The basics of trading on eBay, Etsy and Amazon Marketplaces
2022-12-13 14:00 - 16:00 UTC
As a consumer, you’ve almost certainly purchased online from one of the global marketplaces such as eBay, Etsy or Amazon, so why wouldn’t your customers do the same and buy from you?
We will cover:

Why to sell via a Marketplace, your own website, or both
Choosing the right Marketplace – looking specifically at eBay, Etsy and Amazon

Understanding Profit Margins and how Marketplace fees affect them

An overview of some of the rules and regulations enforced by these platforms
Trading internationally – what’s possible?

You’ll leave with a better understanding of how online marketplaces can help you reach your target audience, which marketplace is best for you, and how to get started selling quickly and easily.

Scale-Up Visa Route
2022-12-13 14:30 - 15:30
The government has recently introduced the Scale-Up visa route, which gives certain employers another visa option to help access international talent.
Join us to learn more about this new route and how it could help you access international talent.

How to Write a Business Plan and why you need one
2022-12-13 18:00 - 20:00
This webinar will help you create a robust business plan.
The webinar will look at:

creating a description for your business
the business planning process
efficient ways of obtaining skills and resources
presenting your business plan

There will also be information on additional services from Business Gateway and details of other webinars which may be appropriate for you.
This webinar is for businesses based in Dundee, Angus and Perth.

Get impact & engagement with social media analytics
2022-12-14 10:00 - 12:00
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn & Pinterest are widely used social platforms, but often account owners aren’t looking at the metrics provided within them. Those metrics will inform you of reach, impressions, demographics and more, all of which can help towards improving the impact of your posting and targeting.
This webinar will help you understand how to access those metrics, and how to use them to improve your social media delivery.

Build your brand and promotional graphics
2022-12-14 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

Upgrade your business marketing with a CRM system
2022-12-14 14:00 - 16:00
From organising how you reach new customers to tracking the new deals you close, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a great tool to help your business grow. In this webinar, we’ll show you how to connect a CRM to your website, track potential new customers, manage your business activities, nurture your leads and track successful, new business.
By the end of this webinar, you will understand:

What a CRM is, why they’re important and the difference between some of the best CRMs offered to businesses.
How to use HubSpot, a free CRM, for managing contacts, organising sales processes and creating reports.
How to improve your sales and marketing processes by using CRM task management, meeting scheduling and email marketing.
Your legal responsibilities when capturing customer information.

Latest updates on the low cost visa routes
2022-12-14 14:30 - 15:30
There are lots of low-cost visa routes under the UK’s points-based system.
Join TalentScotland for an update on affordable visa options, including the Graduate, High Potential Individual and Youth Mobility routes.

Finance 1-2-1 Surgery Sessions
2022-12-15 09:00 - 17:00
Take this opportunity to discuss your finance queries with our finance specialist, Scott Geddes. Gain clarity on the start-up and running costs for your business or discuss how to make your business profitable and financially viable.
Brush up on some financial basics by learning how to create a cash-flow forecast and better understand your business’s profit and loss accounts. If you’re getting ready to apply for funding, lean on Scott’s experience to understand what lenders are looking for.
Become aware of your financial commitments, as they can differ depending on your business type.
Once you have booked your space online, one of our team will be in touch to discuss an appointment time with you and send you further information. These sessions can take place online via Zoom or alternatively, face to face in our Dundee Business Gateway Office.
These appointments are aimed at businesses based in Dundee, Angus, and Perth.

Become a CPD-certified Green Champion
2022-12-15 10:00 - 12:30
Rising energy costs, the climate emergency and increasing consumer pressure continue to impact businesses and challenges the way they manage their environmental performance.
The good news is Business Energy Scotland’s Green Champions training course has already helped over 4,000 professionals from organisations across Scotland to prepare for this challenge.
And this is your chance to join them. This webinar will pack the entire Green Champions foundation modules into one session and provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to grow a green, profitable businesses.

HR – Recruiting, managing, and retaining staff
2022-12-15 17:00 - 19:00
One of the scariest things you can do as a business is take on staff – from hiring, 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 manage your team.
Topics covered:

Recruiting, managing, and retaining staff
Attracting and recruiting the best and right people for our business
Our obligations as employers
Managing people to stay with us
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

An Introduction to Bookkeeping
2022-12-15 18:00 - 20:00
This workshop will explain:

what financial records are needed
the broad principles and procedures of accounting systems
how to choose accounting systems – both manual and computerised
which financial statements and statutory returns are relevant to your business
different accounting periods and financial years
how to use financial records for monitoring the financial state of your business
cash flow forecasting, profit and loss statements as well as what they should contain
what financial measures and forecasts are needed by your business
what information on financial record keeping is available and from whom

By the end of the workshop you will be able to introduce or improve your financial record keeping system and improve how you manage your finances.
This webinar is for businesses in Dundee, Angus and Perth.

How to generate and increase sales
2022-12-16 09:00 - 11:00
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

Digital Marketing - Making the most of Google Tools
2022-12-16 10:00 - 11:00
Google provides a huge amount of free tools to help you market your business.
This webinar highlights tools that will help you save time and avoid splashing cash on a marketing agency. These tools cover areas such as keyword analysis, measuring success, website speed, search and trends.
The webinar will offer many live demos of these tools — meaning you can see how to take advantage of them in your own business.
This event will be delivered by Stephen Whitelaw, a business owner, writer, speaker and digital guru. Stephen has started and grown several successful businesses. He’s also been the recipient of a Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 Award, in recognition of his work establishing one of the UK’s fastest growing businesses.

Photography for online business
2022-12-16 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.

The essentials of bookkeeping and what expenses you can claim
2022-12-19 08:00 - 10:00, 2023-01-10 15:00 - 17:00
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

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 2: Off page optimisation & technical considerations
2022-12-19 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

Paid for advertising
2022-12-19 14:00 - 16:00
This webinar is designed to help you make more informed decisions about where paid-for advertising fits in to your digital marketing strategy. During the webinar we will discuss various key considerations of paid advertising, provide advice on planning, explore platform options and look at measuring the impact of your ads.
By the end of the webinar, you’ll have a better understanding of:

Key concepts of paid ads and how it fits within your strategy
Best practice during ads setup
Importance of planning for paid Ads
How to evaluate and understand performance of paid ads

How to build a digital marketing plan
2022-12-21 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

Planning & scheduling your online content
2022-12-21 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.

How to start a business: The basics
2022-12-27 09:00 - 11:00, 2023-01-07 10:00 - 12:00
Whatever your reasons may be for considering being your own boss, Business Gateway is here to support you and help you decide if this is the right path for you. Helping you consider your plans from exploring your potential customers to looking at the key activities and costs involved.
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

Email marketing for business
2022-12-28 12:00 - 14:00
Connecting with your audience through effective email marketing campaigns is a great way to improve your marketing strategy and boost sales. In this webinar, we’ll explore what makes an email campaign effective and ensure you are able to:

Segment your audiences and target them effectively
Create a quality marketing email and measure its effectiveness
Identify the most suitable platforms and tools for email marketing campaigns, including different paid-for account levels
Identify the different components of a successful email campaign, including design, HTML v text and other formats
Use reporting and key metrics to make sure your campaigns are successful
Be compliant with legal requirements relating to email communications

How to write and develop your business plan
2023-01-05 11:30 - 13:30
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

The low-cost guide to marketing your business
2023-01-06 09:00 - 11:00
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

Cloud essentials for business
2023-01-06 12:00 - 14:00
Business owners and managers are busy. You’re wearing many hats, and your time is always in short supply. Cloud-based digital tools help you to run a more productive business by embracing the right digital processes.
We’ll focus on exploring a range of tools on the market which will help you to enhance your customer service operation, improve your project management, organise your digital storage and much more. By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

Understand what the cloud is and what its benefits are
Understand your own ‘digital back office’
Use up-to-date knowledge on current cloud services and tools to help you with your business operations
Make informed decisions about improving your digital processes based on scalability, security, efficiency and affordability

Digital tools to help run your business remotely
2023-01-09 10:00 - 12:00
Are you ready to ‘go live’ and engage your audience with a live stream? What about running webinars or working remotely with clients or collaborators on the other side of the world? Let us guide you through:

How to use video live streaming, webinars and remote collaboration tools to get results for your business
Equipment you need to get started
An overview of the tools and platforms currently available
Examples of what others are doing
How to monetise this way of working

Keep your business safe online
2023-01-09 14:00 - 16:00
Join us to find out how criminals are targeting small businesses online, the risks you face, and what you can do to minimise your exposure to online crime.
This webinar includes a number of live demos, covering the following areas:

What are the main online threats to your business?
The 5 pillars of prevention (Backup, Malware prevention, Securing your hardware, Passwords & Phishing attacks)
Simple and practical measures you can implement to protect yourself and your business
Best practice recovery steps for your business if the worst should happen

As a result of attending this webinar, you will gain a deeper understanding of the digital threats facing your business and what you need to do to secure your website, social media and company data from cyber criminals.

Twitter for business
2023-01-10 10:00 - 12:00
This webinar will help you develop and hone your social media strategy in order to amplify your message using Twitter. You will gain a deeper understanding of where Twitter fits into your overall plan, and how it differs from other platforms.
You will also learn about:

What makes a good Twitter profile (and the options available to you).
Twitter best practice content and what makes the perfect tweet.
Dashboards such as Hootsuite to help you manage and integrate your social media accounts and schedule content.
Advanced techniques for social listening and pro-actively finding content and customers.
The basics of Twitter paid advertising.

An Introduction to Self-Employment and Starting your own Business
2023-01-10 18:00 - 20:00
The workshop will provide you with the opportunity to network with other business owners and will also highlight useful sources of information, advice and guidance.
There will also be information on additional services from Business Gateway and details of other webinars which may be appropriate for you.
This webinar is for businesses based in Dundee, Angus and Perth.
