Parting Pro is Shopify for Funeral Homes
“Parting Pro is Shopify for Funeral Homes”
Founder resourceBuilder <$5m
The Silent Majority: How we've bootstrapped our "unsexy" Funeral Management SaaS to $1m+
How Parting Pro became unfundable in 2022, then cut expenses and tracked runway in months to build a funeral SaaS without VC
Tyler Yamasaki · Parting Pro
Published September 6, 2023About this resource
- Format
- Bootstrapped Stage at SaaStr Annual 2023
- Inside
- 5 key moments
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What you’ll learn
Tyler Yamasaki explains how Parting Pro grew its funeral-home SaaS business without traditional venture funding. The company focused on runway, realistic metrics, cost control, aligned financing, and a lean team that could serve customers while keeping the business sustainable.
Read the source passagesKey moments
Find the ideas you need and go straight to the source.
Prioritizing Our Business Metrics
“Prioritizing Our Business Metrics”
Angels and boutique funds that did not
“Angels and boutique funds that did not require control”
We Were Forced to Create a Real
“We Were Forced to Create a Real, Efficient Business”
Created a Real, Efficient Business
“Created a Real, Efficient Business”
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Tyler Saastr slide deck
My name is Tyler, and I am a Magician. If you've come by a booth at one of the shows, you'll know I mean this quite literally. Or sometimes, Chief Executive Officer. Both? In reality, all I do is help support the amazing people on the Parting Pro team so that they can achieve great things.
- Company revenue
- $2.5M
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Slide by slide
Each slide with a short explanation of what it shows. Open the slide text for its exact wording.
20 passages
Introduction
Slide text
We are the Silent Majority: How We Grew Our Unsexy Funeral SaaS to $2m+ Without Traditional Funding Tyler Yamasaki CEO, Parting Pro
Parting Pro is Shopify for Funeral Homes
A sudden shift drove online adoption
Funeral homes needed to move business online when in-person work was disrupted. The slide connects that pressure with rising deaths and faster e-commerce adoption, framing Parting Pro as an online storefront for funeral homes.
Slide text
Parting Pro is Shopify for Funeral Homes Hello, COVID. Funeral directors were not able to conduct business in-person Death rates up 10% E-commerce consumer adoption accelerated
Runway fell after the seed round
The company’s runway declined from 60 months in February 2021 to 4 months in August 2022. The chart marks the seed round at the beginning of this period, showing why cash planning became urgent.
Slide text
Our Runway (in Months) SEED ROUND!
Steady growth changed funding prospects
Parting Pro says its revenue growth was steady rather than explosive as the temporary demand boost faded. The founders saw the company as unfundable in 2022 and narrowed the roadmap to practical priorities.
Slide text
We Became Unfundable in 2022 The Cold, Hard Truths Our revenue growth was steady, not explosive. The once-in-a-lifetime boost of demand was coming back to reality. DeathGPT and Bored Ape Hearse Club were nowhere to be found in our immediate roadmap.
Focus the business on revenue
The talk centers on building a real business without traditional venture capital. Its first priorities are to understand the numbers, reduce expenses, accept founder sacrifice, and put revenue first.
Slide text
Over the next 17 minutes I’m going to show you how we grew our unsexy funeral SaaS into a real business without a traditional VC. Optimized Business Metrics Got real intimate and realistic with our numbers Cut expenses, sacrificed Prioritized revenue
Prioritizing Our Business Metrics
Measure, cut, and extend runway
The operating plan links close measurement with lower costs and more runway. It calls for comparing projections with actuals, removing nonessential subscriptions, and treating measurable outcomes as the key operating metric.
Slide text
Prioritizing Our Business Metrics Projections vs actual Got Deeply Intimate with our Numbers Cut Expenses Optimized Runway If we couldn’t measure it, it didn’t count. Cut all non-vital expenses Forgotten SaaS subscriptions = gone Founder sacrifice This was our only metric
Alternative funding rebuilt runway
The chart shows runway bottoming out before alternative funding, then rising sharply into late 2023. It contrasts the initial decline after the seed round with a later increase to 150 months, illustrating how additional capital changed the cash horizon.
Slide text
Our Runway (in Months) SEED ROUND!
Combine operating discipline with funding
The roadmap pairs metric discipline and expense cuts with creative funding. It adds aligned investors and alternative capital sources to the earlier focus on realistic numbers and revenue.
Slide text
Over the next 15 minutes I’m going to show you how we grew our unsexy funeral SaaS into a real business without a traditional VC. Optimized Business Metrics Got Creative with Funding Got real intimate and realistic with our numbers Cut expenses, sacrificed Prioritized revenue Found properly aligned investors Used alternative sources of capital
Revenue kept climbing
The revenue line rises steadily from 2021 through 2023, even as runway was tightening. The seed-round marker appears early in the series, while the overall trajectory emphasizes continued revenue growth.
Slide text
Our Revenue Was Still Growing SEED ROUND!
Angels and boutique funds that did not
Choose capital that fits the business
The company sought investors aligned with its goals, including angels and boutique funds that did not require control. The slide also presents an alternative capital source with non-dilutive funding, flexible terms, and no clauses.
Slide text
Angels and boutique funds that did not require control We Found Cash in Alternative Places Not all investors invest the same Found investors aligned with our business goals Found Alternative Capital Sources (Founderpath) Non-dilutive Flexible Terms Clause-Free
See the repayment schedule upfront
A funding dashboard pairs a large initial payout with a sequence of monthly repayments. The schedule and cash-flow table make the timing and structure of repayment visible to the founder.
Runway rose with alternative funding
The runway chart first declines after the seed round, then turns upward after the marked alternative funding point. The later bars climb to 150 months, showing a substantial extension of the company’s cash horizon.
Slide text
Our Runway (in Months) SEED ROUND! Alternative Funding
Protect control and prioritize cash
The funding approach favors aligned investors who do not require control and alternative capital with flexible terms. The company also paused valuation discussions and directed investment toward services and revenue-generating work.
Slide text
Angels and boutique funds that did not require control We Found Cash in Alternative Places Not all investors invest the same Found investors aligned with our business goals Found Alternative Capital Sources (Founderpath) Non-dilutive Flexible Terms Clause-Free Prioritized Cash and Revenue Valuation talks paused Invested in services & revenue generating items
Build an efficient business
The final section combines metric discipline, creative funding, and efficient operations. Its practices include prioritizing revenue and profits while adapting roles to the team’s strengths.
Slide text
Over the next 5 minutes I’m going to show you how we grew our unsexy funeral SaaS into a real business without a traditional VC. Optimized Business Metrics Got Creative with Funding Created a Real, Efficient Business Got real intimate and realistic with our numbers Cut expenses, sacrificed Prioritized revenue Put profits first Got creative with roles Found properly aligned investors Used alternative sources of revenue
Build an efficient, resilient team
Put profit ahead of headcount
The company describes focusing on making money and reducing the team to its strongest contributors. It also found employees with hidden strengths who could take on valuable work.
Slide text
We Were Forced to Create a Real, Efficient Business We are here to make money Put Profits First We Were Left with Rockstars Forced to cut good and only left with great We found hidden talents in our employees
Adapt roles around employee strengths
An employee moved between customer support and product management because they understood customers, knew the product, and communicated well. The example shows how existing skills can fill a new operating need.
Slide text
Rockstars can adapt. We found talent in unexpected ways Customer Support Associate Product Manager Understood the customers Knew the product Communicated well
Match experience to operational roles
The example connects onboarding and merchandise responsibilities with prior ordering experience and careful organization. It reinforces the value of finding practical, transferable skills inside the team.
Slide text
Rockstars can adapt. We found talent in unexpected ways Client Onboarding Head of Merchadise Experienced with merchandise Had previous ordering experience Meticulously organized
Profitability creates more options
The company links a leaner, stronger team and profit focus with becoming self-sustaining in uncertain markets. That position puts acquisition, fundraising, and continuing as a lifestyle business back on the table.
Slide text
We Were Forced to Create a Real, Efficient Business We are here to make money Put Profits First We Were Left with Rockstars Forced to cut good and left with only great We found hidden talents in our own employees We Created More Optionality We are self-sustaining in uncertain markets Acquisition, fundraising, and lifestyle business are all back on the table
Created a Real, Efficient Business
Recap the operating and funding choices
The recap brings together careful metrics, expense cuts, and revenue focus with aligned investors and alternative capital. It closes by emphasizing profits and creative role design as parts of a more resilient business.
Slide text
Over the last 20 minutes I showed you how we… Optimized Business Metrics Got Creative with Funding Created a Real, Efficient Business Got real intimate and realistic with our numbers Cut expenses, sacrificed Prioritized revenue Put profits first Got creative with roles Found properly aligned investors Used alternative sources of revenue
Thank you from Tyler Yamasaki
Tyler Yamasaki closes by thanking the audience. The final card identifies him as Parting Pro’s CEO and invites follow-up through the contact details shown.
Slide text
Tyler Yamasaki CEO, Parting Pro