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Meet George Paul III of Cherished Keepsakes

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Today we’d like to introduce you to George Paul III.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My grandmother passed and I wanted to create something memorable for her. Having a background in graphic design I had the skills to do so, but had one problem—I didn’t have the time. Even as a grandson I found the weight of the task overwhelming. While the funeral programs for my grandmother’s service came out well, they weren’t what I wanted to create due to various constraints.

This bothered me a lot and I knew I wasn’t alone. In school, we were always taught that since we have the skills to make things better take something designed badly and put your skills to use. I’ve attended my fair share of funeral services and saw how the programs and other keepsakes turned out. While some were very nice, the majority did not honor the loved one the way they could have been honored. Deep down I knew the families felt the same.

Everyone wants to give their loved one the send-off they deserve. However, many are hindered by the suddenness of the passing, the enormity of the tasks required to lay them to rest as well as the flood of calls, visits, and support from friends and family. All of this is emotionally taxing and then comes the task many are unequipped to handle, that of designing a keepsake with little to no design skills. This is in addition to finding a place to print it at the last minute hoping there are no print issues with the file which families don’t know how to remedy.

As a result of this, I set out to provide funeral and memorial keepsakes that would truly pay homage to loved ones the way the families would want if they had the time, skills and emotional energy to do so. I jumped into the deep end of this industry with no knowledge only my designs, which I knew were head turners and a feeling I knew this is something many needed.

At the time I was running a design business that was failing and it distracted me from what I realized I had. That, coupled with a rookie knowledge of the industry halted initial growth. However, the few initial orders generated a buzz and small wave of referrals that couldn’t be ignored. I buckled down, took a hard look at how to structure the business to address the holes in the marketplace as well as my competitors and rebranded the business.

From there it took off. I initially started with 5 designs that had the visual flexibility to be applied to 5 funeral products: programs, prayer cards, bookmarks, thank you cards and photo collages. Since then our design collection has grown to 23 and being able to be applied to 15 products and growing. We started being featured in only two funeral homes locally and now we’re in 15 both locally and nationally and our online store ships keepsakes directly to families across the country.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh goodness no. I’m stubborn so my own issues hindered my business growth. Also for many years, I was a one-man show designing and producing all the orders, creating new designs, marketing the business, doing the books and all the other tasks it takes to run a business. Like I said before, I was also dealing with a failed business that set me back several years. But, I must say, like all entrepreneurs you learn so much from your failings if you’re humble enough to admit them, examine them in a hard light and be able to get up and move on.

Initially, Cherished Keepsakes was something I was “toying” with because of my attachment to B2B design services and it was my wife who saw that I should be focusing my skills in this niche field. Eventually, I got the hint and buckled down. But even afterward I still had setbacks, primarily myself. It took the not so gentle nudges of some close friends who are very good businessmen to stop setting my goals so low and push myself. After that I set goals very high and even if I didn’t reach them, often I did, they propelled the business and my personal growth further than I imagined.

Many people don’t realize how much your business is a reflection of you and any deficiencies you have will be deficiencies that the business will have. Mine was that I’m creative, I avoided doing the numbers, sales, and books like the plague. My first wake up call came when I finally decided to sit down and do a year-end report. I knew I had to track everything so I could create a system that would work but never set down to analyze it. When I did I was shocked at the time I was spending for the return I was getting.

My second wake up call came after reading Michael Gerber’s “E-Myth Revisited”. In it, it mentions creating position contracts for all the roles in the business and actually signing them. I did that and took it a step further by creating an evaluation form for my position as business owner and CEO. After giving myself a review I realized that if this were real I would fire myself. As a result, I began to overcome my hinderance to sales and financials and focus primarily on the tasks a CEO is responsible for to grow a business.

My final wake up call came after my kids were born and I realized I needed to stop lying to myself and be brutally harsh in order to see what I needed to be so I could provide the life I wanted for my kids and family. From that point, I could look at myself, my designs, my business and understand what I needed to do to get to the next stage. From the start, I knew the business had potential. I branded it well and it continues to grow with limited marketing thus the real issues that hindered my growth were all around me.

As I invested in myself through continuing education I could see how much better the business and brand were becoming. But I can’t take all the credit. I would not be where I now am it not for my wife, my close friends who are all way better at business than me and my small but efficient team. Many are surprised at what we can produce in the time we do, but that’s by design and we all have had a part in Cherished Keepsakes’ success.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cherished Keepsakes story. Tell us more about the business.
Cherished Keepsakes is a provider of memorial and funeral keepsakes. Our current product offerings are:
• Funeral Programs
• Laminated Prayer cards
• Laminated Bookmarks
• Acknowledgment Cards
• Buttons/Pins
• Large Photo Collages
• Photo Collage Pamphlets
• Memorial Portraits
• Memorial Tribute Slideshows
• Memorials Shirts

New for 2018 are
• Digital Portraits
• Memorial Fans
• Memorial Banners
• Casket Insert Panels

These keepsakes are available in a variety of sizes, paper stocks and are centered around a primary design from our ever-growing Design Collections. What makes us different is our designs. We don’t use generic images and religious icons. For the most part, they tend to overshadow the loved one and with us, the loved one takes center stage. Our designs complement and highlight the amazing life they lived.

In fact, that’s our slogan, an amazing way to honor your loved ones. Since families lack the time and capabilities to put together an unforgettable memorial keepsake we capture your loved ones the way you want them to be seen. Our designs are unique and unparalleled in the industry which is why many families come to us from all over the country.

What makes us unique is how our fulfillment system is designed. As long as we have all the content and images we can turn around an order in 24 hours or less. No one knows when they will lose someone and how quickly the memorial service will be thus our system is purposely designed for a rapid turnaround with 100% accuracy. We’ve produced orders the same day quite often because no one else can, but we can and do all the time.

I would say we’re most proud of the fact that many who come to us feel comforted and at ease during the entire process. Besides the fact that they’re relieved that this is off their hands’ many families are drawn to how nurturing and patient we are in dealing with them. The death care industry carries the stigma of being money-grubbing businesses taking advantage of families at vulnerable times. At Cherished Keepsakes we’re people first, a business second. Our products sell themselves so we don’t have to force anything on anyone, just make sure that they have the keepsakes to make their service truly unforgettable.

I’d like to share one comment a family provided on our website that truly sums up working with us. She had lost her fiancé unexpectedly and by the time we were called the service was the following day. This is what she wrote, “The collage is absolutely beautiful. The prayer cards came out even more beautiful. I cannot express to you how very grateful I am for you making both things as unique as Dennis was. Throughout this entire horrible ordeal, I’ve had to make so many emotional and financial decisions.

And it’s disgustingly astonishing how many professional people and businesses, who deal with issues like the one I had to deal with all the time, yet they are so unsympathetic, inappropriate and overall just completely unprofessional about so many things. And at a time in your life where you need people to be as understanding and as helpful as they possibly can be, you are unfortunately faced to deal with these horrible money-hungry people.

But you were by far, the most caring, thoughtful and helpful person I dealt with and I dealt with a lot of people! For that, I am forever grateful. Not only were you all of those wonderful things as a professional, but also as a person. Honestly, that is the part that means the most. Thank you so much, George.” These are the type of comments we get every day and it’s what keeps us going.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck. Luck is merely a matter of timing and preparedness. If you know how people want to do business with you then you can create the tools and user experience to sell you at any moment in time. Therefore, any time is a lucky time because you’re always prepared for it. While some may have, “that big break moment”, even when those come up you already prepared for it to a degree. The rest is a stubborn, entrepreneurial dedication to doing whatever is necessary to capitalize on the opportunity.

What has helped propel us is two things: 1. Our philosophy that when design and strategy play an integral role in business development you have a strong brand that instantly sets you apart from the competition. When that happens you don’t have to compete on price and more people come to you to do business than the other way around. 2. Having a pulse on what designs and keepsakes families need. By doing so we continually come out with more unique designs and products that are instant sellers once released.

Pricing:

  • Funeral Programs-Starting at $1.49 each
  • Laminated Prayer Cards-Starting at 99¢ each
  • Buttons/Pins-$2.25 each

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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