After an abrupt halt to her career and a costly legal battle, Mareena Sear is now preparing to re-enter the industry in which she, as part of her family business, was a dominant player for more than 20 years.
After an abrupt halt to her career and a costly legal battle, Mareena Sear is now preparing to re-enter the industry in which she, as part of her family business, was a dominant player for more than 20 years.
Ms Sear, known as Mareena Purslowe before she took her married name, says she bears no grudge toward her former employer, Invocare, which bought the Purslowe Funerals and Mareena Purslowe and Associates businesses in 2004.
With her employment terminated at the end of her 10-year contract, Ms Sear fought and won the right to overturn a five-year restraint of trade imposed on her by Invocare, a clause of her original employment contract.
“That restraint clause never concerned me because I always thought I’d continue to work there until I retired,” she told WA Business News.
“I never thought this sort of thing would occur…[But] at end of day when it did happen, I couldn’t even breathe or sniff near the funeral industry or suppliers.”
Feeling she still had a lot to offer the funeral industry, Ms Sear sold her home to fund her legal battle, which went to court in June 2006.
On February 14 this year, the judge ruled in Ms Sear’s favour, stating that the clauses in the restraint were “unenforceable”.
For her part, Ms Sear agreed not to operate under the Purslowe or Mareena Purslowe names.
“I didn’t fight a court case for two and a half years for pride or just for the fun of it,” she said. “To me it was all about being free to get back into the industry.”
Ms Sear is unsure how exactly she will make her re-entrance into the funeral industry, weighing up the benefits – and risks – of either starting again from scratch, or acquiring existing businesses.
But whatever form it takes, she acknowledges her involvement will be less hands-on. Instead, she will concentrate her efforts behind the scenes, focusing on strategic development, administration and training.
“I feel I have some changes I think I can help to instigate within the industry, and this time I want to have a financial share in it, as opposed to working for somebody else,” Ms Sear said.
She will be re-entering an industry that has undergone extensive change since her entrance at 20 years of age, some of which Ms Sear was instrumental in spearheading, including the introduction of women into the mainstream funeral profession.
As an industry dominated by family businesses, the introduction of multinational companies, which have grown predominantly through acquisitions, has brought with it both positives and negatives, according to Ms Sear.
“Some owner-operators have been challenged to lift their game,” she said.
“A lot of things they introduced to industry and taught me were great, and I can take on into my own business. There’s also a lot of things I’ve learnt from them that you shouldn’t do,” she said.
Ms Sear believes consumers are now better educated about their options regarding funerals, changing the nature of the once overly traditional service to a more unique, and at times celebratory, experience.
“Consumers know your business, and will have a pretty good idea of what they expect from you. You need to offer a range of services so clients can choose what best suits them,” she said.
“Successful businesses are the ones that can change and adapt to their environment.”
