grave sites – Grave Care Business

Fire Ants in a Cemetery

actions Grave Care Business operators can perform to prevent irreparable damage caused by fire ants in a cemetery.

Fire ants cause damage in southern cemeteries.

Are you a fan of old 1970’s “made-for-TV” horror movies? I remember, as a young kid, watching reruns of horror movies on late-night television. Let’s see…there was Killdozer, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, and ANTS!!!. ANTS was always one of my favorites. The main actors in the movie dug a moat and filled it with water to protect a structure from an invading army of ants but, the entomologist in the movie told them ants can build bridges across water. So, they filled the moat with gasoline and set it afire. Yes, that movie has stuck with me all these years. I love studying ants and many other insects because of this movie even though they sometimes give me the heebie-jeebies

It turns out ants really can build floating bridges. They are very industrious.

Though not as conniving as they were in that movie, ants can be very destructive. Since moving beyond the borders of the United States, fire ant populations have moved steadily northward. Anyone in the southern regions with a basic knowledge of ants will recognize the shape and size of their familiar mounds. Cemeteries are not immune to these destructive pests. Fire ant mounds are often 2 feet in diameter. In building their nests, fire ants often dig downward several feet. In the tunneling construction of their nests, they often burrow several feet below the surface. As you can surely imagine, this tunneling action destabilized the ground. When they tunnel under heavy gravestones, the stones become unsettled and can topple under their own weight.

This phenomenon of destruction is becoming increasingly common as fire ant populations spread.

So, what can be done?

Well, there are several actions Grave Care Business operators can perform to prevent irreparable damage caused by fire ants in a cemetery. Luckily, as is the case with many services provided by Grave Care Business owners, your clients will gladly pay you to perform these services.

Before you begin to offer these services, however, there are several caveats you must be aware of before attempting to deal with fire ants in your local cemeteries.

We write about the problem of fire ants in cemeteries and how to incorporate their solution in our Grave Care Business Course offered through this website. We also discuss pricing strategies so you will know how much money to charge your customers. Additionally, we offer marketing and advertising advice to help you build a strong client base so your business makes good money year-round.

Additionally (and this is very important), we discuss the potential problems you might face when attempting to eradicate fire ants from a grave plot. It’s important to deal with ants correctly so your efforts don’t turn into a horror movie. 🙂

Have you ever thought of starting your own Grave Care Business?

If you are interested in learning how to start your own Grave Care Business, please read through our entire website to learn more about our course. You can order directly through our ordering page and we will ship it out to you promptly.

If you have any questions about the course, please let us know via our “Contact Page.”

Thank you for reading.
Keith
www.GraveCareBusiness.com

Cemetery Grave Care – Autumn Grave Care Services

A Cemetery in Autumn.

I cannot think of anything better than to spend my days in a local cemetery. This is a beautiful time of year to be in your local cemetery. If you love the idea of working in your local cemeteries providing grave care services, graveside floral decorations, tombstone cleaning, and general gravesite plot maintenance then you should think about starting your own Grave Care Business.

We can help.

My name is Keith and my company has developed a professionally produced Grave Care Business training course. The course is designed to help you start (and grow) your own successful Grave Care Business. Please read over our main website for complete information on everything that is included with the course. If you have already read the description and are ready to order, click the “Buy Now” link below. We’ll ship the course to you promptly via rush Priority USPS.

If you have any questions, please use our contact page. We love cemeteries and are always happy to help.
The Full Course is $249.95 + $10 (S&H) = $259.95 Total Price (No hidden fees. Nothing more to buy.)

End of season Grave Care – Summer 2016

It’s August 2016 and I’ve just come in from another beautiful day in a cemetery.

This summer has been one of the hottest on record. Though daily temperatures are still very warm, we are beginning to experience hints of cooler weather. Soon, the evenings will be brisk and autumn colors will beautify all the trees in our local cemeteries.

Since the heat and humidity of July is difficult to take, I try to perform much of my work in the morning and late evening hours. Once August arrives, the humidity begins to decrease and working outside is much more bearable. And, of course, September and cooler weather is just around the corner.

The next several months are perfect for grave care services. This is the perfect time to perform plot maintenance. Old, ugly grasses and weeds can be removed and the ground can be prepared for new seed which will green-up and put down roots during early Autumn. Tombstone cleaning is also in demand from customers this time of year. After a dry, dusty summer, grave stones are in dire need of good wash downs with proper cleaning procedures. Harsh chemicals are not needed. In fact, harsh chemicals can damage tombstone material. Harsh scrubbing can cause further damage to already fractured or fragile grave markers. I always try to take a “do no damage” approach to tombstone cleaning.

In addition to grave plot maintenance and tombstone cleaning, summertime floral decorations should be changed as we transition into the cooler months. Old flower decorations become faded and tacky looking. I always think it’s a shame when I see old flowers on a grave site. Someone spent a lot of time and money to place flowers as an outpouring of respect and love. Flowers that were once beautiful eventually become worn and old and tacky. Autumn is a great time to replace old flowers with new decorations.

Each year, I think of Autumn as our reward for suffering through another hot summer. This is the time of year I, once again, love what I do. 🙂

If you’ve ever thought about the idea of operating your own Grave Care Business, I would like to invite you to read through our entire website. There is a lot of free information here to help you get started. However, if you are truly interested in learning how to start and operate your own successful Grave Care Business, we have developed the Grave Care Business Course. The material in this course is designed to take you from the initial concept of your idea all the way through performing the work correctly, building your client list, and growing your business to the point you might need to hire additional employees to keep up with the demand. You can keep it small or grow your business as large as you want.

We love cemeteries and are always happy to help you start your own Grave Care Business. If you have any questions about the course, please let us know. The rest of the website contains detailed information about everything that is included.

If you’re ready to order, the “Full Course” is on sale for $250 + S&H. I will leave a payment link below.

Have a great autumn!

Grave Care Business

Personal Goals Advance Your Business Goals

This blog post is longer than my normal post. Read it through to fully see its importance. I convey the idea that personal goal setting has broad and positive implications in your life. Work toward your goals with positive enthusiastic energy. You will be rewarded.

Choose Your Goals Carefully

Personal goals advance your business goals. I’d like to share a perfect example of the way a seemingly unrelated personal goal will greatly advance your business goals.

In January, I outlined my goals for this year. I wrote a blog post briefly discussing the idea of goal setting at the beginning of a new year. I am a strong believer in making goals. WITHOUT A GOAL YOU CANNOT SCORE.

I am a strong believer in writing goals down on paper.
I am a strong believer in writing the reasons behind the goals.
I am a strong believer in plotting courses to achieve the goals.

Writing goals down on paper establishes a physical connection to your goals. The physical act of holding a pen in your hand and writing a goal on paper causes a physical investment on your part. Have you heard the term “you must have skin in the game”? Writing your goals on paper is the first part of having “skin in the game.” The goal is not just a passing thought if you make the effort to write it down.

Second; writing down a REASON for the goal helps you establish a “bigger picture” of the goal. For example; if your goal is to start your own business, you might write down that you want to start your own business to have more money for retirement. The idea of more money for retirement supports your efforts of starting your own business.

Third; plotting a course gives you a direction to travel in attaining your goals. You cannot begin a journey without having an initial course. Likewise, you cannot start a business without an initial business plan or business model. Yes, your course will change and you will make adjustments along the journey but you MUST have a course to travel before you start.

As I shared in an earlier blog posting, my goals for this year included:

1) Do a better job researching and exploring cemeteries.
2) Learn about the culture of cemetery care in every cemetery I visit.
3) Improve my ability to travel so I can visit cemeteries in a wide range of geographic locations.

Anyone who reads this blog and keeps up with my Cemetery Exploration channel on YouTube knows that I love being on the water. As you might have seen in some of my Cemetery Exploration Videos, I use my abilities of sailing, power boating, and kayaking to visit hard to reach cemeteries and cemeteries in foreign lands.

When I developed my goals for this year, I tried to develop a method by which I could increase my skills on the water and put those skills to use in my cemetery research. I did this through education. In the first quarter of this year, I completed a 56 hour licensing course on becoming a ship’s captain. Now, I will admit that a 56 hour course, by itself, does not give me the ability to captain a large vessel. However, having my Captain’s License improves my knowledge and increases my ability to travel on such vessels.

I’m happy to announce that I passed all my exams and I am currently awaiting final paperwork for my Captain’s License.

Here’s the beautiful part:

a friend of a friend who knows I have earned my Captain’s License needs help moving a large sailing vessel from Key West, Florida to Charleston, South Carolina next week. Because of the Captain’s License I earned this year, I have been invited to work as crew during this trip.

Now, how does this relate to cemetery research? Well, Key West, Florida and Charleston, South Carolina have amazing cemeteries. The cemetery in Key West has hundreds of fantastic tombstones and I will be able to study the care that is given to them under the harsh south Florida sunshine. The innumerable cemeteries of Charleston require special care of their own. Those cemeteries are packed into nooks and crannies of Charleston’s small church yards.

This opportunity of sailing from Key West, Florida to Charleston, South Carolina and having the ability to visit the cemeteries in each of those towns would not have presented itself if I hadn’t been active in advancing my education of driving boats.

The Law of Intended Consequences

When I wrote down my goal to “improve my ability to travel so I can visit cemeteries in a wide range of geographic locations” I looked for a skill that I already possessed (sailing) and thought about how I could use that skill to increase my ability to visit cemeteries. I had no idea earning my Captain’s License would pay such quick dividends. I could not have envisioned that improving a skill I already possessed would allow me to study cemeteries in two fantastic towns within one month of completing the Captain’s License exams. However, I knew that working hard to earn a Captain’s License would present unimagined opportunities. I believe the Universe works that way….I believe when you work hard and put your energy into work that you love, you are rewarded with unforeseen opportunities.

So, I’ll ask YOU:

What are your goals for this year?

Just because it’s not January anymore does not mean your goals are at a Dead End.

Grave Care is a Rewarding Business Model

The pages of this website describe the Grave Care Business Course designed to help entrepreneurs start and grow their own Grave Care Businesses. I love cemeteries and I know there are other people who share my love of cemeteries and want to start a small business doing what they love. Grave Care is a rewarding business. Your clients will be very grateful that you are caring for their loved-ones’ precious grave sites. They will be happy to pay you good money to do work you enjoy. This is a great business and right now is a perfect time to start your own Grave Care Business.

If you have already read the Grave Care Business Course description and are ready to purchase, you can click the “Buy Now” link below and we will ship that right out to you via priority mail. If you need some more time, please feel free to look through this website for a full description of the material. Feel free to ask us questions via our Contact Form. We love cemeteries and are always happy to help.

Thank you:
Keith
www.GraveCareBusiness.com

Purchase the Full Course Program Here:

Zinc Gravemarkers and Melting Snow

snow and grave markers — Grave markers in the snow.

Snowfall helps cemetery explorers discover zinc grave markers.

Do you enjoy searching for your favorite types of tombstones when exploring cemeteries?

Whether you like searching for wood, granite, slate, marble, or sandstone grave markers, spotting your favorite stele from a distance is always fun. Personally, I enjoy seeking zinc grave markers, among others.

Zinc grave markers are easily identified by the trained eye. In fact, with a quick scan across a large monument laden cemetery, even hobbyists can quickly find zinc markers. They just look different. There is something about their muted grey color that catches your eye and makes you linger a ½ second longer trying to figure out why that particular “tombstone” looks slightly different from the others.

I explored a new cemetery with a friend last summer. Her interest in cemeteries is new and budding. “See that marker over there? It’s metal.” I told her. “How do you know it is metal?” She asked. I told her to tap on it with her knuckles. She was amazed at the hollow “DING” that rang out but more than that she was amazed that I had used some “trick” to spot it more than 100 feet away amongst a sea of other markers.

Zinc grave markers have an interesting history. They were produced by the Monumental Bronze Company toward the last decade of the 1800’s and the first decade of the 1900’s. At first, the markers were not popular with families of the newly deceased. However, clever marketing by Monumental Bronze let families know of zinc’s affordability, long life, and easy maintenance. One other strategy used by Monumental Bronze was a change in name from “Zinc” to “White Bronze.” White Bronze markers became thought of as progressive for the new century and thousands were sold and installed in cemeteries all across the United States.

So, what is it about zinc markers that makes them readily identifiable from afar? Is it their subdued reflection of sunlight? Is it their distinguished removable panels? Is it their powdery appearance? I don’t know what it is but I do know that I recently discovered yet another method of finding zinc grave markers.

You probably saw on the news that we received quite a bit of snowfall at the end of January. Once the roads cleared, I trekked to a few cemeteries to check on grave sites. A zinc marker was along my path and I noticed snow appeared to be melting at a greater rate on the zinc marker than on nearby granite markers. My initial hypothesis was that the zinc marker absorbed sunlight a greater rate than the granite markers. With a quick check of my temperature gun, my hypothesis proved inconclusive since the zinc grave marker and two adjacent granite grave markers were of very similar temperatures.

Granite Tombstone 2 — Granite Tombstone Temperature Check

granite tombstone — Granite Tombstone Temperature Check.

What other factors could be at play? Since the heat capacity of a granite marker is much greater than a similarly sized zinc marker is it possible that granite takes longer to heat up and allows the snow to hang around longer? Did crinkled surface with lots of bends and different angles on the zinc marker better absorb sunlight? Or, was it a simple case of the snow melting equally on each marker but the wetness of melted snow dripping made a more dramatic color differential on zinc than it did on the granite markers?

Zinc Grave Marker Snow — Zinc Grave Marker Under Snow

Well, I am not sure of the answer but I do know that I now I have another “trick” to amaze friends when exploring cemeteries and looking for zinc markers.

What are your “tricks” when determining composition of grave markers? Feel free to leave a response below to let me know your favorite type and style of tombstone. What “tricks” or cool info do you know about them?

If you love tombstones and cemeteries, you might really enjoy starting your own Grave Care Business. I love cemeteries and I love being able to work in and explore new cemeteries all the time. If you are thinking about starting a Grave Care Business, my company has developed a Grave Care Business Course that will help you start and grow a successful Grave Care Business. The course includes a huge grouping of manuals, guidebooks, tutorials, video training, business tools, and estimating software.

For more information on the Grave Care Business Course, please visit our website: www.GraveCareBusiness.com

Cemetery Leaf Cleanup

Cemetery Cleanup — Cemetery and Plot Maintenance is important for grave care

Cemeteries and grave plots require leaf cleanup work as we move into winter.

I just returned from a trip to upstate New York where it was chilly and snowy. Yet, even in the northern climates, cemeteries and grave plots still need lots of attention so they can be maintained through the winter. Leaf care, snow maintenance, and winterization are just three of the jobs requested of grave care business owners in the north.

Now that I have returned home to a more southern climate, I am reinvigorated with the thoughts of the amount of work (profitable business) still to be done in area cemeteries this year. Leaves are still falling, dead branches litter the ground from a recent storm, and next year’s grass should be planted NOW. Not only are regular maintenance duties calling but holiday grave site decorations are going to be in HUGE demand for the next four weeks.

If you have ever thought about starting a grave care business, we have developed a comprehensive business course designed to help you start and operate a successful grave care business. Visit our main site [www.GraveCareBusiness.com] for more information on the business course.

Two Grave Site Decoration Events

If you are running your own Grave Care Business, I hope you’re not forgetting two very special holidays

If you are running your own Grave Care Business, I hope you’re not forgetting two very special holidays over the next few weeks. St. Patrick’s Day is March 17, 2010 and Easter is April 4, 2010.

If you have a strong contingent of Irish (or Irish loving) clients, it is a great time to call them to ask if they would like to decorate their loved ones’ grave sites for St. Patrick’s day. I just wanted to remind you of this because St. Patrick’s day sneaked up on me. There are a few days left before St. Paddy’s day so you have time to prepare for the 17th. As important as St. Patrick’s day is, Easter is much more important. It is a prime time to look for new clients that will want you to make special preparations for grave site decorations.
Oh, I almost forgot too; As I am writing this, it is Pi-Day and if you have any families with Mathematicians you know that this is a great day to offer math related decorations. If you need to know what Pi day is, this Wikipedia article should explain if for you. It’s meant to be a fun day and Mathematicians with senses of humor will get a kick out of the fact that you remembered them.

If you haven’t started your Grave Care Business yet or if you are looking for ideas to expand your business, be sure to take a look at our main website where you can learn about our Grave Care Business program. It is packed full of great information and business tools that will help you with your Grave Care Business. The main page is: https://GraveCareBusiness.com

Magic Happens in the Morning

pictures of gravesites for a cemetery photography / GPS project.

Magic Happens in the Morning.

Last week I was taking pictures of gravesites for a cemetery photography / GPS project.

Though I would have rather slept in a couple hours that day, I had a busy schedule ahead of me and decided to stumble out of bed early to get a jump on my workload. In all honesty I can’t call it a workload since playing all day in old cemeteries with cameras and GPS units rarely seems like work. Besides, photography and tombstones always mix better with light from morning’s sun as it crests over the horizon. There is something about golden sun rays on old marble tombstones that produces photographs to stir the imagination and explore the true nature of reverence in an old, forgotten cemetery.

Morning’s Light in a Cemetery

As morning broke and I readied my camera equipment, I looked me to survey the entire cemetery. Since the night before’s weather was drizzly, a heavy mist of fog hung low over the cemetery landscape filling low spots and smoothing the undulating ground work. Taller tombstones spired mightily through the fog as lower tombstones barely peeked over the fog’s top layer to get their first glimpses and their new day.

Best Business Ever

The beauty of this serene scene was almost overwhelming and I nearly choked up with amazement that I am able to be self-employed in such an amazing business.

If you are interested in learning how to operate your own successful Grave Care Business, visit our home page (Click “Home” at the top of this page).

Grave Care Business Program

The grave care business program is on sale right now and teaches you practically everything you need to know to operate your own Grave Care Business. (Click “Home” at the top of this page)