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I had the pleasure of speaking with Nicole Mueller this week. She and her mother, Denise, own the start-up company, Herman & Lily’s Distributors, LLC. Actually, they share the same “birth month” as the AWFD: August, of 2009 – how cool is that?

They are, as most of the women entrepreneurs within funeral service (including yours truly), heart-driven. They are committed to helping families create truly unique services to honor the lives of their loved ones.

During our conversation, Nicole shared the story of her father’s funeral – an event which sparked the idea for this unique personalization company, and the small flame was fanned by continued experience with funeral and memorial services. “My dad thought it would be hilarious to pop-out of his casket and wave during his own funeral.  We would just look at him like he was totally nuts, and laugh.

“But, of course, when my dad died he did not pop-out of his casket and wave.  My mom and I attended six more funerals within a two year span.  Multiple funerals makes a person rethink a lot of things.  Mom and I thought, why can’t you pop out of a casket and wave? Well not really, but why can’t you make your funeral more personal to the person you were and the unique life you lived?  This is how Herman & Lily’s Distributors, LLC began.

Currently, they have three wonderful sets of personalization products, each of which can be customized for the client family. These are the Angel set, the Western, and the Luau (see the pictures below).

Angel

Western

Luau

“They were designed for the family to keep most of it as keepsakes,” shared Nicole; but also include theme-based hand-drawn in memoriam and thank you cards. These sets are offered at a significantly reduced price: $339.00, until May 31, 2010. “The suggested retail price,” said Nicole, “is $499.00; this means a significant profit margin for funeral homes – on a personalization product that literally sells itself.”

They intend to grow their selection of personalization kits to include

• Fisherman
• Homemaker
• Christian
• Serenity
• Baby

Quick and Easy Delivery…Guaranteed

It’s very good to know that, should your client families wish to order a set, Herman & Lily’s can ship anywhere in the US overnight if there is no customization.  Or, they can ship within 3 days anywhere in the US if they want their package customize.  For example, in the Angel Package they can have the blanket embroidered.   The cost is still $339 either way, plus shipping.

Nicole has offered to send a copy of their catalog to you for free. She will also include a set of order forms; you can begin to offer your client families these unique personalization sets right away. To get your catalog, or just to get to know her better and establish a working relationship, contact her at: niknise@gmail.com, or by phone at 928.237.1578.

Check This Out!

Calm in the Storm Bag

Here’s something I think everyone can appreciate: the Calm in the Storm Bag^©. It’s the first in a line of comfort products from Herman & Lily’s – and you can see just how useful it would be for your client family members. It includes everything – from tissues to a relaxing spray. “Using this spray is like taking a 10 minute nap; refreshing, and restorative,” said Nicole.

While it makes a perfect sympathy gift to be given by family members and friends, it’s also a nice gift from your firm to your client families. It’s an affordable way to give them an extra bit of comfort during a difficult time. It’s $19.95, plus tax and shipping – but it’s good to know that $5.00 of that will be given to Transitional Housing for Women.

Herman & Lily’s Distributors, LLC is a nice woman-owned business to keep on your radar. Be sure to check out their Funeral Ladies blog: http://funeralladies.blogspot.com/; lots of interesting, fun information there. Their ecommerce site is: www.hermanandlilys.com, and their phone number, again, is 928.237.1578.