Photo by Craig Manners on Unsplash
Funeral Sector Advisor
At different points over three decades, Marc has worked at the intersection of funeral service and innovation, with depth and breadth of insight spanning grassroots operations to high-level strategy.
He has worked across three different business models in the sector and has met with funeral directors in New Zealand, United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, France and Spain. He speaks three languages fluently (including French and Spanish) and has served as a cross-cultural missionary.
Track Record
Co-Founder of World-First Funeral Enterprise
Marc co-founded a funeral enterprise operated by a national Christian organization — the world's first of its kind. He helped grow it from concept to one of Australia's fastest-growing startups, co-authoring business plans for expansion into multiple markets.
He built a system on a no-code platform, reducing employee time by up to 75% through highly customizable solutions that required minimal capital investment.
He championed a hardship fund, with donations from client families growing to 2% of revenue. With the client families he served, he achieved a 90 Net Promoter Score.
Business Turnaround
He led a turnaround at an established multi-city funeral firm, developing a pivotal cash flow solution and customer-centered sales approach that increased national revenue of a key product by 20% without additional staff training.
World-First Hearse Design and Production
He initiated and led a bi-national, bilingual team that designed and produced award-winning hearses (Australian International Design Awards finalist).
Strategic Sector Leadership
Marc led a submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on one of the biggest acquisitions in the sector's history. Working with competition lawyers, he helped regulators understand the conventional funeral business model and curb the monopolistic impact of the proposed acquisition.
What Marc Offers
Strategic Advisory
Feasibility research, market analysis, and operational model design for organizations considering funeral services as Christian mission businesses.
Mission Integration
Guidance on how funeral services can advance the Gospel imperative while meeting community goals and maintaining financial sustainability.
Cultural Adaptation
Support for organizations seeking to establish funeral concepts across different cultural and geographic contexts.
Lean Innovation Approach
Marc prefers testing assumptions through research and Minimum Viable Products (hypothesis-driven experiments) before committing significant resources.
A Personal Note
Marc is a sixth-generation funeral director. His family's funeral heritage stretches back to 19th century London.
Throughout his career, Marc has provided compassionate care to client families. His greatest innovation is none at all — praying with each family and giving them a copy of the Gospel of John.
“We love because he first loved us” — 1 John 4:19
Who Marc Works With
Marc advises faith-based organizations, mission enterprises, and social purpose businesses exploring how funeral services can serve their communities while advancing the Gospel mission.
If you're considering how funeral ministry might fit within your organization's strategic priorities, Marc welcomes the conversation.
Contact
Marc Allison