FUNERAL HOME BUSINESS PLAN

I. Executive Summary

Company Description

Hearth & Harbor draws its name from the idea of a steady home (hearth) and a safe place of arrival (harbor). We operate in the funeral and end-of-life services sector, offering a hybrid model of traditional burial and cremation services plus a proprietary digital platform for pre-planning and virtual consultations. Our core services combine on-site arrangement planning at a physical arrangement center, licensed clinical support, a professional vehicle fleet for removals and transfers, and an online portal that streamlines pricing, documentation, and virtual grief support. One line: We make dying logistics simple, transparent, and humane.

Day-to-day we schedule virtual consultations, manage removals and transfers, run on-site preparation and memorial services, and process pre-need contracts through the platform. We stand apart with price transparency, integrated digital pre-planning, licensed clinical staff, and sustainable options (green burials and low-emission transport). Target customers are adult children and pre-planning individuals aged 30–75 who value convenience, clarity, and sustainability. Short-term goals: launch operations in the U.S. in 2026, open three arrangement centers, and secure 1,200 pre-plans in year one. Long-term goals: expand to 25 U.S. markets, reach 50,000 active pre-plans, and license the platform to partners.

Problem

Families in the U.S. face significant emotional and financial burdens when arranging funerals during intense grief. The process is complex and opaque, with unclear pricing, slow decision cycles, and fragmented vendor coordination, which amplifies stress and increases the risk of unexpected costs.

Existing providers leave gaps: high costs, limited transparent pricing, lack of modern convenience, and few sustainable options. Grieving families need clear, affordable, and timely funeral options.

Solution

Families face an opaque, often costly funeral market that adds stress to grief; our service simplifies decisions by combining transparent pricing, online pre-planning, virtual consultations, and traditional and eco-friendly disposition options into one coordinated offering. One clear promise: families get clear options and a single point of contact.

We provide traditional funerals, cremation, logistics coordination, online pre-planning tools, and memorial tailoring, with dedicated case managers who handle legal filings, venue and vendor coordination, and day-of support so families focus on grieving, not paperwork.

Mission Statement

We provide families a respectful, personalized, and modern farewell for loved ones through compassionate care and innovative technology. We commit to transparency, sustainability, and simplified arrangements to honor each life while easing the burden on survivors. Our goal is to set a new standard for dignity and convenience in U.S. death care so every family receives a meaningful tribute that reflects their values and budget.

Key Success Factors

Five core factors will drive our ability to scale profitably and capture the growing green-burial market.

• Low CAC target: Customer Acquisition Cost reduced to $150 by 2030.
• Specialized green-burial expertise: Differentiates services in a growing segment.
• Proprietary online planning portal: Cuts processing time and meets tech-savvy demand.
• Strategic referral partnerships: Hospices, estate attorneys, and suppliers supply steady referrals.
• Rapid profitability: Break-even within three months ensures financial stability.

Financial Summary

Summary of projected profitability, capital needs, and returns for the executive summary.

Financial requirements: Total launch CAPEX $338,000; minimum cash on hand $722,000 (Feb-26); payback period 7 months; breakeven Mar-26. Anticipated return: ROE 36.8%; IRR 0.27.

Financial outlook: strong early cash generation and rapid payback support attractive investor returns.

Funding Requirements

We require $1,060,000 at launch—$338,000 in initial CapEx and pre-launch spend plus a $722,000 working-capital reserve—to support operations while the business reaches positive cash flow; projected first-year EBITDA is $1,490,000, year-five EBITDA $13,917,000, Return on Equity 36.8%, IRR 0.27, and payback is 7 months.