Adrian Ashton
@adrianashton2.bsky.social
310 followers 510 following 220 posts
supporting people & organisations (social / otherwise) deal with uncertainty; occasional anorak; a tiger striped chaise lounge with a flamingo cushion.
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adrianashton2.bsky.social
Earlier this year, I started to be more open about unexpected plot twists the universe has thrown at my business over the it's first 20 years.
I'm now sharing the lessons of how they made my enterprise stronger at an upcoming (free) webinar later this month - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunch-and-...
Lunch and Learn: Leaning into adversities to make your brand stronger
Hear from Adrian on how he kept his business afloat in the face of crises that would have forced most other businesses to close.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
adrianashton2.bsky.social
If you are, or know, someone who works or volunteers in Manchester's social economy and also provides unpaid care for someone, please check out this short survey via Manchester's Social Economy Alliance:
forms.gle/Zh9PKQnfrK9F...

(more details via the same link)
Unpaid carers who also have roles in Manchester's social economy groups
The Manchester Social Economy Alliance (MSEA) is seeking to better understand the experiences of unpaid carers who are employed, or in other roles, with social economy groups in Manchester (such as ch...
forms.gle
adrianashton2.bsky.social
Chuffed to spot myself in today's @thetimes.com newspaper, alongside lots of fellow Good Business Charter businesses 🤩
adrianashton2.bsky.social
And it also feels timely to do so, after my current book, Flushed!, which includes references to the Goals in places, recently became an Amazon top100 bestseller!
amzn.eu/d/2iEK8oY
adrianashton2.bsky.social
Proud to be 'flying the flag' for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals today, as a business who's wrapped their business model around 5 of the goals.
@globalcompactuk.bsky.social
#TogetherForTheSDGs #SDGFlagDay

drive.google.com/file/d/1dybB... (p 18-21)
Reposted by Adrian Ashton
cooperativesuk.bsky.social
Co-operatives do business better:
💷 4x more likely to be Living Wage Employers
📈 82% survive 5 years (vs 39% UK average)
👩‍💼 Women more likely to reach the top
Explore the #CoopEconomy 👇
uk.coop/news/record-...
A graphic highlighting the benefits of co-operatives when it comes to start-up success, Living Wage Employer status and leadership opportunities for women. The graphic features the Co-operatives UK logo and hashtag #CoopEconomy.
adrianashton2.bsky.social
Very excited to see that my book, 'Flushed!' is not only currently charting as a bestseller in 2 of Amazon's categories, but in being ranked #42 has also become the answer to life, the universe, and everything...!
amzn.eu/d/1G3cQ9P
Reposted by Adrian Ashton
edgeuk.bsky.social
Our new campaign, #ApprenticeshipsWork launched today, based on two new policy reports, "Chaos to Coordination" and "Agents of Change". www.edge.co.uk/policy/repor... Edge Executive Director Oliver Newton introduces Apprenticeships Work here: vimeo.com/1119033931?s...
Apprenticeships Work
Edge Executive Director, Olly Newton introduces "Apprenticeships Work", a campaign to encourage more small businesses to take on apprentices.
vimeo.com
adrianashton2.bsky.social
great to guest on the latest episode of @ninalenton.bsky.social's creativity podcast:

- the relationship between Talking Heads and balance sheets;
- why company law is like going to the pub;
- why business cards should be made out of bananas;
and more...
www.ninalenton.co.uk/creative-con...
Creative Conversations – Adrian Ashton – series 2 episode 2 – Nina Lenton
www.ninalenton.co.uk
adrianashton2.bsky.social
Looks like I'm off to the moon (again) next year!

- if you want to join me on the trip, check out "Launch Your Name Around Moon in 2026 on NASA’s Artemis II Mission" www.nasa.gov/news-release... via NASA
adrianashton2.bsky.social
I think I've figured out why the voices of unpaid carers are always seemingly ignored by policy makers, when it comes to trying to make things more equitable for us.

(now to figure out how to fix this!)
thirdsectorexpert.blogspot.com/2025/09/why-...
adrianashton2.bsky.social
Been governance-ing a lot today: participating in the AGMs of some national sector bodies I'm a member of, and arranging proxies for others who've arranged theirs at times that my calendar can't otherwise accommodate...

What does your business do to show solidarity with/influence others?
adrianashton2.bsky.social
Very excited that the library at #ImpactHubYorkshire is the first to accept a copy of my latest book, 'Flushed!', onto its shelves - hopefully helping to inspire and encourage the next generation of changemakers.

(but able to double-up as an emergency door stop if not!)
Reposted by Adrian Ashton
leeinroyston.bsky.social
No mean feat to survive as a freelancer for two decades - well done!