Spring 2024 – Essential Business Duties for Cemetery and Grave Care

Springtime grave care in our cemeteries is essential for maintaining the dignity, respect, and beauty of our family’s final resting places.

As a grave care business operator, springtime is a crucial period for our services for several reasons:

Acquiring New Clients: Springtime is the perfect time to ramp up your marketing and advertising efforts. We strongly suggest an effective marketing strategy this time of year. Your clients will be glad to have their family’s grave sites cleaned up, and will be willing to allow you to take care of their family plots all summer long.
Natural Growth: With the arrival of spring, vegetation begins to grow vigorously. Grass, weeds, and other plants can quickly overtake grave sites if left unattended. Regular maintenance during springtime helps prevent overgrowth, keeping the area neat and tidy.
Memorial Occasions: Springtime often marks significant memorial occasions, such as anniversaries of passing or special holidays like Memorial Day. Families may gather at grave sites to honor and remember their loved ones. Providing well-maintained surroundings enhances the experience and contributes to the peaceful atmosphere of remembrance.
Preparation for Summer: Spring serves as a preparation period for the warmer months ahead. Establishing a routine maintenance schedule early in the season ensures that grave sites are in optimal condition for the increased visitation that typically occurs during the summer months.
Prevention of Damage: Winter weather, including freezing temperatures and snowfall, can cause damage to grave markers, monuments, and surrounding landscaping. Springtime offers an opportunity to assess and address any damage that may have occurred, preserving the integrity of the gravesite and its features.

Overall, springtime grave care is essential for maintaining the dignity, respect, and beauty of final resting places, ensuring they provide a comforting and peaceful environment for families to remember and honor their loved ones.

We want to help you start your own Grave Care Business. Read about our Grave Care Business course on our main website: https://GraveCareBusiness.com

Halloween Grave Decorations – Timely Removal Instills Trust In your Clients

Prompt removal of Halloween Grave Decorations shows professionalism and instills trust for your Grave Care Clients.

If you have purchased the Grave Care Business Course through our website, you already know how much money you can make providing specialized grave decorations for your clients.

Halloween is one such occasion (we call it a ‘holiday’). Your clients will pay you money for themed decorations on their loved-one’s gravestones. For decades, Halloween Grave Decorations have been deemed “ghoulish” by many cemetery management companies, but acceptance is changing.

Halloween Grave Decorations are Popular

The practice of placing a Halloween-Themed grave decoration has become acceptable. Yes, Halloween has always been popular with kids. Trick or Treating for candy is a long held tradition dating back to the 17th Century. In the last couple decades, Halloween has transformed into a major holiday that is enjoyed by Adults as much as it is by kids. Those fun times we experienced as children don’t need to end just because we age.

Grave decoration standards change over time. Although Halloween Grave Decorations have always been seen in cemeteries, the practice has become more mainstream.

Make Money With Grave Decorations

Holidays have traditionally been associated with Grave Decorations. Christmas and Easter are the two most prominent religious holidays for Grave Flowers. However, many other holidays and events throughout the year are perfect times to provide grave decorations for your grave care clients. Halloween is a well-accepted addition to this list of holidays.

Prompt Removal of Halloween Grave Decorations

Halloween Grave Decorations are good money makers for your Grave Care Business. Equally as important as placement is the timely removal of these decorations. Your promptness in removal, will show your professionalism. Not only will your clients realize that you are professional in the schedule you keep, but Cemetery Management Companies and the caretakers will also realize your dedication to cemetery beautification.

Professional Grave Care Business

Have you ever thought about starting your own Grave Care Business?
We can help.

We believe professionalism in the grave care industry helps elevate the level of care and respect in our nation’s cemeteries. We have developed a professionally produced Grave Care Business Course designed to help you start and operate your own Grave Care Business.

To learn more about this business course, please visit our main page at: Grave Care Business. If you are ready to order, we will ship promptly via USPS Priority Mail after your payment is received: Grave Care Business Order Page.

Of course, if you have any questions, please let us know via our Contact Page.

The Beatles’ Song Eleanor Rigby and Loneliness in a Forgotten Cemetery

As a Grave Care Professional, what can we learn from the Beatles’ song Eleanor Rigby? With our help, people in cemeteries can be remembered and honored after death, even if they lived lonely lives.

This morning, as I was on my way to my local cemetery, the album “Revolver” by The Beatles popped up on my play list. Revolver, released in 1966, is heralded as a transition album for The Beatles as they developed into studio musicians versus the pop, rock and roll touring band of their early years.

The second song on the standard version of the album Revolver is Eleanor Rigby. The song Eleanor Rigby explores the life of a woman who has lived a lonely life and eventually dies alone.

Eleanor Rigby

Eleanor spends her days picking up rice after church weddings and waiting by her window for visitors which never come. In the end, at the end of everyday, she is alone and lonely. No one ever comes to visit her. To be fair to everyone who might know Eleanor, maybe she not only shuts herself in, but she shuts everyone else out. There is a line in the song that mentions she keeps her face in a jar. I think this line describes Eleanor as hiding her real self. Behind a face that she puts on before exiting her door, her real face is hidden to all who would try to get to know her.

Can we learn from Eleanor Rigby’s hiding of her real self? Allowing others to see our true selves (including our own flaws) is important to gaining a support structure of close friends.

The saddest line in the entire song is when Eleanor’s death is revealed. Not only did she die at the end, but her name was buried along with her body. At her funeral, nobody came…nobody cared. Honestly, I think about this line quite often when visiting cemeteries. Loneliness is one of the saddest human emotions I have ever experienced. Those times in life when we are lonely and feel that we have no one to lean on and feel like no one cares about us are some of the saddest times in life. Many of us need “alone time,” but alone time is vastly different than being lonely.

As someone who visits cemeteries and individual gravesites almost everyday, I constantly think about the people who die lonely. Having a sense of belonging is important to us. We all need to feel that we matter in life, and even in death.

How sad would it be to live a life where no one attended your funeral, where your body was buried along with your name?

Our Lives Make a Difference

At her funeral, as the dirt is replaced into her gravesite, we realize that no one came to Eleanor Rigby’s gravesite service except for the Church Vicar. Father McKenzie buried Eleanor. He gave a sermon, but no one was there to listen.

As people who love cemeteries, we can make a difference. The purpose for you, as a grave site business owner, is to maintain cemeteries and gravesites as places of honor and respect for those people who are buried there. Your clients will entrust you to maintain the dignity of their loved-ones’ final resting places. Not only are you there to make the gravesites look good, you are also there to make sure the people interred are remembered.

Do you love cemeteries? Do you enjoy visiting the placid, hallowed grounds of your local cemeteries? Are you astounded that some cemeteries are allowed to fall into neglect and disrepair. If you are, then a Grave Care Business is perfect for you.

Our company has developed a professionally produced business course designed to help you start (and operate) your own Grave Care Business. This course will teach you practically everything you need to know to help you get started with your own business.

We are passionate about cemeteries and cemetery upkeep. It is our desire to elevate the care and maintenance of our neglected and undermaintained cemeteries. We are also passionate about entrepreneurs and people who want to start their own businesses. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Grave Care Business

You can order the course through this link: Grave Care Business Course. We will ship the material to you promptly via USPS Priority Mail.

Although I know she is a character in a song, I think back to Eleanor Rigby and I would love to be able to visit her cemetery, provide adequate grave care, and ensure she was not simply buried along with her name.

Grave Care Business Course
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Wonderful Snakes: Beneficial Species In A Cemetery

As a Grave Care Professional, you have a wonderful opportunity to educate your community about the natural visitors to your local cemeteries. Songbirds and deer will be included, but snakes should also be included as a beneficial species that visitors might encounter during visits to the cemetery.

Cemeteries are places where we visit to pay respects for our departed and loved family members, our friends, our acquaintances, and our ancestors. Cemeteries allow us quiet solitude to reminisce about the fun times we had, the loves, the friendships, the past relationships. We remember, laugh and cry, and simply stand alone with our thoughts while also being together with the people we are there to visit.

Even if we visit a cemetery by ourselves, we are never truly and completely alone. For most cemeteries, within the rows of gravestones and the shrubbery of their memorial gardens, they harbor environments conducive to chirping birds and playing squirrels and other manner of wildlife rustling in the fallen leaves. Within cemeteries, we see deer and bobcat, groundhog and turtle, hawk and turkey. If you are quiet and just simply watch, you will see a multitude of wildlife in the cemeteries you visit.

Cemeteries: Habitats for Wildlife

Cemeteries span a wide range of manicures. From perfectly groomed Memorial Gardens to natural and wild undermaintained cemeteries, each and every cemetery you visit will provide a slightly different natural landscape, and thus will present varieties of natural visitors.

In addition to the above-mentioned wildlife guests, there are also slithery visitors to cemeteries that might take you aback when you encounter them. Snakes are part of the natural world, and snakes sometimes find cemetery habitats conducive environments within which to live.

Snakes Are Not “Out To Get You”

So, what should we do when we encounter a snake in a cemetery?

Contrary to popular belief, snakes are not “out to get you.” According to the Humane Society, “all outdoor encounters with nonvenomous snakes should be resolved by letting the animal go its own way, most likely to never be seen again.” – https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/what-do-about-snakes

Encounters with venomous snakes should be taken seriously, but still should not result in harm to the snake. Quite simply, according to the National Park Service, if you leave the snake alone, you won’t be bothered. “Do not place your hands and feet where you cannot see and if you see a snake, do not provoke it or try to pick it up; just avoid it.” https://www.nps.gov/gari/planyourvisit/snakes.htm

A Beneficial Species

Snakes are Ecologically Beneficial. Snakes complete an important task by helping us maintain a balanced ecosystem. Snakes are predators of rodents, insects, and other small animals that are considered pests when their populations grow uncontrolled. Whether in a busy city cemetery or a remote rural graveyard, snakes work around-the-clock to provide natural pest control to help abate overpopulation of rodents and other nuisance animals.

Depending on the region of the United States where you are located, prevalent snakes in your area might include such non-venomous varieties as: garter snakes, rat snakes, and king snakes. Some environments may also include: water snakes, corn snakes, and racers. One of the funnest variety of snakes to encounter is the Eastern Hognose Snake which is humorously known as a “Drama Noodle” due to its dramatic overreaction to human encounters. Venomous varieties might include: copperheads, water moccasins, rattlesnakes, and coral snakes.

The Center for Disease Control recommends:
– to not touch or handle any snake
– stay away from tall grass and piles of leaves when possible
– avoid climbing on rocks or piles of wood where a snake may be hiding
– be aware that snakes tend to be most active at dawn and dusk and in warm weather
-wear boots and long pants when working outdoors (even denim jeans may prevent some, although not all, bites by smaller snakes)
– and wear leather gloves when handling brush and debris. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes/recommendations.html

While the presence of venomous snakes may cause concern, it is essential to note that these creatures typically prefer to avoid human interaction and pose minimal threat when left undisturbed.

Proper Cemetery Maintenance

We believe proper maintenance and upkeep in your local cemetery can help diminish problematic snake populations especially within under-maintained and neglected cemeteries. Keeping the grass trimmed and cleared of debris minimizes hiding spots. This reduces the opportunities for human-snake encounters. Education is also important to help visitors know the difference between venomous and non-venomous species.

Promoting public awareness of snakes as a beneficial species helps reduce concerns or anxieties associated with their presence in cemeteries. Along with local wildlife educators and environmental organizations, you can help educate the public about snake identification, their behavior, and their importance to the local ecology.

Your Role As A Grave Care Professional

As a Grave Care Professional, you are in a unique position to educate yourself about the snakes that live in your area which might be found in your local cemeteries. Not only that, but it will also benefit your Grave Care Business to describe how your cleanup efforts (including proper grounds and plot maintenance) within your cemeteries can help reduce the possibilities of human-snake interactions. This is good advertising for your Grave Care Business.

Instead of being frightened or leery of the natural wildlife living in your local cemeteries, you can become an educated resource to help your community understand the importance of ecological diversity, but you can also use your knowledge to help make your cemeteries beautiful and safe places for the public to visit.

Your Own Grave Care Business

We believe strongly in proper maintenance of cemeteries. Have you ever thought about starting your own Grave Care Business? Our company has developed a professionally produced Grave Care Business Course designed to help you Start and Operate your own Grave Care Business.

To learn more about the business course, read through our main website. Order the material through our Grave Care Course – Ordering Page, and we will ship that to you promptly via USPS Priority Mail. Normal delivery time is about 3 to 4 business days.

If you have any questions, please let us know through the Contact Page.

Have a great summer!
Keith
https://GraveCareBusiness.com

Neglected Cemeteries – Mowing Graves for Money!

Plot Maintenance and Grass Cutting services will greatly increase your profitability and allow you to make much more money in your Grave Care Business.

Whether you are mowing single plots with a push lawn mower or maintaining an entire cemetery using heavy-duty equipment, grave care is a rewarding and profitable business.

Grass and greenery grow with abandon now we’re into the summer months. By operating your own business, you are able to choose which services you provide to your clients. Plot Maintenance and Grass Cutting services will greatly increase your profitability and allow you to make much more money in your Grave Care Business.

High on your list of recommended services, plot maintenance and grass cutting will allow you to make a lot more money during the summer months, and will also help you attract more clients for your other grave care services.

We see this every year even in the most finely maintained cemeteries; ground crews are simply unable to keep up with the growth of grass and other greenery. Family members who want to visit their loved-ones’ gravesites for Father’s Day, July 4th, and other summer holidays are often met with high growth and unattractive gravesites.

Quite simply, landscaping crews cannot keep up.

Overgrown Cemetery

The overgrowth problem is even worse in smaller cemeteries maintained by volunteer caretakers and in cemeteries that are neglected. The need for proper plot maintenance goes far beyond beautification. It is important to manicure grass within a cemetery for aesthetic beauty but it also enhanses the experience of family members visiting their loved-ones grave.

No one wants to be forced to walk through tall grass to visit the cemetery. Long grass obscures gravestones making them difficult to read and it overwhelms grave flowers placed by the family. Tall grass harbors ticks and increases the potential for snakes and rodents. Families should not be forced to deal with the unattractiveness and potential problems of a neglected gravesite.

It is a great opportunity to start a business. Family members (adult children and spouses) want proper maintenance for their loved-ones’ grave. It is important to them and they are willing to spend good money for proper maintenance. The business can be larger than individual gravesites. Entire cemeteries need to be maintained. City Counsels and Cemetery Boards will sublet contracts. For you to turn this into a business, you need to know the finer details of cemetery maintenance and how to price your services.

Your Own Grave Care Business

Have you ever thought about starting your own Grave Care Business? We have developed a course designed to help you start and operate your own business. Plot Maintenance is only one of the services to offer your clients.

We teach you:
– How to get clients: Individual Grave Plot and Contracts for Entire Cemetery Maintenance

– The correct equipment to purchase: Small Push Mowers to Wide-Area Mowing Machines we teach you the best equipment to get.

– Proper protocols to follow: Grave Plot Maintenance is different from residential mowing.

– How to interact with Cemetery Management: don’t neglect these tips.

– Pricing: The course includes Estimating Software to help you calculate prices so you can make more money.

– The correct equipment to purchase: Small Push Mowers to Wide-Area Mowing Machines, we teach you the best equipment to buy.

– Proper protocols to follow: Grave Plot Maintenance is different from residential mowing. There are rules you need to follow.

– How to interact with Cemetery Management: don’t neglect these tips.

– Pricing: The course includes Estimating Software to help you calculate prices so you can make more money.

The entire Grave Care Business Course is only $259.95. Learn more about the course on our “Course Description” page.

We ship promptly and if you have any questions, please let us know. We are passionate about cemeteries and always happy to answer your questions.

Grave Care Made Easier

Grave care is a rewarding and fulfilling business. Providing grave care services in cemeteries that encourage proper maintenance makes this business especially easy.

I love cemeteries that encourage proper maintenance.

Grave care is a rewarding and fulfilling business. Providing grave care services in cemeteries that encourage proper maintenance makes this business especially easy.

I visited a cemetery this morning. I had never been to this cemetery but as soon as I passed through the entry gate, I could tell cemetery management greatly understands the value of proper upkeep.

I was in this cemetery to complete a cemetery mapping project. However, for grave plot maintenance, gravestone cleaning, and grave decorations, I noticed 3 beneficial attributes.

1) A Source For Water
Gravestone Cleaning requires a source of water. Carrying your own supply is not difficult but it is much easier in a cemetery that has a water line.

2) A Bin for Rubbish and Old Flowers
Grave decorations are in great demand especially during the holidays. Cemeteries that provide rubbish bins allow you to dispose of old decorations and trash onsite.

3) Clearly Defined Rules
Before taking on clients in an unfamiliar cemetery, I recommend that you understand the cemetery’s rules and regulations. This cemetery provides a billboard containing their rules for proper maintenance. Contact information is given at the bottom of the billboard. This makes it easy to contact cemetery management to discuss my work on their grounds.

One additional benefit I noticed in this particular cemetery is that fresh soil is easily accessible to fill in low spots or areas of erosion.

Grave Care is a fantastic business. It is rewarding and profitable if you perform your work correctly and understand how to price your services.

If you have ever thought about starting a Grave Care Business, please visit our main website. Our Grave Care Business Course will teach you how to start and operate your own Grave Care Business.

https://GraveCareBusiness.com

Grave Care Entrepreneurs are Straining at their Slips

This morning, one of my Facebook friends posted the following quote:

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

Straining upon the start.

The game’s afoot;

Follow your spirit:…

The original context of the Shakespearean reference was a message to soldiers preparing for battle. But, this morning I was thinking of it in terms of entrepreneurs who are “straining upon the start” to become business owners.

As I write this, it is early on a cold crisp February morning. The world is still sleepy but soon the sun will rise and everyone will come to life. Likewise, the year is still early. We made it past January and the year is beginning to come to life.

The year is still new. Maybe your New Year’s Resolutions have begun to fade. However, if you are an entrepreneur who thinks about starting your own business, I want to give you encouragement to start RIGHT NOW.

January passed by in a flash. If you let it, February will pass by just as quickly. And then March…and then April…and then May. Don’t let the whole year pass you by. Seize it right now!

If you have ever thought about starting your own business and if you have a love of cemeteries, a Grave Care Business is a wonderfully rewarding business to start.

By starting a Grave Care Business, you can choose your own hours, perform your work in beautiful surroundings, and operate a profitable and fulfilling business.

We have developed a professionally produced business course designed to help you Start & Operate your own Grave Care Business. To learn more about the course and order it, visit our main webpage: https://GraveCareBusiness.com

I love the line “straining at the start.” I think most entrepreneurs can relate. We’re all straining like greyhounds in our slips…barely able to contain our excitement. I understand it. I’ve been there. I’m excited to help you get started.

Let me know if I can help or answer any questions. – Keith

Gravesite Mowing – Battery Operated Lawn Mower

Grave care is a fantastic business to operate. Grave care includes: gravestone cleaning, seasonal grave decorations, winterization, and other services. Plot maintenance is also a very important aspect to many grave care businesses. If you provide plot maintenance in your grave care business, grass mowing should be on your list of services.

Mowing Gravesites

Increasingly, I have found that customers, as well as cemetery management companies, are interested in reducing air pollution and noise pollution. Traditional lawn mowers spew a lot of pollutants into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, until recently, an internal combustion engine lawn mower was the only practical way to mow grass. However, in recent years, battery operated lawn mower technology has come a long way. The torque is great and the battery life is longer.

Environmentally Responsive Mowing

Internal combustion engines have a lot of negatives. They are noisy, require gasoline and oil, and emit pollutants into the atmosphere. I am always looking for environmentally responsible alternatives to traditional mowing practices especially when I’m working in cemeteries.

Last month, I picked up this 80V battery operated lawn mower on clearance. I have used battery operated lawn mowers in the past with lackluster results. Since this mower was on clearance, I was willing to spend the money to see how well it does at mowing overgrown gravesites. After mowing a few dozen gravesites, I’m impressed with its performance.

Grave Care and Grave Mowing

Due to its low noise and air pollution, I feel good about mowing with this mower. In the past, I had to stop mowing when there was a funeral service nearby, but the quietness of this lawn mower allows me to continue working. The fact that it is environmentally responsive is very good for public relations.

If you operate a grave care business, I recommend adding a battery operated lawn mower to your business. I believe you will find a battery powered lawn mower will be looked upon very favorably by your clients.

Grave Care Business

For information on how to start your own Grave Care Business, please read through our website. We have developed a professionally produced Grave Care Business Course designed to help you start and grow your own business. Included within the material is a great discussion on proper protocols for mowing gravesites. The program also includes estimating software to help you know how much money to charge for your services.

Thank you. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Keith

www.GraveCareBusiness.com

Coronavirus – Starting Your Own Grave Care Business

Have you been glued to the media the last several weeks? We have.
Everyone in the country is trying to understand how to keep themselves safe from Covid-19 (the Coronavirus).

Businesses are shutting down. People are going to be out of work. It’s terrible and, quite honestly, frightening.

We have been involved with Grave Care for over 20 years. For us, grave care started as an extension to our landscape maintenance business. What grew from a very simple beginning turned into a life-long passion.

In the mid-2000’s, we started helping people start their own Grave Care Businesses. Gradually, our tips and tricks turned into a Professionally Produced Grave Care Business Course offered through this website.

People are out of work and Grave Care is a perfect business for you to start. You can work by yourself so you don’t have to be around other people. It’s really the perfect business right now.

To learn more about the Grave Care Business, please visit our main website by clicking here: Grave Care Business Course.

We are running a special on the course right now for $233.95 (10% off the normal price of $259.95)

If you have any questions, please let Keith or one of our team know. We are passionate about cemeteries and always happy to help.

Cemetery – Springtime Upkeep

Cemetery Daffodils — Jonquils bloom in a local cemetery.

As jonquils bloom around grave sites in local cemeteries, I’m reminded that springtime is only a few weeks away.

Those of us in the southeastern region of the United State have enjoyed a relatively mild winter. In late November a cold snap dropped temperatures into the teens and, earlier this month, a few inches of snow fell. Though more winter weather is expected before spring finally arrives in March, we’re enjoying the products of mid-winter warmth.

Wintertime is generally slow for grave care and cemetery maintenance. However, the slow winter months make for a good time to prepare your business for the coming spring. It’s a good time to repair equipment, contact your customers, and make a plan to grow your business in 2020.

Though it might be slow, there is still work to do. Not only do daffodils bloom in late winter, but wild garlic sprigs pop up in dormant lawn grasses. With the growth of wild garlic, grave sites can look unkempt and a bit ratty. Take advantage of warm days. A few minutes with a lawn mower will make the grass look great again. Your grave care customers will appreciate your attention to detail.

Erosion is another effect of late-winter weather. As rains fall and snows thaw, grounds soften and wash away with the flow of water. Seeding with a high quality grass and covering with a layer of straw will help prevent future erosion. This is particularly important in cemeteries with rolling topography.

No matter where you live in the country, springtime will be here before you know it. It will soon be time to get back into your local cemeteries and work hard on your Grave Care Business.

If you have ever thought about Starting Your Own Grave Care Business, we have developed a professionally produced Grave Care Business Course. We teach you how to start (and grow) your own Grave Care Business. The full course is only $259.95.

To learn more about the program, visit our homepage at: www.GraveCareBusiness.com