When helping other families is the family business
By: Nichole Neumann
Westford Funeral Home
Running your own small business is tough work, even when that business has been in the family for generations. The pressures of being able to continue the success of prior owners/parents as well as meeting the changing needs of client families would be challenging for anyone. Just being raised in the environment is not always enough to prepare one for the road ahead, especially when it comes to such an intense and emotional business as funeral service.
Background
Westford Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Bellingham, WA, began in 1943 when Johnny Westford purchased the existing Homer Mark Mortuary. For 32 years, Johnny and his wife, Veronica, put everything they had into running the funeral home. Johnny even served as Mayor of Bellingham from 1956 to 1965. During this time as mayor, he traveled frequently to Japan, and the experience helped influence the décor and style seen in the funeral home. Warm woods adorn the gathering space, creating a very comfortable and intimate feel.
In 1975, Johnny and Veronica’s son, Jack, purchased the funeral home from his parents. Since that day, Jack and his wife, Nancy, diligently ran the business together as a husband and wife team. Their dedication to the business, the families they serve, and to their own family, has definitely paid off. Just last year, Jack received the Whatcom County Lifetime Achievement Award from Northwest Business Monthly.
In 2001, Jack and Nancy’s son Rob returned to Bellingham to work in the family business and take his turn at the wheel. Rob has always wanted to own his own business, and he felt going into the family business was a way he could not only do so, but serve and help others in the process. As the third generation of Westfords to own the funeral home, Rob has been able to continue the success of the family business by bringing in new services and ideas to the workplace, as well as a high level of enthusiasm.
Continuous Improvement
It was Rob’s mom, Nancy, who first contacted the Center for Economic Vitality (CEV). Oftentimes companies inquire about services when their business begins to struggle, but Nancy came looking for advice on how they could be better than they already were. She had read in a business magazine that if a community has a local university that offers services through an SBDC (which the CEV formerly was), small business owners could gain competitive and valuable information to help them flourish. Now, nearly nine years after that initial meeting, Nancy, Jack and Rob continue to come to the CEV for support in various business related topics.
The Westford’s Business Strategist, Tom Dorr, has helped them look at many different business related areas over the years, including management, strategic thinking, accounting and personnel issues. According to Rob, “Tom has been spot on in his recommendations, from changes we can make within our organization to business recommendations that have helped us continue to improve. By assisting us in ownership transition, team building and long range planning, he has helped us continue to grow. He has become that objective third-party resource to let us know when there are things we can change, as well as let us know that we are doing things right.”
As a small business owner, Rob meets unique challenges every single day. These issues range from simple things, such as where to keep certain supplies, to the more complex issues of management. Most recently, Tom has been helping Rob to come up with a plan for building and inspiring a team whose members continuously strive to better themselves and the organization in order to continue to help families in grief.
Rob and his employees have already put part of their plan into play through daily morning staff meetings in which the tasks for the day are discussed, and any rants and raves are thrown out on the table. “We’ve set up a structure where I have ongoing meetings with my employees,” Rob described, “This allows for us all to be on the same page in the business as well as to get to know each person individually.” For Rob, who averages over 5,000 phone minutes per month , his time is key to making sure his internal operations are running smoothly. “It’s important for a small business owner to invest a portion of their time in getting to know their employees in order to help them learn and grow.”
Looking to the Future
Technology is definitely a topic many companies will have to embrace in order to stay afloat in the near future. Luckily for Westford’s, they have already begun to leverage the use of technology in order to help existing families. They currently are exploring and implementing new media in order to provide online tributes to loved ones, videos that can be played during services, and utilizing Skype for those who cannot be present for the ceremonies.
Aside from technology, Rob knows that providing families with what they want and reassuring them that their final wishes will be met is what will set them up for success. “The customer is the most important thing, and if the family we are helping is not satisfied, then we have nothing. A person who has just lost a loved one does not want to listen to how my weekend was. They want to know that I’ve listened to them and am going to do everything I can to help them through it.” To Rob, his greatest accomplishment thus far has been to take a successful, established family business and make it even better. This happens by serving one family at a time, as best as you can. Rob says, “Don’t worry about what you don’t have, instead you should take care of what you do have.”
A Few Fun Facts with Rob Westford
Recommended books that business owners should read:
· “How to Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
· “Notes from a Friend” by Anthony Robbins
· “Good to Great” by Jim Collins
If Rob could have dinner with anyone in the world (dead or alive), it would be with:
· His two deceased grandfathers, John Westford and William Quirt
· President John F. Kennedy
· Winston Churchill
Favorite quote:
· “Success is doing the things you have to do, better than you have to.”…unknown author
Advice for future business owners:
· “Make sure you are passionate about what you want to do and be prepared for a lot of work.”