Raleigh, NC: Alan Creedy, chief strategist at Creedy and Company, is known to say, “For funeral home owners, nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes and succession”. At some point in their career, every owner is confronted with the question, “What do I do now?” Creedy’s “A Dummies Guide to Buying and Selling” workshop will help funeral home owners begin the process of planning for the inevitable exit from the profession – or, conversely, how to go about acquiring additional firms should that be the goal.
“Years ago, I realized that practitioners don’t learn well in seminars. Too often, they return home and fail to apply what they learned to their own business,” commented Creedy. “So, I developed the Un-seminar, styled after the book Blue Ocean Strategy. My Blue Ocean Tours take practitioners through ‘hands-on’ experiential workshops that enable them to apply what they are hearing to their own business… before they go home.”
Blue Ocean Tours have been specifically designed to empower practitioners to learn and apply simplified concepts to their own business. The results have been dramatic and permanent. Blue Ocean attendees implement what they learn within months of returning home with great results.
“According to The Financial Post magazine, as much as 75% of small business owners are expected to exit their business in the next ten years,” added Creedy. “This means that almost every independent funeral home owner will be sitting on either the buying or the selling side of the table in some respect.”
This one and a half day workshop is intended for those seeking to learn more about the buying and selling process. The workshop is scheduled to take place from March 31 to April 2 and held in downtown Charlotte. As with past Blue Ocean workshops, the seminar will include a mix of classroom learning and a field trip.
Key Workshop Takeaways for Sellers
- How to build value and increase cash flow
- EBITDA Vs. Seller Discretionary Income
- How to plan your succession and get Uncle Sam to help
- What kind of buyer do you want – your kids, your employees or a third party
Key Workshop Takeaways for Buyers
- How to generate buying opportunities
- How to value a business
- How to make an offer
- Know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em
- Post-purchase issues
Creedy has assembled an all-star faculty of speakers for the seminar including:
David Hernandez – a first generation funeral director who over the past decade has grown from one location to ten firms, serving more than 1200 families each year.
Greg Rollings –the President and CEO of Rollings Funeral Service. Since 2001 Greg has accumulated a total of 35 firms serving more than 4000 families each year.
Erin Whitaker – the Senior Vice President of Foundation Partners Group, focusing on Business Development. This role gives her a sound and practical perspective on buying and selling.
Danny Jefferson – American Funeral Director Magazine’s 2017 Funeral Director of The Year, Danny has a rich and successful funeral service career.
Steve Shaffer – is the President and CEO of Homesteaders Life Company. Steve is a well-known and influential executive in the funeral and cemetery business.
In addition to learning the various aspects of succession planning, attendees will also understand how to address critical management and staffing issues including how to position a firm as the community innovator and how to improve sales value in the arrangement conference.
Cost to attend the seminar is $995. Additional members from the same firm can attend for $795. Lodging and travel accommodations will be arranged directly by each attendee. Workshop fees include seminar workbook (paper and electronic), all meals as well as bus transportation to and from all offsite events associated with the seminar. More details about the seminar as well as information on registration are available at: https://funeralhomeconsulting.org/2019-blue-ocean-tour/
“This year’s ICCFA convention begins April 2nd in Charlotte and we have booked the headquarters hotel, the Westin Downtown Charlotte, for our seminar,” added Creedy. “This will allow seminar attendees to stay over and attend the convention with minimal hassles or interruptions.”
About Creedy & Company: Headquartered in Greensboro, NC, Creedy & Company is a Business Advisory Service founded by Alan Creedy in 2008. His hands-on industry experience of more than 35 years enables him to quickly analyze core problems, develop and prioritize solutions and implement strategies for quick turnaround. For more information, visit www.funeralhomeconsulting.org.
