Invest in Angus

Ready, Steady, Grow: How to Expand Your Business
2024-08-14 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
Ready to accelerate your business growth but unsure where to begin?
Look no further than our Ready Steady Grow workshop focused on accelerating business growth. Led by experienced business advisers, this session is designed to help you identify your growth potential and create a roadmap for success.
Through collaborative discussions with like-minded businesses, you’ll gain new insights, tools and knowledge to help support your growth plans. You’ll also walk away with a network of fellow business owners to connect with for ongoing support.
Don’t miss this opportunity to take your business to new heights!

Creating an effective email marketing strategy
2024-08-15 10:00 - 12:00
Customers buy from businesses that they know, like and trust. Email marketing is powerful and affordable tool in your digital marketing toolkit to build these relationships.
Most businesses send monthly newsletters to stay in touch with their audience, but your results will improve with a structured plan and the best practices that will be explored in this webinar.
Whether you’re new to email marketing or you’re looking to optimise your email strategy, this webinar enable you to:

Adopt email marketing into your wider marketing strategy and gain insight into your target audience
Understand the key stages of an effective marketing strategy
Segment your audiences and to target and position your offering to them effectively
Create a value-driven and customer-focussed content for email marketing whilst measuring and testing it’s effectiveness
Identify the most suitable platforms and tools for email marketing campaigns, including different paid-for account levels
Optimise the different components of a successful email campaign
Use reporting and key metrics to make sure your campaigns are successful
Be compliant with legal requirements relating to email communications and use best practices for escaping the spam folder

Horizon Europe & International Low Carbon Research & Innovation Funding
2024-08-15 10:00 - 14:00 | The Studio Glasgow, 67 Hope Street, G2 6AE
Join Scottish Enterprise for a workshop in Glasgow to learn about the range of funding available to support research and innovation in the critical growth areas of energy and low carbon.
The session will provide details of the current and upcoming funding available through Horizon Europe, as well as details of other international funding programmes and grants including Eureka Eurostars, EIC Pathfinder and Accelerator, SMART grants, Global Business Innovation Programme and more!
This event will provide an early insight to these opportunities, including some which have yet to be published.
It will therefore be of interest to Innovative companies, universities / research and public sector organisations who are planning, supporting or interested in the available funding opportunities for energy and low carbon research and innovation projects.

Is it too soon to talk about the C word?
2024-08-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Pathhead Farm, Forfar Road, Kirriemuir, DD8 5BY
Join us for an exciting joint networking event with Appetite for Angus at the Pathhead Farm Shop and Café. This event is your chance to connect with like-minded individuals and businesses in your community and to kickstart your business’s Christmas plans.
Learn about upcoming events hosted by both Business Gateway and Appetite for Angus, and explore the various support options available to you in the lead-up to the festive season.
In addition to networking, you will have the chance to hear from Ally, the owner of Pathhead Farm. Ally will share his vision for the farm shop and café while discussing his search for local suppliers to feature in his business. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore potential collaborations and gain insights into local market opportunities.
Don’t miss this opportunity to network with local businesses and discover how you can benefit from the resources and support provided by Business Gateway and Appetite for Angus.

Photography for digital marketing
2024-08-16 10:00 - 12:00
During this webinar you will:

Discover the basic ‘dos and don’ts’ of taking your own pictures, editing them and uploading them onto digital platforms
See some real-life examples of posts that demonstrate good, bad and indifferent use for businesses

How to build your brand
2024-08-16 14:00 - 16:00
This webinar will define what a brand is (and is not) and explain how it is more than just creating a logo. We will explore how a business can use their brand to show its identity, purpose, personality, message, and values in order to stand out from competitors, build a loyal customer base and make more sales.
This session will:

Provide you with a clear understanding of the difference between brands and branding
Help you understand what a brand is
Show you why branding is important
Look at your brand strategy, brand identity and action
Help you learn how to develop your brand’s positioning, character, and purpose to differentiate your business from its competitors
Demonstrate how to set up a brand kit and style guide to ensure consistency across websites, social media, business cards, posters etc.
Teach you how to create simple promotional graphics using a variety of tools including Canva
Highlight a variety of free tools including Google Drive, Hubspot and Mailchimp that can save time and simplify marketing tasks

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 2: Off page optimisation & technical considerations
2024-08-20 10:00 - 12:00
Join us as we take a further, more detailed look at how the Google search engines indexes and ranks websites based on a number of external (off-page) and technical factors. Implementing this learning will increase your chances of customers discovering your business through Google – the world’s leading research tool.
We will cover:

How to block or control what websites are allowed to ‘index’
The importance of a fast loading mobile website
How security and usability influence Google
What “off-page” optimisation means, and tactics to generate back-links
The importance of Local SEO, and why a “Google Business Profile” is vital

Register Your Interest - Amazon Accelerator Programme
2024-08-20 10:00 - 16:00
Please note this is just to register your interest in the programme. A member of the team will be in touch to discuss whether the programme is right for you.
Amazon Accelerator commences on 20th Aug and runs with weekly involvement until 29 Nov , with regular content and 1-2-1’s.
Our team of experienced Amazon sellers will provide 1-2-1 support to address your company-specific issues and offer expert advice for successful sales growth. By the end of the programme you will have developed your:

Amazon profile.
launched your Amazon site.
established a significant and consistent revenue stream.

Delivery

Online learning platform.
bi-weekly online group sessions on Friday mornings.
ongoing 1-2-1 support.

Managing People for Growth - Hybrid
2024-08-21 09:00 - 16:00 | Scottish Enterprise, 99 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5HD
Our workshops cover several key areas that can help you develop the skills of your people managers. You’ll learn how to:

Identify the skills and approaches managers require to perform their roles successfully both now and in the future
Implement fair and progressive work practices through an understanding of key drivers that can develop new ways of working (for example, the fair work framework, productivity and benefits of employee engagement)
Understand the importance of effectively maximising and improving existing staff skills, while identifying the style and attributes of an effective manager

Areas our workshops will focus on:
1. The role of a manager
2. Empowering teams and individuals
3. Communication, influencing and collaboration
4. Coaching and delegation
5. Managing individual performance
6. Creating a culture of innovation

Chat GPT for Beginners
2024-08-21 10:00 - 13:00
Janine Marriott explains practical business uses for the AI that everyone is talking about – Chat GPT
We will cover the following topics and more, and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions at the end on how it can help your particular business/industry.

What is ChatGPT and how does it work?
How can ChatGPT help my small business?
How much does ChatGPT cost?
How can ChatGPT help me reach more customers?
Can ChatGPT integrate with other marketing tools I’m already using?
How do I know if ChatGPT is right for my small business?
Are there any resources or support available to help me get started with ChatGPT?

How to deliver low-cost, high impact marketing
2024-08-21 10:30 - 12:30
When budgets are tight, it can be difficult to find the funds for marketing. This webinar will offer marketing tips and advice that you can then use across your business – without bursting the bank.
We will look at:

How marketing extends way beyond what most businesses consider it to be and how it provides opportunities for businesses to make transformational change with little or minimal extra spend
Identifying marketing priorities and using these to reshape your business
The marketing mix as a tool for reviewing how your business plans and delivers its marketing activity
How your marketing activity is delivered successfully and effectively in your business
A series of top tips including the importance of understanding your customers, the core components of a brand, the value of strong and consistent branding, the value of a clear focus and the power of creativity
The many options available with traditional advertising and promotion as a way a company communicates what it does and what it can offer customers, but also looking how this has changed in a world where marketing has moved online
The foundations of effective marketing in a digital age, looking at how your business can grasp new ways of marketing such as social media, web and digital PR

From side-hustle to start-up
2024-08-21 12:30 - 13:30
Whether you’re running a small online shop, offering freelance services, or pursuing a passion project, the session aims to help give you the confidence you need to take the next step and transform your side gig into a full-time business.
Join us for an engaging, practical session where you’ll learn the essential steps to building out your side hustle and navigate the challenges of starting-up. Our expert speakers will share actionable insights on:

Strategies to build confidence
How to overcome a fear of failure
First steps to launching your start-up
Challenges in transitioning from side-hustle to start-up
Time management tips to balance your side hustle with other commitments

Who Should Attend:

Side hustlers ready to scale their projects into full-fledged businesses
Aspiring entrepreneurs looking for guidance on starting their journey
Anyone interested in monetising their skills or hobbies

Hydrogen market opportunities in Scotland and Denmark
2024-08-22 09:00 - 10:00
Following the recent announcement on the Danish hydrogen pipeline to Germany, join this free webinar and hear from key stakeholders in the Danish and Scottish hydrogen/PtX ecosystems and get an update on the state of play in both countries.

Managing People for Growth - Hybrid
2024-08-22 09:00 - 16:00 | Connect Three, 4 Rogart Street, Bridgeton, G40 2AA

Business Finance Viability
2024-08-22 10:00 - 12:00
Led by experienced advisers, this webinar takes the fear out of finances, providing practical tools and guidance to help you confidently manage your business’s budgeting and forecasting. You’ll learn how to identify the hidden costs of running your business, including the cost of hiring staff, maintaining stock levels, and other crucial expenses.
Through a series of engaging exercises, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your business’s financial viability, helping you make informed decisions about its future growth and success. Whether you’re a new entrepreneur or have been in business for a couple of years, this webinar is tailored to your needs, providing you with the knowledge and skills to take your business to the next level.
Don’t let financial worries hold you back from realizing your business’s full potential. Sign up for the Business Finance Viability webinar today and discover how to confidently manage your business’s financial health!

Social media essentials: TikTok and Instagram Reels
2024-08-22 10:00 - 12:00
TikTok and Instagram Reels aren’t just for dance trends and lip-synching videos, they can also be a fantastic opportunity to engage with your customers and increase the reach of your business online. Learn how to create bitesize video content for more effective business communication on two of the most popular social platforms.
We will cover:

How to optimise your TikTok and Instagram accounts for the best results with video
How to discover the latest trends on each platform and leverage this to create popular videos for your business
Ideas for creating content to entertain, inspire or educate your audience (with lots of examples from a variety of relevant TikTok and Reels accounts)
How to increase engagement and reach by paying attention to your videos’ structure, duration, titles and understanding hashtags and algorithms
The best kit, apps and workflow to create bitesize vertical videos for both platforms

Telling Your Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability Story
2024-08-22 10:00 - 16:00 | Kinclune Estate, Kirkton of Kingoldrum, Forfar, DD8 5HX
The next Angus Agritourism Monitor Farm meeting takes place on Thursday 22nd August at Kinclune Estate, Kirkton of Kingoldrum, Kirriemuir, Angus DD8 5HX
The focus of the meeting is on ‘Telling Your Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability Story’.
We will hear from Monitor Farmer Aylwin Pillai on the progress of the build of their new wedding venue and an update on how the Highland pony tours and accommodation is performing.
We will then take a walk up the hill behind Kinclune, where you will find out more from Virginia Osborne about how to tell an engaging story about conservation, biodiversity and sustainability.
The meeting itself is free to attend and all agritourism, rural tourism and rural food and drink businesses are welcome as well as farmers and crofters considering agritourism.

A step-by-step guide to building your business plan
2024-08-22 14:00 - 16:00
New and established businesses will require a business plan for getting a loan, grant or just to consider the direction they wish to go in. This webinar will teach you what you need to include and how. We will walk you through what should be included within a business plan, how a business plan is used to improve your prospects for a loan or a grant, and how you can develop a business plan to meet your needs.
We will:

Provide a structure for a business plan
Review each section of what should be included within the business plan
Explain when and how to use a business plan
Explore the connections (and importance) between the words and the numbers
Look at how to identify and manage cashflow within the business planning process

Delivering profit to drive growth
2024-08-27 10:00 - 12:00
The course covers financial analysis, strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and the role of innovation and scalability in leveraging profit for long-term success.
We will cover:

Getting to know your financials
Controlling growth
Improving decision making
Opportunities
Cash is king
Controlling change
Pricing strategies for maximum profit
Measuring profit

Cashflow Management Skills Webinar
2024-08-27 10:00 - 13:00
Who is this bootcamp for?
This bootcamp has been designed for small business owners, in order to help them with their short-term cash preservation and cashflow, as well as helping to prepare your business for the future.
Overview:
You’ll learn about managing your short-term cashflow and preparing your business for the future, with effective cashflow forecasting and planning to put your business in the best position possible.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Deep Dive
2024-08-27 14:00 - 16:00 | The Meffan, 20 West High Street, Forfar, DD8 1BB
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to make your website appear higher in search results like Google by improving your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). This means more people can find your website easily.
What We’ll Cover:

Technical SEO: How to fix hidden parts of your website to make it run better and be easier for search engines to find.
Keyword Research: How to find the right words and phrases that people use when they search for things online.
On-Page Optimisation: How to improve the pages on your website so they rank higher in search results.
Off-Page Optimisation: How to improve your website’s reputation by getting other websites to link to it.
Local SEO: How to make your business more visible to people searching in your local area.
Latest Algorithm Updates: Understanding the newest rules and changes made by search engines that affect how websites are ranked.

By the end of this workshop, you’ll have practical tips to improve your website’s visibility and attract more visitors.

Marketing for your business - Skills Webinar
2024-08-27 14:00 - 17:00
This bootcamp has been designed as a beginner’s guide for businesses, focused on the subject of marketing.
Without proper marketing your business cannot have a lasting impact. This bootcamp will help you to identify, profile and gain a deeper understanding of your target audiences, how to conduct market research and build a marketing plan. It will also explain brand development and positioning – choosing your price points.

Social media essentials: Facebook
2024-08-27 18:00 - 20:00
Get to grips with Facebook – the world’s most popular social networking platform.
In this webinar you will:

Learn how to get the most out of Facebook and how it could fit into your business’s digital marketing strategy
Better understand the algorithm behind Facebook, and how to create great content that achieves a bigger reach and impact
Learn from the stats and data you can get from the system and discover who your most interested customers/clients are
Understand the power of Facebook advertising, and other selling options available to you
Discover other business opportunities presented by Facebook, including how to promote and sell products and services
Be introduced to ‘Business Suite’ – a free Facebook dashboard to manage all your business activity

How to start a business: The basics
2024-08-27 18:00 - 20:00
Whatever your reasons may be for considering being your own boss, we are here to support you and help you decide if this is the right path for you.
We will cover:

Personal finance
Planning – how much do you need to earn?
Researching your market – who your customers are, understanding your competition and what the trends are within your chosen field
Business structure – what are the core business structures? How to decide which is right for you and how to register as a business
Creating your start-up action plan – an outline
Marketing
Pricing
Naming the business
Basic bookkeeping
Forecasting
Financing, banking, insurance, and VAT
Tax

Bookkeeping essentials
2024-08-28 09:00 - 11:00
This webinar is for those who are entering business for the first time or require an understanding of what is involved in financially managing a business, including basic bookkeeping, and creating a profit and loss account. You will also get an understanding of what expenses the business can claim and then how to fund your business. At the end of the session, you will receive a workbook on excel to help you manage and monitor costs and sales.
At the end of this session, you will be able to:

Implement basic bookkeeping skills across your business
Create a profit and loss account
Understand what expenses can and cannot be claimed
Use financial management to increase revenues and profits
Understand capital and revenue costs and how they are treated

SMAS Business Improvement Academy
2024-08-28 09:30 - 16:00 | Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6HQ
The Business Improvement Academy is an innovative new approach that combines business improvement with behavioural change. A mix of five workshop based learning days combined with best practice, and on-site project work will support companies wishing to engage in the concept of sustainable continuous improvement by combining improvement tools and techniques with cultural and behavioural change.
Benefit to companies
Participants of the academy will become cultural enablers for their business, capable of delivering sustainable improvement through developing employee engagement and embedding supporting behaviours.
The guiding principles of the academy are:

Continuous improvement combined with behavioural change – tailored to the participant’s own business improvement project
Use of active learning techniques – supported by experienced practitioners
Focus on sustainable change – embedding learning to deliver future business benefits
Leadership excellence – practical improvement and embedding of leadership skills
Business excellence – improving the competitiveness of business
Engagement – encouraging continuous improvement by engaging with others

Why should you attend?
You have the ambition to drive significant improvements forward (process and behavioural) within your business. However, the rate of change is slower than anticipated. The appetite for change isn’t quite what it should be and any process changes achieved may have been short lived. There is also an expectation that any changes won’t be fully supported, with a consequential migration back to previous practices.
Who should participate?

Those who have responsibility for enabling change in the business and are keen to secure a higher level of ownership and engagement from their colleagues
Those who wish to clearly understand and better appreciate their own respective roles in the change process

Please note that sponsoring business leaders will be required to attend. These include:

Half-day sponsors session in order to fully understand their role in supporting their delegates back in the workplace as they implement change – 28 August 2024
The final delegate presentation day – 27 November 2024

Course Dates

Sponsor Day 28/08/2024.
Delegate Day 1 03/09/2024.
Delegate Day 2 11/09/2024.
Delegate Day 3 18/09/2024.
Delegate Day 4 25/09/2024.
Delegate Day 5 02/10/2024.
Best Practice Visit 09/10/2024 – This will be on site at a company/innovation centre.
On site Coaching – 3 half day session – dates to be agreed.
Feedback Day 27/11/2024.

Please Note that the sponsoring business leaders will be required to attend:

Half-day Sponsors Session on the (28th of August 2024) in order to fully understand their role in supporting their delegates back in the workplace as they implement change;
The final delegate presentation day (27th November 2024).

Eligibility
The academy is open to applications from businesses with aspirations for growth. An initial review will ensure the academy is the best option to meet current business needs. The cost is £1000 (excluding VAT) for an SME and £1250 (excluding VAT) for a non-SME per delegate paid in advance by credit card. It will be held at Scottish Enterprise Collaboration Suite, Floor 4, Atrium Court, 50 Waterloo St, Glasgow G2 6HQ.

Employing international graduates: Graduate visa and Skilled Worker visa
2024-08-28 12:00 - 13:00
This webinar is designed to guide you through the key steps for employing non-UK national graduates through the Graduate visa or Skilled Worker visa routes, including how to transition them to a Skilled Worker visa.
We will breakdown the visa requirements as well as outlining best practice to ensure a smooth process.
Perfect for small and medium Scottish based employers and HR professionals hiring non-UK national graduates in Scotland.

Tayside Adaptation Partnership Vision and Priorities Event: Public Bodies
2024-08-28 12:30 - 15:00 | Perth & Kinross Council Civic Hall, 2 High Street, Perth, PH1 5HP
The climate in Tayside is changing, and the region is experiencing warmer, wetter weather, increased storminess, and higher sea levels, all of which is set to continue even if we achieved net zero tomorrow. We need to adapt to these changes to allow us to become more resilient and ensure Tayside can continue to flourish.
Adaptation Scotland are supporting partners within Tayside to develop a new, Regional Adaptation Partnership to address climate risks.
At this early stage, we want to involve people and organisations across the region in defining a shared vision and priorities for the new partnership. Four sector specific events have been designed to provide opportunities for different groups to have a say in what the partnership could be, what it could do and how it could work.
Aimed at Public Bodies, this workshop will explore how a regional partnership can advance adaptation in Tayside, using these three key questions:
1. How would you describe current work on adaptation in Tayside? What works well and what are the challenges?
2. What do you hope to see in Tayside in 2050, as the result of good adaptation action?
3.How can the regional partnership help move Tayside from the current situation to the future we want to see in 2050?
The event will run from 12:30pm – 3pm with registration and a free lunch available from 12:15pm. Space is limited, so we ask you to register no more than 2 people per organisation or group.

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
2024-08-28 13:00 - 15:00
One of the most daunting challenges a business can face is the process of hiring employees, interviewing, payroll, pensions, contracts, remote working and more, it is a minefield for the business owner.
This webinar will allow you to have the key information in your possession to take on staff and look after your team.
We’ll cover:

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
Attracting and recruiting the best people for your business
Your obligations as employers
How to retain staff members
Moving on
Dismissal
Restructure/Redundancy

We will also look at:

How in the current climate you can manage staff and teams in a remote environment, considering their productivity, efficiency, and the issues of home working
How you can best manage staff to ensure productivity is kept and mental health is supported
The impact of companies who may be considering restructuring and therefore redundancy for the first time and how that can be managed

Scottish Enterprise Clean Heat Strategic Workforce Development Fund
2024-08-28 14:00 - 15:00
The Clean Heat Strategic Workforce Development Fund offers workplace innovation support to Scottish companies that are working or interested in the clean heat market.
This practical support helps businesses improve their processes by making better use of staff skills, experience and creativity to carry out everyday tasks.
The fund also provides financial support to help companies develop their:

Workforce Capability and Culture
Workplace Practices
Leadership and Management

The grants can be used to cover third party training or consultancy costs, as well as provide some support for internal training costs.
Find out more about the fund by joining this webinar and visit our website for a more information about the fund.
