Have you ever heard someone say “My business is my baby?” Business owners and professionals working in the funeral industry can wholly relate to this idea. As Jake Johnson (President and CEO of the Johnson Consulting Group) says in the latest episode of his “M&A Minute” video series, “You’ve put everything you have into this business and it is truly your blood, sweat, and tears.”
It does take a lot of time and effort to create and build a funeral home or cemetery into a successful business, but what happens when your “business baby” becomes an adult?
It Takes a Village
In this ever-changing cultural and economic environment, many funeral home and cemetery owners feel that they are the only ones who can steer their business through the obstacles that arise. After all, your company is like your child, and over the years you have nurtured and developed it into a sustainable enterprise. However once your child becomes a full-grown adult and you are ready to execute an exit strategy, it helps to have a village of helpers in your corner to take things to the next level.
Whether you are in the beginning stages of succession planning or considering an outright sale, talking to experts can help clarify your purpose. The Johnson Consulting Group (JCG) team is ready to assist in this function. “We [act as] teachers for selling your business,” Johnson says. “As the largest broker in the funeral profession, we’ve helped thousands of funeral home and cemetery owners maximize the value of their business, and connected well-prepared sellers with quality buyers for the best results possible.”
Don’t Sell Your Business Alone
Even if you built a strong legacy for your funeral home or cemetery home business on your own, you may need a helping hand to sell the company to the right buyer. Selling a business or transferring it to family members or employees sounds simple, but it is a challenging process that requires detailed planning. There are often unexpected pitfalls with succession plans and in some cases it can take several months or even years to achieve a successful sale.
At JCG, our specialists offer hands-on assistance in organizing financial statements and preparing a professional valuation to determine what your business is worth. We also help you think through what comes after the sale—for example, do you want to remain involved in day-to-day operations in a limited capacity or are you ready to cut the cord completely? These are important questions that we can help you answer before it comes time to sell.
You’ve worked hard to build your funeral business into a valuable asset. Please contact us today to learn more about how Johnson Consulting Group can help you maximize the returns on your business baby and reap the rewards of your investment.
Jake Johnson and the Johnson Consulting team created the M&A Minute to help business owners through the process of buying or selling a business. The M&A Minute utilizes Jake and the JCG team’s knowledge to give advice that helps individuals feel confident and at ease when going through one of the most important times of their lives, selling or purchasing their most valuable asset. The M&A Minute is released every other Thursday. You can watch episode 9 now. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to get M&A Minute updates.