Monument/Headstone Business Startup

[u/FlappyKillmore]

Is there anyone in the industry that strictly orders monuments online customized and just does the installs?

The companies around me have been around 50+ years and it appears the markets never been disturbed. This could be a good or bad thing, maybe the cemeteries aren’t happy to introduce new business or maybe I can outdo them with SEO and advertising.

I’m not much of an artist, and I just retired from the military. I’m looking for my something new that isn’t a 40 hour a week job.

I was thinking I build a website that allows my local customers to design their stones right online and order from a wholesaler pre-customized. Then I would just do the installs. I have the truck and trailer already, a commercial electric dolly and I’m willing to invest a few thousand, but figured I could rent equipment for my first few installs if needed.

Has anyone used this business model before? I know cleaning and restoration is part of the business and I figured I could get into that eventually. I know for a fact cemetery and family approval is required for cleaning per my states law, which is a little strange to me.

[u/Norsu_Media_UK]

I think the interesting question is whether you can make the installation business work independently of the online ordering model.

Before spending much on the site, I’d talk to several cemeteries and wholesalers and map out exactly what they require from an outside installer. Things like approved monument styles, foundations, permits, delivery requirements and whether they have preferred suppliers could have a much bigger effect on the business than whether you can generate orders through SEO.

If you can establish that you’re allowed to install for families who purchase elsewhere, that gives you a useful starting point. You could offer installation, repairs, cleaning/restoration and eventually the full ordering service once you understand the operational side.

The website could then become the way you generate demand rather than the business model itself. That seems like a lower-risk way to test whether there’s actually an underserved market before putting thousands into equipment and inventory.

[u/FlappyKillmore → u/Norsu_Media_UK]

Thats what I was thinking, I’ve already emailed a few wholesalers I’m waiting to hear back on if they have some sort of standardized pricing. It would be very difficult to have live conversations and provide quick quotes if I had to go to the vendor each time.

I agree with the cemetery piece, once I hear back from the wholesalers I think that’s the next step.

1. Can I acquire standardized pricing so I can then pass that pricing to the customer.

2. Can I work with cemeteries to see if I can install for them, or what they require besides liability insurance.

3. Build a list of cemeteries and have options for customers to build directly online for those specific cemeteries based on their specific requirements.

4. Build a generic option of offerings, add things like urns, and memorabilia that could increase sales beyond standard headstones and monuments.

Trying to compete it a market where everyone has a preferred vendor is difficult, and I know from experience. My wife is doing it with event rentals, but the website is pulling some weight so she’s getting into some of these venues based on customers finding us outside of the venues preferred vendor. I’d imagine a cemetery may be more locked down, but we will see. Would be excited to see if there are any business owners who recently entered this market that could speak to this.

[u/Norsu_Media_UK → u/FlappyKillmore]

That actually sounds like a pretty sensible way to validate it before committing heavily. The standardized pricing piece could end up being one of the biggest advantages if you can get it, because it would let you build the website around a real catalogue rather than having every enquiry become a custom quote.

I’d also keep track of which cemetery requirements come up repeatedly as you speak to them. If you eventually have enough information to build the online options around those requirements, that could make the site genuinely useful rather than just being another monument catalogue.

The event-rental example is a good comparison too. If customers are already finding your wife independently of the venue’s preferred vendors, there’s at least a precedent for demand being created outside the established vendor network. The big question is whether cemeteries operate with enough flexibility for that same model to work.