The Funeral Home Exit Playbook
The book every funeral home owner should read before they get an offer.
Cody Jones
The Funeral Home Exit Playbook
Plan Your Exit.
Maximize Your Value.
Protect Your Legacy.
A Plain-Language Guide to Exiting on Your Terms
Most funeral home owners never think about selling until someone makes them an offer. By then, it’s too late to fix the things that would have made the difference between a good exit and a great one.
The Funeral Home Exit Playbook is the book Cody Jones wishes he’d had 10 years before he sold his funeral home. It’s not written for accountants or lawyers. It’s written for operators — people who built their business one family at a time, and now want to understand what it’s actually worth and what it takes to exit on their terms.
What’s Inside the Playbook
Part 1: What Your Funeral Home Is Really Worth
How EBITDA is calculated and what destroys it. What multiples are being paid in today’s market. The specific line items buyers look at first. Using the calculator to get a baseline number.
Part 2: The 18–36 Month Preparation Window
Why waiting until you’re ready to sell is already too late. The operational changes with the greatest impact on value. How to clean up your books, real estate, fleet, people, and processes.
Part 3: Common Mistakes That Kill Deals or Reduces Value
Failing to document processes. Messy financials that can’t withstand scrutiny. Real estate complications. Personal expenses run through the business. Time delays.
Part 4: The Seller’s Playbook
How to find and vet a broker. What the letter of intent means. Navigating the emotional side of selling. Potential deal structures and terms. Negotiating a win-win for both sides.
Who This Book Is For
You don’t have to be ready to sell tomorrow. Roughly half the value of everything in this book applies to owners who just want to run a better, more valuable business — right now.
Owners 5–10 years from a potential sale who want to start preparing now
Owners who’ve received unsolicited offers and want to understand whether they’re fair
Family business operators exploring succession vs. sale options
Any owner who wants to run a better business — regardless of whether a sale is in their plans
Watch the Video Interviews
The book draws from in-depth video conversations with Cody and industry experts. Watch the full interviews below.
How I Sold My Funeral Home for Eight Figures — and What I Learned
Cody sits down with Dennis Yu and Jack Wendt to discuss his 20-year journey, the strategies behind his eight-figure exit, and what a successful sale really looks like.
What Funeral Directors Need to Know About AI — with Charlene Li
Charlene Li breaks down what AI really means for funeral home operators — practical tools that save hours of administrative work and position your business for what comes next.
AI Marketing for Funeral Homes: A Practical Discussion
A frank roundtable with Dennis Yu and NFDA leadership exploring how AI marketing tools actually work for small, independent funeral homes — with live demos and a practical framework.
Ready to Start Planning Your Exit?
Whether you’re 5 years out or 15, the decisions you make today determine the number you get at closing.