scale but standard cemetery services business in the United States of America.

Generating Funds / Startup Capital for Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc.

Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is a family business that will be owned by Mr. Clement Jenkins and his immediate family members. They are the sole financial of the business which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital for the business to just three major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

  • Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
  • Generate part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members
  • Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

N.B: We have been able to generate about $50,000 ( Personal savings $45,000 and soft loan from family members $5,000 ) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $200,000 from our bank. All the papers and document has been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to offer our cemetery services a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

Exit® Cemetery Services, Inc. will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re – training of our workforce is at the top burner.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List / Milestone

  • Business Name Availability Check: Completed
  • Business Registration: Completed
  • Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
  • Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
  • Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
  • Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
  • Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
  • Application for business license and permit: Completed
  • Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
  • Securing a standard facility with government approval: Completed
  • Remodeling our facility: In Progress
  • Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
  • Generating capital from family members: Completed
  • Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
  • Writing of Business Plan: Completed
  • Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
  • Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
  • Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
  • Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: In Progress
  • Recruitment of employees: In Progress
  • Purchase of the needed furniture, mattress, bed sheets, pillows, duvets, electronic appliances, office appliances and kitchen utensils: In progress
  • Creating official website for the company: Completed
  • Creating awareness for the business both online and in the neighborhood: In Progress
  • Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
  • Opening party / launching party planning: In Progress
  • Establishing business relationship with vendors and key players in various industries: In Progress

Related Posts:

  • Event Center Business Plan [Sample Template]
  • Real Estate Investment Holding Business Plan [Sample Template]
  • Shopping Mall Business Plan [Sample Template]
  • How Do Cemeteries Make Money Even When They are Full?
  • How to Start a Cemetery Business

Project 2025’s Plan to Eliminate Public Schools Has Already Started

P roject 2025, the policy agenda for Former President Trump’s potential first year back in the White House published by the far right conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, has been making waves recently. Some of the many destructive proposals within the agenda include the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education —along with federal education funding and any civil rights protections—and the diversion of public money to private school voucher programs instead.

Make no mistake: The goal is to end public education. But dismantling our public schools isn’t just the plan if Trump is reelected—it is already happening.

We are on the brink of a new wave of public school closures , another step in the decades-long project to divest and dismantle the institution of public school. Disguised as “school choice,” federal, state, local, and private actors have prioritized paying for  private and charter schools, hoarding educational resources for the haves and depleting resources for the have-nots.

The policies that Project 2025 plans to prioritize—government payments to families sending their children to private school and creation of new charter schools that are run like businesses—have expanded in the last few years, starving public school districts that serve all students of already insufficient resources. In the 2023-24 school year, at least 70 school districts, including in San Antonio, Texas , Jackson, Mississippi , and Wichita, Kansas , announced permanent closures of public schools, impacting millions of students. These districts are resorting to the harmful, discriminatory, and ineffective so-called ‘solution’ of closing schools in Black and Latine communities, stripping those communities of their local public schools.

Read More: Everything Biden and Trump Have Said About the Controversial Project 2025

Here’s how it works: Concerned about shrinking enrollments and budget crises, district leaders conclude that they must close schools, often without any evidence or analysis that it would save money—and, indeed, it hasn’t been shown to save money unless coupled with mass layoffs. They hire consultants who come up with “utilization” rates and then recommend closing schools with the lowest rates to “rightsize” the district—their euphemism for their misguided belief that school facility usage should be guided by arbitrary numbers instead of meeting communities where they are.

The problem is that “utilization”—a school’s enrollment over its supposed capacity—is stacked against schools that have experienced historic underfunding and disinvestment in facilities repairs, curricula, extracurricular opportunities, and staff. These same schools disproportionately serve Black and Latine students, English Learner students, students with disabilities, and students living in poverty.

Closing schools is demonstrably harmful—and has real-life impact. Research on the mass urban school closures from 2012 to 2014 overwhelmingly found that academic outcomes suffered , particularly for low-performing students. A May 2024 study from Brown University linked the experience of a school closure to “decreases in post-secondary education attainment, employment, and earnings at ages 25–27.” Additionally, closures force families to travel farther to get to schools that are not in their communities, making it harder to form relationships with staff, join extracurriculars, or get involved in parent organizations.

These communities are also often the first to lose access to the benefits of neighborhood public schools, which act as essential gathering places for social services and community resources like adult education, polling locations, a place to hold community meetings, and access to democratic community control through school board elections.

There are more equitable and educationally sound approaches than the lazy, unjust, self-sabotaging—and all too common—approach of spending money on consultants to tell districts what they have already decided to do: close the schools they value least, relying on metrics that target symptoms of their systemic neglect, and playing into the conservative agenda to make public schools obsolete.

Districts have better options to address budget woes. They can start a community-driven process to reshape the budget, wherein multiple stakeholders—rather than a selected few—play an active role in setting district budget priorities. Districts can also employ community-led assessments of how they use buildings, allowing school communities, particularly those historically marginalized, to request the resources, support, and spaces they need.

At the very least, districts should integrate equity requirements into school closure proposals, for instance, by incorporating community-based equity audits into decision-making. States can also follow California’s lead by requiring and robustly enforcing equity safeguards for any decisions to close schools.

Young people and their communities deserve better than districts repeatedly making the same mistakes. District leaders must stop listening to expensive consultants and closing much-loved and needed schools, and instead, must listen to the communities they serve and focus on solutions that put students first. Local, state and federal governments must fully and equitably fund public schools—schools obligated to take and educate everyone—and stop diverting money to a system of charter and private schools where students and families are forced to compete for a limited pool of high quality resources for a select few.

Project 2025 is not an inevitability—it is a call to action for anyone who cares about public education in this country. Our public school system requires more resources to create better school environments for everyone. We need investment in our public schools—not closures.

More Must-Reads from TIME

  • The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
  • The Uneasy Alliance Between Kamala Harris and Volodymyr Zelensky
  • The Young Women Challenging Iran’s Regime
  • Ilona Maher TikToks Through the Olympics
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  • Column: The Prosecutor Versus Felon Narrative Helps No One
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Grave Care Business

Learn How to Operate a Successful Grave Care Business

Grave Care Business

How To Start A Grave Care Business

start_a_business

How To Make Money With A Grave Care Business

Are you passionate about cemeteries? Have you ever thought how neat it would be to start a Grave Care Business? I’ve had a passion for cemeteries since childhood. It thrills me to derive an income following my love of cemeteries. If this sounds great to you, why not take the steps to start your own business?

These 5 tips will help you on your way to starting your own Grave Care Business.

1) Assess the demand for grave care in your area.

To determine your local level of demand, take a quick look at the number of cemeteries in your area. You will find dozens (or hundreds) of cemeteries in your immediate area. You will find many types of cemeteries: private, managed care, family, churchyard, community & volunteer, and neglected & abandoned cemeteries. They ALL require specialized care. We will show you how to start your own Grave Care Business by providing: plot maintenance, grave flowers, grave stone cleaning, and more.

2) Check local competition for similar businesses.

Do a quick Google Search for Grave Care companies in your area. In most areas, there is little (or zero) competition. Even if there is someone else already doing grave care, there is plenty of opportunity for your company to do a better job.

3) Determine your “menu of services.”

Grave plot maintenance, flower placement, and tombstone cleaning are the ‘big 3’ grave services. We show you these services plus many other services to offer your clients. Tombstone resetting, plot landscaping, message delivery, photography & videography, cemetery mapping, and many other services will be of interest to your clients.

4) Determine your need for licenses and permits.

Rules and regulations vary from one state to the next and from one cemetery to the next. It is particularly important to pay adherence to the local laws regulating cemeteries in your community.

5) Advertise your Grave Care Business.

Marketing for this business is unlike any other business. This is very personal for your clients. Your potential clients are sensitive about this and they don’t want to feel like you are strictly advertising to make money off them. Sensitive advertising is vital to gaining and building a strong client list of satisfied clients who will trust your business and the services you provide.

Of course there is MUCH MORE to operating a Grave Care Business than just these 5 steps.

If you think this is a business you would like to start, please read through our website to learn more about us.

We have developed a professionally produced Grave Care Business Course designed to help you start and operate your own business. Our Course Overview page shows you everything that is included in the business program.

If you have any questions, please let us know through our contact page.

How To Start A Grave Care Business

One thought on “How To Start A Grave Care Business”

Thank you for sharing all of your experience and insight so that others can be successful. When the idea of our Grave Care business Love Remembered started I had not heard of any other business that was any thing like it. But that meant I had no idea where to start! Then good old Google led me to you! I bought the entire book and thumb drive and it was the best investment for my company! We just launched our site last week and got our TIN this week. Your help was sincerely wonderful! Thank you! Warm Regards, Dana Adams Love Remembered LLC

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Crematorium

Back to All Business Ideas

Steps to Create a Successful Crematorium Business

Written by: Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on April 13, 2022 Updated on July 2, 2024

Steps to Create a Successful Crematorium Business

Investment range

$141,550 - $164,100

Revenue potential

$208,000 - $416,000 p.a.

Time to build

Profit potential

$62,000 - $125,000 p.a.

Industry trend

Here are the most important things to consider when you are starting a crematorium:

  • Location — Find a suitable location. The facility needs to be designed or adapted to accommodate cremation equipment safely and efficiently while providing a respectful atmosphere for clients. 
  • Licenses and permits — Some states or countries require a specific crematorium license that governs the operation of cremation equipment and facilities. Due to the emissions produced by cremation equipment, environmental permits are required to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local environmental protection laws.
  • Equipment — Invest in high-quality cremation equipment that complies with all environmental and safety standards. This includes cremation chambers, processing equipment for handling ashes, and pollution control systems to manage emissions.
  • Franchise — There are a couple of franchises to choose from such as Cremation Society , Neptune Society , and Trident Society .
  • Register your business — A limited liability company (LLC) is the best legal structure for new businesses because it is fast and simple. Form your business immediately using ZenBusiness LLC formation service or hire one of the best LLC services on the market.
  • Legal business aspects — Register for taxes, open a business bank account, and get an EIN .
  • Diversify your offer — Consider adding a pet crematorium to your business as it’s becoming more popular.

cemetery business plan pdf

Interactive Checklist at your fingertips—begin your crematorium today!

You May Also Wonder:

Is a crematorium a profitable business?

Yes, a crematorium can be very profitable, although it takes a large upfront investment. More importantly, though, you’re performing a valuable service and helpful to fulfill final wishes.

How long does a body need to be cremated?

Generally, it takes about three hours to cremate a body. Then the remains have to be allowed to cool before they’re collected.

What temperature do crematoriums use?

Generally, crematoriums use heat of about 1800 Fahrenheit for about three hours, Then the ashes must be allowed to cool. 

What are the best practices for customer service in a crematorium business?

In a crematorium business, your customer service should have a gentle, empathic approach. You’ll want to be respectful of your customers’ grief. 

How do I handle and transport the remains of the deceased?

Requirements for handling and transporting bodies for cremation vary by state and locality. Often specific permits are required, as is written authorization by family members. 

crematorium business idea rating

Step 1: Decide if the Business Is Right for You

Pros and cons.

Starting a crematorium has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s right for you. 

  • Fulfill Final Wishes – Help people move on in the way they chose
  • Good Money – Cremation services cost about $2,000
  • Growing Market – The cremation industry is expected to continue to grow
  • Morbid – Not the most enjoyable line of work
  • High Startup Costs – Up to $150,000 to get started

Crematorium industry trends

Industry size and growth.

crematorium industry size and growth

  • Industry size and past growth – The US cremation services industry is worth $2.3 billion in 2022 after annual 3.1% growth the last five years.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/market-size/cremation-services-united-states/ ))
  • Growth forecast – The US cremation services industry is projected to grow 3% in 2022.
  • Number of businesses – In 2020, 13,333 cremation services businesses were operating in the US.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/cremation-services-industry/ )) 
  • Number of people employed – In 2022, the US cremation services industry employed 16,244 people. 

Trends and challenges

crematorium industry Trends and Challenges

Trends in the crematorium industry include:

  • By 2040, the cremation rate is expected to be nearly 80%, largely because it costs about one third as much as burial.
  • Evolving technology in cremation furnaces is allowing them to use green electricity rather than expensive fuels. Alkaline hydrolysis is being used instead of traditional flame-based cremation. The process is more environmentally friendly and uses less fuel and has a lower carbon footprint than traditional cremation. 

Challenges in the crematorium industry include:

  • Many funeral home businesses today offer cremation services, creating competition for crematorium businesses.
  • Energy costs are rising, which makes the cost to perform a cremation higher.

How much does it cost to start a crematorium business? 

You can start a crematorium for around $140,000 to $165,000. The largest cost is the cremation furnace, which you can get with cremation training included for about $135,000. If you start a pet crematorium instead, your costs will be much lower, but so will your revenue. 

You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your crematorium business, including: 

  • Cremation furnace
  • Furnace fuel
  • Cremation processor machine
Start-up CostsBallpark RangeAverage
Setting up a business name and corporation$150 - $200$175
Business licenses and permits$100 - $300$200
Insurance$100-$300$200
Business cards and brochures$200 - $300$250
Website setup$1,000 - $3,000$2,000
Rental of an industrial structure$10,000 - $20,000$15,000
Furnace with training included$130,000 - $140,000$135,000
Total$141,550 - $164,100$152,825

How much can you earn from a crematorium business?

crematorium earnings forecast

The average price of a cremation is $2,000. After costs, your profit margin should be about 30%. 

In your first year or two, you might do two cremations per week, bringing in $208,000 in annual revenue. This would mean $62,000 in profit, assuming that 30% margin. As your business gains traction, the number could increase to four cremations a week. With annual revenue of $416,000, you’d make a tidy profit of $125,000.

What barriers to entry are there?

There are a few barriers to entry for a crematorium. Your biggest challenges will be:

  • The high startup costs of a cremation furnace
  • Competition from funeral homes

Related Business Ideas

Steps to Create a Successful Crematorium Business

How to Start a Funeral Home in 13 Steps

Steps to Create a Successful Crematorium Business

Essential Tips for Starting a Cemetery Business

Steps to Create a Successful Crematorium Business

Building a Foundation: Starting a Concrete Business

Step 2: hone your idea.

Now that you know what’s involved in starting a crematorium, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market. 

Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.

Why? Identify an opportunity

Research crematoriums in your area and beyond to examine their services, price points, and customer reviews. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing a pet crematorium or a crematorium that offers a carbon-free cremation service.

cemetery business plan pdf

You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as pet cremations or wearable ash products such as ash-filled lockets.

This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away. 

What? Determine your services

Your services are pretty straightforward. You can offer human or pet cremations or both. You could also offer funeral services, but you’d need another location. You can also sell urns and wearable ash products such as lockets. 

How much should you charge for cremation services?

The average price of cremation services is around $2,000. Check prices in your area to make sure that you’re competitive. After fuel, rent, and labor, you should aim for a profit margin of about 30%.

Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.

Who? Identify your target market

Your target market will be people who are making funeral arrangements, whether pre-planned or immediate. It will tend to be more established people, so you can probably find them on Facebook. 

Where? Choose your business premises

You’ll need to find an industrial structure for your crematorium. You can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist , Crexi , and Instant Offices .

When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:

  • Central location accessible via public transport
  • Ventilated and spacious, with good natural light
  • Flexible lease that can be extended as your business grows
  • Ready-to-use space with no major renovations or repairs needed

Step 3: Brainstorm a Crematorium Name

Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:

  • Short, unique, and catchy names tend to stand out
  • Names that are easy to say and spell tend to do better 
  • Name should be relevant to your product or service offerings
  • Ask around — family, friends, colleagues, social media — for suggestions
  • Including keywords, such as “crematorium” or “cremation services”, boosts SEO
  • Name should allow for expansion, for ex: “Eternal Rest Crematorium” over “Religious Cremation Services”
  • A location-based name can help establish a strong connection with your local community and help with the SEO but might hinder future expansion

Discover over 230 unique and respectful crematorium ideas here . If you want your business name to include specific keywords, you can also use our crematorium business name generator. Just type in a few keywords and hit “generate” and you’ll have dozens of suggestions at your fingertips.

Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these. 

Find a Domain

Powered by GoDaddy.com

Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.

Step 4: Create a Crematorium Business Plan

Here are the key components of a business plan:

what to include in a business plan

  • Executive Summary: A brief summary outlining the key points of the crematorium business plan, including its purpose, goals, and potential for success.
  • Business Overview: An overview of the crematorium business, highlighting its mission, vision, and the specific cremation services it will offer.
  • Product and Services: Detailed information on the cremation services provided, including packages, pricing, and any additional offerings such as memorial services or urns.
  • Market Analysis: Examination of the target market for cremation services, identifying trends, demographics, and demand factors to gauge the business’s potential success.
  • Competitive Analysis: Evaluation of other crematoriums in the area, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses to position the new business strategically in the market.
  • Sales and Marketing: Strategies for promoting the crematorium, reaching potential clients, and building a customer base, encompassing online and offline marketing efforts.
  • Management Team: Introduction of the key individuals responsible for running the crematorium, highlighting their qualifications and roles in ensuring smooth operations.
  • Operations Plan: A detailed plan outlining the day-to-day operations of the crematorium, including the cremation process, facility management, and compliance with regulations.
  • Financial Plan: Projections for the financial aspects of the business, including startup costs, revenue forecasts, and break-even analysis.
  • Appendix: Additional supporting documents and information, such as permits, legal documents, resumes of key team members, and any other relevant details that supplement the main body of the business plan.

If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.

Step 5: Register Your Business

Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.

Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business! 

Choose where to register your company

Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to crematoriums. 

If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state. 

Choose your business structure

Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your crematorium will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely. 

Here are the main options:

types of business structures

  • Sole Proprietorship – The most common structure for small businesses makes no legal distinction between company and owner. All income goes to the owner, who’s also liable for any debts, losses, or liabilities incurred by the business. The owner pays taxes on business income on his or her personal tax return.
  • General Partnership – Similar to a sole proprietorship, but for two or more people. Again, owners keep the profits and are liable for losses. The partners pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.
  • Limited Liability Company (LLC) – Combines the characteristics of corporations with those of sole proprietorships or partnerships. Again, the owners are not personally liable for debts.
  • C Corp – Under this structure, the business is a distinct legal entity and the owner or owners are not personally liable for its debts. Owners take profits through shareholder dividends, rather than directly. The corporation pays taxes, and owners pay taxes on their dividends, which is sometimes referred to as double taxation.
  • S Corp – An S-Corporation refers to the tax classification of the business but is not a business entity. An S-Corp can be either a corporation or an LLC , which just need to elect to be an S-Corp for tax status. In an S-Corp, income is passed through directly to shareholders, who pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.

We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization , and answer any questions you might have.

Form Your LLC

Choose Your State

We recommend ZenBusiness as the Best LLC Service for 2024

cemetery business plan pdf

Step 6: Register for Taxes

The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number , or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN. 

Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.

cemetery business plan pdf

The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist , and taxes can be filed online.

It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.

Step 7: Fund your Business

types of business financing

Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:

  • Bank loans: This is the most common method but getting approved requires a rock-solid business plan and strong credit history.
  • SBA-guaranteed loans: The Small Business Administration can act as guarantor, helping gain that elusive bank approval via an SBA-guaranteed loan .
  • Government grants: A handful of financial assistance programs help fund entrepreneurs. Visit Grants.gov to learn which might work for you.
  • Friends and Family: Reach out to friends and family to provide a business loan or investment in your concept. It’s a good idea to have legal advice when doing so because SEC regulations apply.
  • Crowdfunding: Websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo offer an increasingly popular low-risk option, in which donors fund your vision. Entrepreneurial crowdfunding sites like Fundable and WeFunder enable multiple investors to fund your business.
  • Personal: Self-fund your business via your savings or the sale of property or other assets.

Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a crematorium business. 

Step 8: Apply for Crematorium Business Licenses and Permits

Starting a crematorium business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.

States and localities have varying rules regarding specific licenses and permits that are required for crematoriums. Check with your state and local governments for requirements.

Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits. 

You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more. 

You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package . They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.

This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.

If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.

Step 9: Open a Business Bank Account

Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account .

Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your crematorium business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.

Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account. 

Step 10: Get Business Insurance

Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.

Here are some types of insurance to consider:

types of business insurance

  • General liability: The most comprehensive type of insurance, acting as a catch-all for many business elements that require coverage. If you get just one kind of insurance, this is it. It even protects against bodily injury and property damage.
  • Business Property: Provides coverage for your equipment and supplies.
  • Equipment Breakdown Insurance: Covers the cost of replacing or repairing equipment that has broken due to mechanical issues.
  • Worker’s compensation: Provides compensation to employees injured on the job.
  • Property: Covers your physical space, whether it is a cart, storefront, or office.
  • Commercial auto: Protection for your company-owned vehicle.
  • Professional liability: Protects against claims from a client who says they suffered a loss due to an error or omission in your work.
  • Business owner’s policy (BOP): This is an insurance plan that acts as an all-in-one insurance policy, a combination of the above insurance types.

Step 11: Prepare to Launch

As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business. 

Essential software and tools

Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks. 

You may want to use industry-specific software, such as Halcyon , FrontRunner , or Cemsites , to manage your processes, labeling, invoicing, and payments.

  • Popular web-based accounting programs for smaller businesses include Quickbooks , Freshbooks , and Xero . 
  • If you’re unfamiliar with basic accounting, you may want to hire a professional, especially as you begin. The consequences for filing incorrect tax documents can be harsh, so accuracy is crucial. 

Develop your website

Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.

You can create your own website using website builders . This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.

They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google. 

Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:

  • Professional Branding — Ensure your branding conveys a sense of serenity, respect, and professionalism, evident in your logo, facility presentation, and the tone of your marketing materials.
  • Website & Local SEO — Develop a compassionate and informative website detailing the cremation process, your services, and memorialization options, optimized for search terms related to cremation, aftercare, and bereavement support. Regularly update your Google My Business and Yelp profiles to strengthen your local search presence.
  • Direct Outreach — Establish referral partnerships with funeral homes, hospices, and elder care facilities, focusing on building relationships with local funeral directors.
  • Content Marketing — Manage an educational blog that provides guidance on cremation planning, understanding the process, and coping with grief, complemented by FAQs and resource guides to assist families.
  • In-Person Engagement — Host open house events to allow the public to visit your facilities, meet staff, and learn about cremation in a supportive setting, and participate in community events like health fairs and senior expos.
  • Customer Support Programs — Offer follow-up services to provide ongoing support to families, including providing bereavement resources or support group contacts.
  • Local Advertising — Advertise in local newspapers, church bulletins, and publications targeting seniors to reach potential clients within your community.
  • Customized Memorialization Options — Highlight personalized services and memorialization options that cater to the specific needs and preferences of families, enhancing your service offering.

Focus on USPs

unique selling proposition

Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your crematorium meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire. 

Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your crematorium business could be: 

  • Fulfill the final wishes of your loved ones with peaceful cremation  
  • Keep your lost loved one with you always with our ash locket 
  • Cremate your pet and scatter their ashes in their favorite place

You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a crematorium business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in crematoriums for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections. 

The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in crematoriums. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership. 

Step 12: Build Your Team

If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a crematorium business include:

  • Crematorium Workers – perform cremations
  • General Manager – scheduling, accounting
  • Marketing Lead – SEO strategies, social media

At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need. 

Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed , Glassdoor , or ZipRecruiter . Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent. 

Step 13: Run a Crematorium – Start Making Money!

It may not be terribly exciting, but cremation is booming and offers great opportunity. It takes a large investment to start, but the returns are likely to be considerable. 

You understand the business side of things now, it’s time to start helping people fulfill their final wishes with your successful new business. 

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  • Decide if the Business Is Right for You
  • Hone Your Idea
  • Brainstorm a Crematorium Name
  • Create a Crematorium Business Plan
  • Register Your Business
  • Register for Taxes
  • Fund your Business
  • Apply for Crematorium Business Licenses and Permits
  • Open a Business Bank Account
  • Get Business Insurance
  • Prepare to Launch
  • Build Your Team
  • Run a Crematorium - Start Making Money!

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A Harris Economy Could Prove More Progressive Than ‘Bidenomics’

As a presidential candidate in the past, the former California senator pushed for higher taxes and bigger housing investments.

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Vice President Kamala Harris rests her chin on her hand as she sits at a table with a seal on the front that says “vice president of the United States.” In the background are American and other flags.

By Alan Rappeport

Reporting from Washington

  • Published July 21, 2024 Updated July 22, 2024

At the first Democratic presidential debate in 2019, Kamala Harris, then a senator from California, unleashed a scathing critique of the Trump economy.

The future vice president billed President Donald J. Trump’s tax cuts as a giveaway to the rich, argued that the booming stock market was leaving the middle class behind and warned that his reckless trade agenda was hurting farmers in the heartland.

“Frankly, this economy is not working for working people,” Ms. Harris said. “For too long the rules have been written in the favor of the people who have the most and not in favor of the people who work the most.”

As Ms. Harris prepares to potentially replace President Biden atop the Democratic ticket , she now faces the challenge of articulating her own vision for steering a U.S. economy that is still grappling with inflation while drawing sharp distinctions with Mr. Trump, who has promised more tax cuts and tariffs.

Ms. Harris has been an ardent defender for the White House’s economic agenda during the Biden administration, promoting the benefits of legislation such as the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. But as an attorney general and a senator, she was at times more progressive than the president, pushing for universal health care while calling for more generous tax benefits for working-class Americans and paying for them with bigger tax increases on companies.

In recent weeks, Ms. Harris has embarked on an economic “opportunity tour,” making the case that wage increases have been outpacing inflation, that manufacturing jobs are growing and that Democrats have been fighting to forgive student loan debt. Those arguments now foreshadow the case she will be making to voters as she runs against Mr. Trump.

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County Clerk Announces 2024 General Election Sticker Design Contest

Published on July 30, 2024

Roll of I Voted stickers with an American flag behind it

The Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office is excited to announce the 2024 General Election Sticker Design Contest. Open to students in grades pre-K through 12, this contest aims to inspire creativity and communicate the importance of voting and civic participation. Students should submit their designs no later than September 2, 2024.

Competition Details:

Students grades pre-K through 12 are invited to design an " I Voted " / “ I Voted Early ”/ or “ Future Voter ” sticker that will be distributed during the upcoming 2024 General Election. Submission Deadline:   September 2, 2024, Midnight

Submission Guidelines:

-               Each design must include ONE of the following phrases: " I Voted " / “ I Voted Early ”/ or “ Future Voter ”

-               The final sticker will be roughly 2” x 2” in size but does not have to be square or round. The design can be larger, as long as it sizes down well into the final print area.

-               The design should be original and created 100% by the student.

-               Submissions can be digital or hand-drawn.

Judging Criteria:

-               Creativity and originality

-               Relevance to the theme of voting

-               Encompass the unique qualities of Los Alamos

-               Visual appeal and clarity of message

How to Submit:

Digital designs can be emailed to  [email protected]  with the subject line:  Sticker Design Contest

Hand-drawn designs can be mailed or dropped off at:

Attention: County Clerk Naomi D. Maestas

Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office

1000 Central Avenue, Suite 240

Los Alamos, NM 87544

The three winning designs—one for each key phrase—will be printed and distributed as official stickers at all Los Alamos County voting locations for the 2024 general election. In addition, winners and runners-up will receive a swag bag from the Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office and recognition at the September 10 County Council meeting.

“This competition is a fantastic way for students to express their artistic talents while learning about the democratic process,” explained County Clerk Naomi D. Maestas, “I want to thank the community for supporting and promoting civic engagement among our youth.”

Included with this press release is a flyer with all the details for the Contest that can be emailed or printed and distributed, as well as an entry form and a page with shape templates and an open block for more custom designs.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office at 505-662-8010 or email [email protected] .

Sticker-Contest-Flyer-Information.pdf (PDF, 493KB)

Sticker-Contest-Entry-Form.pdf (PDF, 523KB)

Sticker-Contest-Shapes-Template-Page.pdf (PDF, 345KB)

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  1. Cemetery Business Plan

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