Invest in Angus

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Deep Dive
2024-08-27 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | 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, 2024-09-04 13:00 - 16:00
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, 2024-09-04 10:00 - 12:00
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.

Social media essentials: Instagram
2024-08-29 10:00 - 12:00
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

Learning Journey to IKM Testing UK Ltd, Aberdeen – Lean Transformation
2024-08-29 13:00 - 16:30 | IKM Testing UK, Peregrine Road, Westhill, AB32 6JL
This informal half day session will paint a picture of how IKM Testing UK Ltd has transformed its business by adopting lean thinking across everything it does.
Although still a work in progress, the adoption of lean thinking has been the springboard for cultural change across the business, has made it more profitable and enabled expansion plans to go ahead through the ongoing development of its people.

Cyber Security for your small business
2024-08-29 14:00 - 15:00
To attend this webinar, there are no prerequisites or prior experience needed. It is aimed at start-up businesses and those who are interested in creating a start-up.
It would also be beneficial for more established businesses who are looking at security as a business differentiator and learn how it can be used to win new business.
Your host Jim Wright will introduce security, how it can benefit businesses and allow you to seize opportunities while minimising risk. Jim will also discuss common frameworks and fundamental principles that business leaders should be aware of from the start of their business venture.
By the end of this webinar, attendees will:
1) Understand security risks
2) Understand the benefits of security
3) Have an awareness of threat actors
4) Have an awareness of threat vectors
5) Have an awareness of the services that can be offered to support start-ups
6) Understand the regulatory environment in which they work
7) Understand the common frameworks relating to security

How to build a digital marketing plan
2024-08-29 14:00 - 16:00
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

Maximising Trade Show Success
2024-08-29 14:00 - 16:00 | Strathmore Rugby Club, Inchmacoble Park, Forfar, DD8 1RL
Are you looking to exhibit at trade shows in the UK or overseas? This workshop will teach you proven strategies to maximise your participation through pre-event, on-site, and post-event tactics. These tips will help you capitalise on your participation, meet your target audience, and stand out from competitors.
With over 25 years of experience in PR and marketing, our expert speaker Mandy Queen has created successful campaigns for more than 40 trade shows, including top events like Cosmoprof, Paperworld, and Seafood Expo.
In this workshop, Mandy will explain how to attract the right people, engage with them effectively at the event, and maintain momentum afterwards.
Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your trade show success. Book your place now.

From Vision to Reality: Understanding the Business Model Canvas
2024-08-29 18:00 - 20:00
In the session, you will be guided through each segment of the canvas, from identifying your key partners and resources to understanding who your customers are and the value your business will bring to them. You’ll also gain practical insights into what will cost and make money.
The Business Model Canvas is an effective tool at all stages of business development. It can be used as a pre-stage to writing a formal business plan, essential for any funding applications. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your existing business model, this webinar will provide the strategies you need for success. Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your business idea into a viable, scalable venture.

Why your business needs a blog
2024-09-02 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

How to plan and schedule your online content
2024-09-02 14:00 - 16:00
Businesses who plan their content in advance, aligning their channels with actual business objectives, customer themes and national events, and then schedule it to ensure it reaches the target market at the right time, on the right platform – hugely increase the chances of achieving impact.
In this webinar, you will learn how to:

Plan content based on your business and your customer needs
Evaluate current social media dashboards and management tools
Create a social media content calendar and schedule updates automatically
Reach more people through automating your blog and email newsletter content
Implement simple automation techniques to increase efficiency

Having great content is just the start. This webinar will help you better organise and setup your content strategy through simple planning and effective scheduling, to achieve great business results.

Managing People for Growth - Hybrid
2024-09-03 09:00 - 16:00 | Stirling University Innovation Park, Scion House, Stirling, FK9 4LA
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

Creating an effective email marketing strategy
2024-09-03 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

Scotland's Tay Country - Travel Trade Strategy Development Workshop
2024-09-03 14:00 - 17:00 | The Black Watch Castle & Museum, Perth, PH1 5HR
Are you a business in Scotland’s Tay Country that already engages with the travel trade or has recently undergone travel trade training? We have the pleasure of inviting you to our in-person Travel Trade follow-up session designed for you. This event will help enhance your travel trade strategy and support you in growing sales from international markets.
Event Details:

Date: Tuesday 3rd September
Time: 14.00 – 17.00hrs
Location: The Black Watch Castle & Museum, Perth
Duration: 3 hours
Refreshments Provided

Workshop Overview:
SESSION 1
Welcome and Update – Jemma Reid, Travel Trade Sales Representative, Scotland’s Tay Country: Start the event with an insightful update on the latest developments and opportunities in Scotland’s Tay Country.
Insights and Trends Update: Learn about the latest trends and insights from key markets, and understand what operators and their clients are currently looking for.

VisitScotland – Lynette McLennan
Expedia – Kim Kjaerside & Nicola Cunningham

Mini Breakout Sessions: Participate in focused breakout sessions to:
Discuss challenges and opportunities in driving more enquiries to your business and the region and identify key hurdles and explore collaborative solutions
Networking Break: Enjoy refreshments while connecting with fellow businesses, enabling new partnerships, and exchanging ideas.
SESSION 2
Feedback Review: Share key learnings, top tips and successes
Case Studies: Learn from two successful case studies showcasing their journey and achievements in the travel trade and giving you top tips and recommendations. Heather McArthur, Scone Palace & Louise Nicoll, Newton Farm
Panel Discussion: Engage with a panel of experienced operators during a Q&A session to address challenges and uncover opportunities for growth in travel trade enquiries.

Sarah Muir – Abbey Tours
Fiona Matthews – ASA
Jacqui Curley – Best of Scotland
Heather McArthur – Scone Palace
Louise Nicoll – Newton Farm

Summary of Support:
VisitScotland – Lynette McLennan: Discover the support their teams and channels can provide, and learn about opportunities to present and engage with tour operators.
UKInbound- Karen Jacques: Hear what the national membership organisation can do for your business.
Tay Country – Jemma Reid: Explore tools to support your business including newsletters, presentations and trade show representation.
Why Attend?

Gain valuable updates on the travel trade landscape
Collaborate with peers to overcome common challenges
Learn from successful case studies and industry experts
Expand your network within the travel trade community
Top tip takeaways
Together we can put Scotland’s Tay Country firmly on the map for tour operators and DMCs.

Climate action for tourism businesses
2024-09-03 14:30 - 15:30
We are delighted to invite you to an engaging and informative webinar focused on supporting tourism and hospitality businesses to take climate action. Working with VisitScotland, Green Tourism and Green Key this session is tailored for tourism businesses and event organizers who are committed to sustainability and eager to make a positive environmental impact.
This event is open to businesses from across the tourism and event supply chain including; hotels, venues, production companies, food and beverage suppliers, transportation, activity providers, attractions, tour operators, cruise agencies, travel agents, DMCs and/or PCOs.
Event Details:
Date: 3 September
Time: 14:30 to 15:20
Location: Webinar – Teams link will be sent to all those registered on Friday 30 August
Webinar Agenda:
2.30pm – Welcome from Glasgow Life
2.35pm – VisitScotland, Tiomoid Foley: Resources and support available for your businesses.
2.50pm – Green Key, Jamie Ormiston: An overview of the accreditation process and benefits.
3.00pm – Green Tourism, Scott MacLean: An overview of the accreditation process and benefits.
3.10pm – Q & A
3.20pm – Finish
Join us for this essential webinar and discover how your business can lead the way in climate action within the tourism and events sector. Gain valuable insights, access to innovative tools, and connect with like-minded professionals dedicated to sustainability.
RSVP: Please confirm your attendance by Tuesday 27 August by emailing anne-marie.gray@glasgowlife.org.uk
We look forward to your participation in this crucial conversation on sustainable tourism.

The Basics of Starting a Business
2024-09-03 18:00 - 20:00
This webinar will give you the information needed to build a start up action plan. The plan will enable you to consider which actions are relevant to your plan, start building a set of SMART Goals, give thought to business skills development and provide a clear path for steps to launch your business.
You will also learn about the key considerations when starting a business and what steps you will need to take from legal, financial and strategic standpoints.
By the end of the webinar, you will have the information required to start building an action plan and be confident about understanding the next steps.

An introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for small businesses
2024-09-03 18:00 - 20:00
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.

Google Analytics – Understand how your website performs
2024-09-04 14:00 - 16:00
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.

Finding your Funding
2024-09-05 10:00 - 12:00 | Arbroath Football Club, Gayfield Park, Arbroath, DD11 1QJ
“Finding Your Funding” is an insightful event that connects businesses of all ages and sectors with a variety of funding partners. The event offers a comprehensive overview of the funding landscape in Angus, allowing attendees to engage with representatives from numerous funding organisations.
A key highlight is the introduction of the newly launched Angus Council “SME Start & Grow Business Grants,” which provides financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The event includes presentations from our partners, followed by a general Q&A session. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of the funding landscape and receive practical advice to help achieve their goals.

Tayside Adaptation Partnership Vision and Priorities Event: Existing Initiatives
2024-09-05 12:30 - 15:00 | Dundee West Church, 130/32 Perth Road, Dundee, DD1 4JW
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 in 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 existing climate-related projects and initiatives, this workshop will explore how a regional adaptation 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.

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 1: On page optimisation
2024-09-05 14:00 - 16:00
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
