Invest in Angus

Sustainable Scotland Network Conference 2024
2024-05-22 09:00 - 15:00 UTC
We’re thrilled to announce the return of SSN’s Annual Conference on public sector climate action. This year’s Conference will address the key challenges and opportunities facing the public sector as we move from ambition into action on climate change, resilience and sustainability.
Taking place online on Wednesday 22nd May 2024, the Conference will welcome public sector colleagues, SSN members, and industry professionals to one of Scotland’s major public sector climate change events.
The Conference will present insights and initiatives designed to shift the dial on climate and sustainability action. It will draw on the work of SSN members and bring together leading advocates for transformational change within and across the public sector.
The event will focus on progressing integrated approaches designed to deliver multiple national performance outcomes across climate, wellbeing, nature, health, sustainability and
prosperity.
Máiri McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy, Scottish Government will open the event, alongside Cllr Gail Macgregor, Environment and Economy Spokesperson, COSLA. We will also be joined by speakers who will share their own insights and lived experience of putting policy into practice. The event will also feature sessions on taking a holistic approach to mitigation, adaptation, resilience and well-being.
This is a key event for anyone working on climate change and sustainability in, or with, the public sector. The conference audience will include leaders, policy makers and practitioners from across the Scottish public sector, including local authorities, NHS Boards, universities and colleges and the wide array of national and regional public bodies that are all actively involved in SSN.

Introduction to Energy Transition in APAC
2024-05-22 09:00 - 10:00
Meet the APAC Energy Transition team and hear our priorities and opportunities for the year ahead.
This webinar is for Scotland based companies in energy transition.

Social media essentials: Instagram
2024-05-21 14:00 - 16:00
Thinking about using Instagram to communicate with existing and potential customers? Want to showcase your products or services using it? During this webinar we will cover:

Getting the setup right and benefitting from the available business tools
Best practice profiles, and some strategies to help your business stand out from the crowd
The types of audience you can reach via this platform and the factors and analytics such as cost and timing of posting images and how that can maximise impact
The various types of content you can post to Instagram, from regular posts to Stories and Reels

Recruiting, Training & Retaining Staff - Monitor Farms Programme
2024-05-21 10:00 - 16:00 | Charleton Farm, Montrose, DD10 9EW
This Monitor Farm meeting takes place on Tuesday 21 May 2024 at Charleton Fruit Farm and Arbikie Distillery. The focus of the meeting is on recruiting, training and retaining staff.
Registration is at 10am at Charleton Fruit Farm with the meeting starting at 10.30am and lunch will be provided.
Graeme and Lisa from Charleton will provide a tour of the business and speak about staffing within their business. There will also be experts providing further information on the topic including employment law.
We will then move to Arbikie Distillery at 2.30pm for the final part of the meeting and a representative from Arbikie will speak about how the business has developed over the past few years and how they recruit, train and retain a great staff team. This will be followed by a tour of the distillery and the new accommodation.
All welcome.
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.

How to build a digital marketing plan
2024-05-21 10:00 - 12:00
This webinar will guide you through the steps needed to create an effective digital marketing strategy, ensuring you focus on the right tactics to meet your business objectives and goals.
We will cover:

The importance of planning your digital marketing activities
Building your plan around a simple framework
Conducting a situational analysis (and understanding customers and competitors)
Developing your brand and tone of voice
Planning your content strategy
Prioritising digital channels
Evaluating your Digital Marketing efforts

Social media essentials: TikTok and Instagram Reels
2024-05-20 14:00 - 16:00
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

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 2: Off page optimisation & technical considerations
2024-05-20 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

Upskill for Today & Future Proof Your Business
2024-05-17 12:00 - 14:00 | Michelin Innovation Parc, Baldovie Road, Dundee, DD4 8UQ
Calling all electricians, plumbers, car mechanics/technicians and tradespeople working with hybrid/electric vehicles (EV), EV charging installation points, hydrogen vehicles or heat pump systems.
Explore our cutting-edge facilities, equipment and training at The Skills Academy at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, designed to elevate your skills in current & future technologies.
Why Attend?
Hands-On Experience: Explore our state-of-the-art equipment used for our upskilling courses for plumbers, electricians and car technicians at The Skills Academy.
Funding Opportunities: Learn about accessing funding to upskill yourself or your team in these skills.
Business Success: Understand the importance of upskilling in electric and renewable technologies to future-proof your business.
Don’t miss this chance to stay ahead in your field and shape the future of your business!

Growth Leadership - Taster Session
2024-05-16 10:00 - 11:00
Are you a leader of a business with planned growth aspirations, a leader looking to build on previous leadership development over the next two to three years, or the leader of a business that’s in the early stages of growth?
If so, the Growth Leadership programme could be for you. You can join our taster session to get an overview of the programme. This will help you ensure it’s the right leadership development programme for you.
You’ll also get the opportunity to ask the team questions about the programme. Growth Leadership is aimed at leaders whose businesses have planned growth aspiration, as well as experienced leaders wishing to build on previous leadership development participation.
What’s involved in Growth Leadership?

Pre-programme onboarding – you’ll get personal and business assessments and diagnostics prior to the structured learning sessions. Before the learning phase, the diagnostic results will be discussed and actions to take forward will be identified and agreed.
Learning phase – you can join eight 0.5-day workshops, delivered over approximately three months. These facilitated sessions bring the group of leaders together to learn, share issues and solutions and support, and challenge and inspire each other.
Post-programme support and implementation – you’ll review what has been learned, track progress to date, review the action plan and plan your next steps.
You’ll also get coaching with a dedicated qualified coach to further develop you as a leader – your coach can focus on business or personal development.

Pricing
The cost to participating businesses is £1600 (plus VAT) per participant.
The programme is significantly subsidised by Scottish Enterprise.

Managing the growth of your small business
2024-05-15 16:00 - 17:00
Starting a venture is one thing, growing it is another. Scaling effectively can be one of the most challenging aspects, with mis-managed growth often leading to downfall after so much time, effort and money has been invested. So if you are a business owner that has started to see growth, this webinar will help you to gain more creative, time and financial freedom as your venture transitions to offer greater reach and impact.
This session will look at the principles of growth and:

the distinction between self-employment and business ownership
identifying and implementing optimal systems for record-keeping, decision-making, monitoring and evaluation
devising a range of risk-management processes to better manage business functions and the people involved
how to hire to enable and enhance expansion
improving workflow and project management
licensing, franchising, acquiring another venture

Essential Leadership - Taster & Information Session
2024-05-15 09:00 - 10:00
Are you a new business leader, someone who aims to move to a leadership role in the next two to three years, or the leader of a business that’s in the early stages of growth?
If so, the Essential Leadership programme could be for you.
You can join our taster session, which will give an overview of the programme. This will help yo ensure it’s the right leadership development programme for you. You’ll also get the opportunity to ask the team questions about the programme.
Whats involved in the programme?

Pre-programme onboarding – diagnostics (including 360) will be undertaken with each participant prior to the structured learning sessions. During the feedback session the diagnostic results will be discussed, and you’ll identify and agree on actions to take forward.
Five half-day workshops – this programme of workshops is delivered over approximately three months. These facilitated sessions are where the like-minded individuals come together to learn, and to share issues and solutions. You will support, challenge, and inspire each other.
Four hours of coaching – with a dedicated qualified coach to further develop you as a leader. The focus can be on business or personal development.
A half-day forward action planning session – you’ll review what you have learned, track your progress to date and plan the next steps, with the support of your sponsor.

How much does the full programme cost?
There is a cost to the programme, which has been significantly subsidised by Scottish Enterprise – cost payable per delegate is £700 plus VAT.

Tasting Tayside & Fife 2024
2024-05-14 10:00 - 14:30 | Discovery Point, Riverside Drive, Dundee, DD1 4XA
Bringing together outstanding producers from Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perthshire, this is a networking event that allows guests to experience world class local food and drink and find out more about how to stock it.
The event allows for informal conversations to help facilitate understanding between fantastic local producers and buyers (chefs, retailers, distributors etc).
Whether you’re a wholesale buyer looking to expand your local produce range, chef or retailer looking to champion more of the best local food and drink, or are simply interested in finding out what’s available locally, this is the event for you.
‘Meet the Supplier’ runs from 10am to 1pm with the opportunity to tour the fascinating Discovery Point venue afterwards.
The supplier showcase will be followed by an interactive workshop aimed at local producers. The topic of discussion will be ‘How to Grow Your Business & Explore New Routes to Market’.
Join our expert panel for an engaging, informal discussion on the avenues to growth in the local food & drink sector and gain valuable insights into the opportunities and support available to your business.
Local producers, in addition to those exhibiting at the Meet the Supplier event are encouraged to attend.

Kickstart your Marketing
2024-05-14 10:00 - 12:00
The workshop will cover the basic principles of marketing, including target audience identification, competitor analysis, value proposition, and the development of marketing strategies.
The workshop will also explore the importance of measuring the success of marketing strategies and how adhering to good business practice can positively influence Customer Generated Content.
Overall, this workshop is ideal for businesses – new and existing – who want to gain a solid understanding of the basics. By the end of the workshop, you should have the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and execute an effective marketing strategy for your business.

Video production for digital marketing
2024-05-14 10:00 - 12:00
Video captures people’s attention online and is important for getting your message across, while engaging with your target audience.
Learn how to:

Choose what type of video to create to suit your business objectives
Plan, shoot, edit, and upload video without special kit or expertise
Get to know the various digital platforms that can be utilised to view and share video content
See what editing apps are available and how to add music and subtitles

How to generate and increase sales
2024-05-13 15:00 - 17:00
Sales are the lifeblood of every business. This webinar focuses on a pragmatic approach to sales strategy and delivery and is designed to fit with the needs of small businesses in both B2C and B2B environments.
We will cover:

Why a clear understanding of what an ideal customer looks like, and a good understanding of their problems, needs and wants is key to sales success
How to develop your sales platform using digital tools, platforms, and techniques
The different motivations potential customers may have and how to identify which ‘buttons’ your business needs to press
The key phases in prospecting, qualifying, and converting sales prospects
The value of a ‘sales funnel’ and how it can be used to help plan and achieve sales
Why keeping the customers you already have is the best sales strategy of all
The importance of appropriate customer service in retaining customers

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 1: On page optimisation
2024-05-13 10:00 - 12:00
Join us to look at how Google and other search engines decide the order in which they list their search results. We will show you how to maximise your chances of appearing towards the top of the search rankings, ensuring you understand what key words and phrases your potential customers are using when searching online, and how to optimise your website as a result.
We will cover:

How search engines work, and the ‘on-page’ factors used to rank your site
Understanding customer search behaviour
Keyword research tools and how to benefit from them
Optimising your website content for search engines

An introduction to business strategy
2024-05-10 15:00 - 17:00
This webinar is practical, outcome driven, and designed to fit with the needs of small businesses in both B2C and B2B environments. It will help you develop a strategically led approach that can turbo charge business growth, identify the core growth strategy(ies) that are right for your business, and develop an action plan.
We will look at:

Your business today – identifying your strengths and areas for development
The key pillars of a business and why balancing all areas is essential for success
Personal and business ambitions and using these to guide strategy development
Ansoff’s Matrix as a tool for identifying core growth strategies
The core components of your business delivery
How to develop a methodical, strategic approach to developing your business for future success

After the webinar, you will understand:

How to undertake a balanced review of where your business is that helps identify areas for development
Ansoff’s Matrix and how to use it as a core strategic planning tool
How to create a strategic plan for growing your business

Cyber security for you and your business
2024-05-09 16:00 - 17:00
Cyber security is an important skill for everyone to learn, whether you’re an employee or managing your own business. This course introduces learners to the main weaknesses that cyber criminals look for and the most common cyber attacks that take place. Learn about some of the key steps you can take to ensure you and your business are safer online, along with tips to securing devices and systems.
In this session you will learn:

what cyber security is and what are key threats to look out for
how to secure your devices and systems
how to create a secure customer experience

This session is run using YouTube and is 60 minutes long. The course assumes no prior knowledge or experience so there is no pre-reading necessary. There will be the opportunity to ask questions during the session.

An introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for small businesses
2024-05-09 14:00 - 16:00
You’ve heard of Artificial Intelligence, but do you know how it can help you as you run your business? This practical webinar will explore how AI can help improve your business marketing to be more efficient and cost-effective, through the automatic creation of content for all your digital platforms; as well as helping you better understand your customers and business opportunities.
This webinar will cover:

What is Artificial Intelligence
Current AI tools and systems to use right now (including ChatGPT and MidJourney)
Automating digital content for blogs and social media
Using AI for business strategy and customer profiling
The pros and cons of AI for small businesses

This webinar will help you understand how you can integrate AI into your existing marketing, looking at the potential consequences (good and bad) of Artificial Intelligence, and its impact on small businesses and their customers.

Why your business needs a blog
2024-05-09 10:00 - 12:00
This webinar will provide you with the knowledge and understanding you need to create a blog that promotes your business.
We will cover:

What a ‘blog’ is, how to set one up and what it takes to make them work
Other small and medium sized businesses who already blog successfully and what you can learn from them
Options for monetising a blog
How to promote your blog
How your blog can help move your website higher up search engine ranking
Understanding analytics and measuring the impact of your blog

Cashflow management for your small business
2024-05-08 14:00 - 17:00
This webinar 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.
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.
This webinar consists of three secions:
Financial assessment and review

reviewing cashflow forecasts
capital expenditure
working capital
sales forecasting
expenditure (variable and fixed) forecasting
actual versus forecast analysis

Financial management:

timely financial reporting
managing reduction in overheads
inventory (stock) management
managing debtor lists
managing creditor lists

Financial support:

alternative revenue streams
maintaining and meeting tax obligations
assessing financing options
applying for government support
bank services

Please note:
The breaks have been designed to coincide with a change in the webinar’s focus area within the subject of cashflow management. You can attend all three sections using the same link, or choose the parts that suit your needs.

How to start a business: The basics
2024-05-08 14:00 - 16:00
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

Common pitfalls to avoid for start-ups
2024-05-08 11:00 - 12:30
This webinar gives you an insightful introduction to understanding why many small businesses fail and being able to navigate around these common problems.
The session will focus on:

real-life examples of easily made mistakes which have a devastating effect on the business
easy answers to navigate around those problems
understanding how certain elements can affect personal life, as well as the business
noticing and understanding the signs that there are problems to solve

This webinar will look at:

company types
business model canvas
keeping organised
HMRC and making tax digital
collecting debts

The webinar is delivered by Sheila Bell and Cym Baseley from Cygnets.

Boost your productivity with AI
2024-05-08 10:30 - 11:30
This Google Digital Garage session introduces learners to cutting-edge AI tools that are already available from Google and others, to show some of the smartest ways digital-age workers can use them to save time at work and on tasks.
In this session, you will learn:

an introduction to generative AI and how it works
how to use AI-powered tools and techniques to save you time
an overview to crafting effective prompts

This session is run using YouTube and is 45 minutes long.
The course assumes no prior knowledge or experience so there is no pre-reading necessary.
There will be the opportunity to ask questions during the session.

Google Analytics – Understand how your website performs
2024-05-08 10:00 - 12:00
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that helps you understand how your website is performing. It helps answer lots of questions, including:

Which marketing channels drive traffic to your site?
What pages are users looking at the most?
What impact does mobile have on your potential customers?

During this webinar, we’ll help you understand how Google Analytics is set up and give you an overview of key reports. We’ll also look at other web analytics tools to help you online.

Creating and Implementing a Strategic Continuous Improvement Plan
2024-05-08 09:00 - 12:00 | ETZ Ltd, 53 Blenheim Place, Aberdeen, AB25 2DY
Join our Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) on Wednesday 8 May 2024, from 9:30am to 12:00 noon, for a free Lean Breakfast Workshop at W-Zero-1 collaboration space at ETZ, Aberdeen, which will provide you with the tools to support you through the Fit 4 Offshore Renewables (F4OR) programme’s Process Excellence requirements.
The series is designed to help you develop your own continuous improvement strategies, to apply process improvements, improve workplace organisation and much more. Each workshop will also begin and end with a 30-minute networking opportunity.
Workshop one: Creating and Implementing a Strategic Continuous Improvement Plan
Our first session of the series will focus on helping your business develop a continuous improvement strategy. You will gain:

A structure to implement key business objectives
A framework to communicate key business objectives
The confidence and tools required for policy deployment

Our event is open to all manufacturers and producers – large, small and sector wide – who wish to improve business efficiency and begin their F4OR accreditation. It’s aimed at business leaders and managers who are looking to introduce a culture of change within the business and who wish to engage the workforce to look for opportunities to do things better and deliver process improvements that can benefit your business.

How to deliver low-cost, high impact marketing
2024-05-07 15:00 - 17:00
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

How to build your brand
2024-05-04 10:00 - 12:00
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

Bookkeeping essentials
2024-05-03 14:00 - 16:00
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

Unlocking Angus: Harnessing Data For Tourism Success
2024-05-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Hospitalfield, Arbroath, DD11 2NH
This presentation is tailored to tourism businesses in Angus, aimed at revealing the power of data. In this session you’ll explore actionable insights, innovative strategies, and cutting-edge tools designed to enhance your business’s competitive edge.
Our expert speakers from the Moffat Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University will guide you through practical examples and case studies showcasing how data-driven decision-making can transform your marketing efforts, drive sustainable growth and monitor performance.
From understanding visitor trends to pinpointing untapped market opportunities, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to thrive in an increasingly data-driven world.
