Plenty of families have businesses they run for multiple generations. But in the case of St. Forts Funeral Home, the family was able to keep the business alive even after moving to a new country.
The journey wasn’t always easy. However, the funeral home is now well established in multiple countries. Read more about the journey in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Operates a funeral home in the Miami area.
In addition to traditional funeral services, the company also offers flowers, catering, caskets, urns, cemetery plots, counseling, and limousines.
Business Niche
Its beautiful facility.
Founder and CEO Evans St. Fort told Small Business Trends, “We put a lot of money into our location.”
How the Business Got Started
As a family business.
St. Fort says, “My Father started the business overseas in Haiti.”
After moving to the Miami area, St. Fort invested in a new facility at just 25 years old. Since then, the company has grown through struggles and financial hardships. Eventually, everything worked out and the family business began thriving again.
Biggest Win
Being accepted into a prestigious program.
“We exceeded our expectations and we were chosen to be a part of the selected funeral service program. There is no other funeral home within a 100 mile radius that is part of this group.”
Biggest Risk
Investing a lot of money into the business early on.
“In our first 3 years it was very tough. I was only 25 years old running the business. We were also in the red our first 3 years so I took on an embalming job after hours to supplement our income. My family told me to just quit and sell but I knew I could turn things around.”
Favorite Quote
“You can do all things through Christ.”
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Image: St. Forts Funeral Home
Aira Bongco
Businesses now have plenty of chances to go international with all the tools that we can use online.