Starting a business from home can feel overwhelming—especially when it’s one as personal and meaningful as creating memorial keepsakes. But with today’s technology, a little creativity, and the right tools, you can build a business that not only brings in income but also helps families honor their loved ones in a truly special way.
If you’re thinking about starting a memorial keepsake business but aren’t sure where to begin, this guide will walk you through the key steps to get going—with just your laptop.
Why a Memorial Keepsake Business?
Losing someone is never easy, and many families want to commemorate their loved ones with personalized items like funeral programs, buttons, banners, and more. These keepsakes offer comfort and help keep memories alive. By creating and selling personalized keepsakes, you’re providing a valuable service during a difficult time—and building a business with heart.
Step 1: Choose Your Product Offering
The memorial keepsake market includes a wide range of products. To start, focus on a few items you feel comfortable creating and marketing. Popular options include:
· Funeral program templates
· Memorial buttons
· Casket panel inserts
· Retractable banners
· QR code memorial boards
· Memorial t-shirts and blankets
· Digital funeral announcements
Start with what resonates most with you and where you believe you can offer quality and compassion.
Step 2: Use Ready-Made Templates to Personalize for Your Clients
If you’re not a designer or want to launch your business quickly, you don’t need to create your own templates from scratch. Obituaries Made Simple offers professionally designed, fully customizable memorial keepsake templates that you can use to personalize for your clients.
Important: These templates cannot be sold as your own original designs or redistributed. Instead, you use them as a starting point to customize and create personalized keepsakes for your clients. This approach saves you time and helps you provide high-quality, tasteful memorial items without needing design expertise.
All templates are easy to edit using Canva Pro, allowing you to add your client’s photos, names, dates, and personal touches. This way, your clients get beautiful, meaningful keepsakes made just for their loved ones.
Step 3: Set Up Your Online Business to Offer Personalized Keepsakes
Instead of selling digital templates directly, your business can focus on personalizing and delivering finished memorial keepsakes for your clients. You can market and sell your services through:
· Your own website or social media platforms
· Online marketplaces that allow service offerings (such as Etsy with personalized product listings)
· Local marketing and word-of-mouth
This personalized service is what families value most during difficult times, and it sets your business apart.
Step 4: Create Compassionate, Clear Marketing
Your marketing should reflect the sensitive nature of your products. Use gentle, empathetic language that communicates your understanding of grief and the importance of honoring loved ones.
Helpful marketing ideas:
· Start a blog to share helpful guides and ideas (like this one!)
· Use social media to connect with communities around grief, funeral planning, and DIY keepsakes
· Offer free resources or samples to build trust
· Collect testimonials from satisfied customers
Step 5: Provide Compassionate, Personalized Service by Customizing Templates for Your Clients
As the business owner, you will be the one personalizing the templates on behalf of your clients. This means carefully customizing each keepsake with their loved one’s photos, names, dates, and any special details to create a meaningful, unique tribute.
Offering this personalized service with patience, empathy, and attention to detail is essential during such a sensitive time. Prompt communication and delivering beautiful, thoughtful keepsakes will build trust and help families feel supported throughout the process.
Step 6: Keep Learning and Growing
The memorial keepsake business is both emotionally rewarding and constantly evolving. Stay connected with your customers, listen to feedback, and refine your services and offerings accordingly.
You might expand into new keepsake types, partner with local print shops, or create video tutorials to reach more people.
Why Starting from Home Works
With just a laptop and internet connection, you can build a business that fits around your schedule and lifestyle. There’s no need for inventory storage or large upfront costs, especially if you start by personalizing digital templates.
This flexibility is especially valuable if you’re managing other life responsibilities or prefer a work-from-home setup.
Final Thoughts
Starting a memorial keepsake business from home is a beautiful way to blend entrepreneurship with compassion. You’ll be helping families during some of their hardest moments while creating a meaningful source of income.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect from day one. Focus on creating heartfelt products, communicating kindly, and learning as you go.
If you are ready to begin, explore the ready-made templates in our storefront and start personalizing meaningful keepsakes for families today.