Business Idea.....seeking feedback

[TOMDOTTRUCKING]

Idea: Starting a gravesite maintenance service. Services would include (1) Seasonal Flower placement on headstone, (2) Headstone/Footstone/Monument cleaning, (3) landscaping around site, (4) old flower disposal, and (5) email photo of serviced gravesite to customer.
Rationale: People are busy. They want to take care of their loved ones graves, but it is hard to fit it in to their busy schedule. They feel guilty leaving it unattended. The elderly or shut-in is another population who is not physically able to care for their sites. This service would offer a solution to this problem.
Opportunity: In any 50 mile radius, there are thousands of gravesites that could have a potential need for this service.
Cost: Single visit ($40 - $60 plus cost of flowers) / Bi-yearly visits ($85 - $100 plus flowers) / Quarterly ($150 - $200 plus flowers)
Investment/Equipment: Minimal equipment needed. You would need a vehicle and trailer. You would also need basic landscaping tools and water storage container. Advertise through social media and possible yard signs?
Would love to hear some honest feedback on this idea...thanks!

 

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[Rawseed]

@TOMDOTTRUCKING I love the idea.

There are some concerns though.

Are you sure this isn't already available?
How do you market it?
How do you keep keep the gravesite companies from competing with you?

If this service isn't already provided by the gravesite companies, you might want to offer them 20-25% of the revenue.

This would encourage them to send you clients and discourage them from competing with you.

 

[TOMDOTTRUCKING]

@TOMDOTTRUCKING I love the idea.

There are some concerns though.

Are you sure this isn't already available?
How do you market it?
How do you keep keep the gravesite companies from competing with you?

If this service isn't already provided by the gravesite companies, you might want to offer them 20-25% of the revenue.

This would encourage them to send you clients and discourage them from competing with you.

@Rawseed....thanks for the quick feedback. There are some companies out there that do this type work. Nothing I have found in my neck of the woods. Marketing will be the challenge. I am thinking flooding our local social media. I have also looked into yard signs that could be placed on right of way in front of cemetaries. The cemeteries do provide grass cutting services, however they rarely will trim around headstones. They also do not change or remove floral decorations or clean any headstones/footstones.

My vision is that this would run similar to a lawn care service, except the frequency would obviously be less.

 

[astr0]

This service is definitely available here in Ukraine, although much cheaper (but the prices for the US seems ok with their average earnings).

Grass cutting would make this all-in-one service, I would definitely take this into consideration.
Signs near the entrance to the cemetery should be quite good marketing. Lots of visitors would see them.

I like the idea, and it's pretty scalable, there are many cemeteries out there.

 

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[Jaden Jones]

The best chance would be working with the cemeteries directly and have them offer it as an upsell at time of burial. They would get a cut.

 

[Grinder20]

Idea: Starting a gravesite maintenance service. Services would include (1) Seasonal Flower placement on headstone, (2) Headstone/Footstone/Monument cleaning, (3) landscaping around site, (4) old flower disposal, and (5) email photo of serviced gravesite to customer.
Rationale: People are busy. They want to take care of their loved ones graves, but it is hard to fit it in to their busy schedule. They feel guilty leaving it unattended. The elderly or shut-in is another population who is not physically able to care for their sites. This service would offer a solution to this problem.
Opportunity: In any 50 mile radius, there are thousands of gravesites that could have a potential need for this service.
Cost: Single visit ($40 - $60 plus cost of flowers) / Bi-yearly visits ($85 - $100 plus flowers) / Quarterly ($150 - $200 plus flowers)
Investment/Equipment: Minimal equipment needed. You would need a vehicle and trailer. You would also need basic landscaping tools and water storage container. Advertise through social media and possible yard signs?
Would love to hear some honest feedback on this idea...thanks!

Idea: Starting a gravesite maintenance service. Services would include (1) Seasonal Flower placement on headstone, (2) Headstone/Footstone/Monument cleaning, (3) landscaping around site, (4) old flower disposal, and (5) email photo of serviced gravesite to customer.
Rationale: People are busy. They want to take care of their loved ones graves, but it is hard to fit it in to their busy schedule. They feel guilty leaving it unattended. The elderly or shut-in is another population who is not physically able to care for their sites. This service would offer a solution to this problem.
Opportunity: In any 50 mile radius, there are thousands of gravesites that could have a potential need for this service.
Cost: Single visit ($40 - $60 plus cost of flowers) / Bi-yearly visits ($85 - $100 plus flowers) / Quarterly ($150 - $200 plus flowers)
Investment/Equipment: Minimal equipment needed. You would need a vehicle and trailer. You would also need basic landscaping tools and water storage container. Advertise through social media and possible yard signs?
Would love to hear some honest feedback on this idea...thanks!

@TOMDOTTRUCKING, I like where your heads at, but is the next or current generation going to be buried vs. cremated? (Sorry in advance for the photo, it was the first thing I thought of and couldn't resist!)

 

[Schonox]

@TOMDOTTRUCKING, I like where your heads at, but is the next or current generation going to be buried vs. cremated? (Sorry in advance for the photo, it was the first thing I thought of and couldn't resist!)

Same thought ran through my mind.
It's a novel idea for sure, i do think you need to watch out concerning other people's gravesites, religion and practices, traditions etc too though.
Personally, I wouldn't pay for the service as I'd take care of the site myself.

 

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[JunkBoxJoey_JBJ]

This is an opportunity, because it already exists in some areas of the country, so you know it works in some way or another.

I searched it before...the biggest hurdle seemed the actual care of the granite and stone, you can ruin things if you don’t know how and what to use, damaging the stones worse over time, or making them too clean and too scrubbed can actually be bad for the stone itself or the stability, but nothing you could not overcome to get started.

There may even be a club or organization that helps you with the right kind of care, from what I recall.

Easy start up though...good luck.