the ash flash

the ash flash

Home
Podcast
Notes
subscribe
Archive
About
Carrying the weight that doesn’t go away
Nobody had written a protocol for September 11th, because nobody had imagined September 11th
 • John Ashworth
The sound that crosses every line we draw in the sand
Because telling the truth about the things that broke your heart is how you keep faith with the people and the moments that mattered.
 • John Ashworth
Two stories from the wire, when combined, will tell you more about the next five years of death care than any keynote is willing to reveal
The competition for licensed directors is no longer about salary and a good schedule. It is about whether a young director can see a future in your…
 • John Ashworth
Legacy reputation isn’t enough anymore: What independent Funeral Homes are losing before the first call
It means your digital presence has to do something your reputation used to do automatically, which is earn the first call. Not close it. Earn it.
 • John Ashworth

August 2026

Funeral Industry Market Brief for August 31st
Four stories crossed my desk this week that look completely unrelated until you put them side by side.
 • John Ashworth
AI won’t take the arrangement room, it will decide who gets to stay in it
What does it actually mean to own and operate a small funeral home in this era?
 • John Ashworth
The Twenty-Six-Year-Old Who Called First
There is a particular kind of quiet that settles over a family when nobody knows what she would have wanted.
 • John Ashworth
Preneed is the one growth channel still adding real volume while at-need call volume shrinks
Preneed is the one growth channel still adding real volume while at-need call volume shrinks, and that distinction matters more than the summary numbers…
 • John Ashworth
A profession that got talked into sounding like nobody
They sound like every other funeral home, which is the actual crime, because the whole business is built on being trusted enough that a stranger hands…
 • John Ashworth
The Brief
**For Independent Funeral Home Owners | Today's Intelligence**
 • John Ashworth

July 2026

© 2026 John Ashworth · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture