I’ve stumbled upon the blog of Carolynn, a woman from Utah who’s started a retail store (mall kiosk) with a single $100 bill.

Her journey is detailed here.

It got me thinking about all the reasons funeral directors don’t try new things:  I don’t have the money, I don’t have time, what if it doesn’t work?

Rubbish!

Part of the blessing of starting a new business (or trying something new in your current business) is that the limitations force creative solutions.  Here’s my example:

I own a funeral home.  (Well, I actually don’t.  But for the sake of this example, I’ll pretend.)

My funeral home is doing okay.  But we’re facing a rising cremation rate and competition from a discounter.

I’ve heard how great the pet cremation and memorialization market is and the profitability that’s possible.  It’d also benefit me to get into it before my competitors.

So I want to start offering pet options.  I’ll need products, sales techniques, marketing plans and pricing strategies. 

Let’s lay the ground rules:

RULE #1:  Spend less than $100 on this new business.  Every funeral director (unless you’re facing bankruptcy) can find $100 to spare.  You can only spend more once it’s generated by the new business.

RULE #2:  Spend less than 1 hour per day on the new venture.  You’re busy.  Don’t invest more time than you can afford to lose if the venture fails.

RULE #3:  Don’t be afraid to change course when faced with an immovable obstacle.  Some of the best businesses started out as one thing, only to change into something greater because of a crisis.

So I search out pet memorialization products.  I find sympathy cards, paw impression kits, urns, biodegradable pet caskets, etc.

Now, I can’t spend more than $100 to start this thing up.  So buying a bunch of stock is out of the question.  So I need to find a company that’s willing to send me a starter kit and allow me to return the products if I can’t sell them.  (Any companies out there interested?  Comment below)

But seeing these products makes me realize that pet memorial products are much like human memorial products.  Urns for pets aren’t that much different in size from ones meant for human remains.  A large biodegradable urn could accommodate the remains of a small animal.

Infant caskets could be acceptable for pet burial.  Grave markers for pets are similar to items for humans.

Maybe I should order (or get a risk-free inventory) from a supplier and supplement with items I already carry.  That way, if I can’t sell them for pet memorials, I’ll use them for my main business.

Before I forget, I need to print up some signage and literature explaining the services we provide.  Since I can’t buy a pet retort with a hundred bucks, I’ll need to find a pet cremation provider if I choose to offer full cremation service.  I’ll also need to seek out a reputable pet cemetery or two.

Printed items SHOULD be simple.  Not just because I’m short on startup cash, but because people don’t want confusing information.  Pet memorialization will be new, even to those consumers who actively seek me out, so I need to make sure my offerings are straightforward and easy to understand.  I could have my local printer handle making brochures, but that will eat into my $100.  So I’ll use a basic word processing program and make one simple sheet that explains the services I offer.  If I want to add a picture (like the one below) I can do a search at www.images.google.com for it.  I just need to make sure I give credit for the picture or choose a copyright-free image.

Then I need to make the public aware of my offerings.  Making friends with local veterinarians will go a long way to getting me in front of prospective clients.  I’ll also need to get a display together for the public areas of my funeral home.  While I want to be respectful of the attitudes of my mainstream clients, I can’t be concerned with the very small minority that will be offended.  Since most Americans treat their pets as members of their families, I’m likely to get a favorable response, even if I do no other advertising.

I bet I could add a few hundred dollars a month to my sales just by offering these items and/or services.  And I know I’ll impress some of my current clients who will think of me as someone who loves animals and would care for their “four-legged loved ones.”

All that from a hundred bucks.  Go figure.