Invest in Angus

Peer Lunch & Learn
2024-01-24 12:00 - 14:00 UTC | Michelin Innovation Parc, Baldovie Road, Dundee, DD4 8UQ
The emerging revolution of Industry 5.0 sees businesses using technology to enhance workplace processes and increase business resilience whilst respecting our people and planet.
Automating processes can help to free up time for innovative thinking and allow time to deliver improved value-based services. It would also allow workers to become more agile and flexible in their workplace approach.
But how can we get organisations to embrace this new concept going forward?
In this session we will hear from organisations that have adopted this new approach. We will hear their stories of how innovation and digital transformation have inspired performance and boosted productivity.
Whether you are new to this concept or are already welcoming new technologies within your business, we hope that these events will allow you to come together with other businesses and share ideas and new ways of thinking about business processes.

Instagram for business
2024-01-24 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.

The basics of trading on eBay, Etsy and Amazon Marketplaces
2024-01-25 10:00 - 12:00
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 specificly 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.

Funding Socials: Meet Funders, Find New Resources & Connect with Your Peers
2024-01-25 10:30 - 13:00 | The Circle, Dunhope Castle, Dundee, DD3 6HF
Funding Socials is an inspiring in-person event series designed for charity and social enterprise leaders looking for fresh ideas and connections to help boost income generation.
At this Funding Social in Dundee, Social Investment Scotland will be joined by The National Lottery Community Fund and the Circle. We will be highlighting opportunities to boost your funding and resources and aim to give your income generation the kick start it needs to get going in 2024!
You will hear from Kirsty Thomson, CEO of The Circle CIC, about her experience of developing new income streams including taking on social investment.
Jane Bruce, Founder of Brilliant Leaders, will facilitate the event including leading you through a short group exercise in the middle of the session, aimed at helping you think through your current challenges around income generation and generate new ideas with the support of your peers.
Eddie Baines, Funding Officer for the North East at The National Lottery Community Fund and Kieran Daly of Social Investment Scotland will explain the funds they offer charities and be ready to answer any questions you have.
The session will close with a light lunch, where you will have the chance to mix with the funders and your peers and make some new connections.

How to start a business: The basics
2024-01-25 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-06 18:00 - 20:00
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

Build an effective strategy to grow your business
2024-01-26 09:30 - 11:30
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

The essentials of bookkeeping and what expenses you can claim
2024-01-26 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-06 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

Build your brand and promotional graphics
2024-01-29 11:00 - 13:00
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

e-Commerce with Shopify
2024-01-29 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-05 18:00 - 20:00
Shopify is a powerful all-in-one e-Commerce website builder that makes setting up an online store simple and straightforward. In this webinar, we will explore Shopify’s features and pull together the building blocks for your first e-Commerce website.
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

Understand the essential features that a website needs to have to sell physical and digital products online
Understand what Shopify is and how to use the features it offers to build a secure and powerful e-Commerce website
Use the Shopify page builder and work with free themes to get the design and style of your website on-brand
Understand how to manage orders and deliver great customer service
Understand how to launch your new e-Commerce website and ensure all essential building blocks are in place using a pre-launch checklist

Delivering profit to drive growth
2024-01-29 14:00 - 16:00
The course covers financial analysis, strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and the role of innovation and scalability in leveraging profit for long-term success.
This course explores the relationship between a company’s profitability and its potential for growth. Participants will learn how to optimise profits and strategically reinvest them to foster sustainable growth. The course covers financial analysis, strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and the role of innovation and scalability in leveraging profit for long-term success.
The course 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

Email marketing for business
2024-01-30 10:00 - 12:00
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

Inclusive Business Models – Identifying opportunities for Plural Ownership
2024-01-30 10:00 - 12:30
Co-operative Development Scotland (CDS) can support your organisation in the delivery of your Community Wealth Building (CWB) agenda. Learn how inclusive business models can contribute to the 5 pillars of CWB at this online event.
CWB is described by the Scottish Government as a practical approach to economic development focused on five pillars of activity: Spending/Procurement, Workforce, Land and Property, Finance, and Plural Ownership.
CDS on behalf of all Scotland’s enterprise agencies (Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise), contributes to the Plural Ownership pillar by supporting companies and community groups across Scotland that want to adopt an inclusive business model such as employee ownership or a co-operative.
This event is aimed at front line business and community advisors, those with a policy and strategic role and other interested parties from across local authorities, the enterprise agencies and Third Sector Interfaces (TSI).
This workshop aims to help develop an in-depth understanding of inclusive business models, aiming to help business or community advisors identify, develop and signpost appropriate referral opportunities to CDS. By the end of the workshop, you will have:

Developed an in-depth understanding of co-operatives and employee ownership, including legal structures and governance
The knowledge to identify future opportunities for inclusive business models for start-up and existing enterprises, and understand the support available from CDS
An increased awareness of ‘Inclusive Business Models’ and why this is important against Scottish policy landscape

Participants that attend this event will also have access to a subsequent series of webinars to further their knowledge and understanding on a particular pillar of CWB.

5G Unwrapped: For Food, Drink & Agriculture Businesses
2024-01-30 12:00 - 15:00 | ONE Tech Hub, Schoolhill, Aberdeen, AB10 1JQ
Are you a seafood, farming or food and drink processing business? Is your organisation facing challenges and are keen to discover more about how 5G technology can be used to manage records, improve camera video feed, remote monitor equipment and reduce time for machinery maintenance and more?
Opportunity North East (ONE) and The Scotland 5G Centre (S5GC) are hosting ‘5G Unwrapped: For Food, Drink & Agriculture Businesses’ at ONE Tech Hub on Tuesday 30th January from 12pm-3pm.
Hear from ONE and Scotland 5G Centre about the opportunities, facilities and support for businesses like yours. Listen to those who have embarked on a journey t o implement 5G into their operations to solve everyday business challenges.
5G could help your organisation and enable:

Reliable connectivity, no more buffering or lag
Remote monitor equipment and reduce machinery maintenance
Reduce costs, maximise productivity and improve margins
Implement innovative technical solutions for your business
More flexibility, you could have your own private secure network

Gain valuable insights and directly meet the people who can help with your upcoming journey and its challenges. Network with like-minded people in the digital and food and drink sectors and discuss how investment in technology could be implemented in your business.

People and HR – attraction, recruiting, managing and retaining team member
2024-01-30 13:00 - 15:00
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

Ready, Steady, Grow: How to Expand Your Business
2024-01-30 18:00 - 20:00
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!

Thorntons Webinar - Reducing Workforce Costs, Reorganisation and Redundancy
2024-01-31 09:30 - 10:30
Over the coming months, employers may encounter some challenges as they continue to navigate economic uncertainty inflationary pressures and higher costs. Many businesses are already feeling an increasing financial burden, and accordingly, some may want to undertake a review of their operating costs.
While many employers will want to do all they can to reduce costs in a way which preserves jobs, such as amending employment contracts, regrettably, others may have to look at restructuring and redundancies to manage costs.
Regardless of scale, employers contemplating redundancies must ensure they understand and follow the relevant legal framework. The effective management of any organisational restructure, whether by redundancy or other means, can minimise legal costs and ensure smooth transition. This webinar will cover the thorny issues of potential redundancies and restructures, with a focus on the potential legal pitfalls and how best to navigate these.
Our Employment Law specialists will host a one hour webinar and online Q&A to guide employers as they prepare to address the potential challenges ahead. As well as sharing legal guidance on these processes, we will also share practical tips that you can apply in your own organisation.
This webinar will cover:

Job preservation – ways to reduce workforce costs without resorting to redundancies
The redundancy process – the importance of getting it right!
Particular points to consider arising out of discrimination and the costs of getting it wrong
Tips for employers

Who should attend?

Business owners
HR Professionals
Finance Directors
Senior Managers and those with people management responsibilities

Facebook for business
2024-01-31 10:00 - 12:00
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.

Supporting neurodivergent customers
2024-01-31 13:00 - 14:30
AccessAble is a world leader in the provision of accessibility information. Their website www.AccessAble.co.uk has Detailed Access Guides to over 70,000 venues, and is used by over 6 million people each year. Currently operating in 17 countries, AccessAble have set a global benchmark for expectations of online detailed access information.
AccessAble further supports 460 + clients to improve and communicate their access in and around their buildings and services, with valuable data and actionable insight.
Using decades of experience listening to thousands of disabled people, AccessAble supports organisations to improve their buildings, policies, and services to welcome disabled people as customers and colleagues, through the provision of information, consultancy, and E-learning.
This session will provide an overview of best practices and strategies to better serve and accommodate this unique customer base.
AccessAble’s Head of Marketing, Carrie-Ann Lightley, will be joined by panelists Dr Hannah Barham-Brown, Hester Grainger, and Lydia Wilkins.
Our panelists will share their lived expertise of disability, how businesses can support them, and how neurodivergent customers can be better served.

TikTok and Instagram Reels for business
2024-01-31 18:00 - 20:00
You might view TikTok as a stream of dance trends and lip-synching videos, but it can also be a fantastic place to engage with your customers and increase the reach of your business online. Explore how to create bitesize vertical video content and how to use this new format for more effective business communication.
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.

Unlocking Talent: The 2024 Retention Revolution
2024-01-31 18:00 - 20:30 | Dundee & Angus College, Gardyne Campus, Dundee, DD5 1NY
Are you struggling to recruit and retain staff?
Do you want to explore strategies to upskill and retain your employees through funded training?
Join us to learn about the support available in your local region, empowering you to strategically recruit, skillfully retrain, and effectively retain top-tier talent. Collaborating with our professional partners, you will gain insight into each and every one of their fantastic offerings.
We will also be launching the new Tay Cities SME Skills Fund, a game-changing initiative designed to empower small-medium sized businesses in the region.
This fund is not just about financial support; it’s a strategic investment in your workforce, focusing on employee experience and training to drive business growth and enhance talent retention.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to revolutionise your approach to employee retention and skills development.
Who is this event for?
Business Owners & Managers who are responsible for HR & staff development from any industry, but particularly: Hospitality, Construction, Manufacturing and Care.
Why attend?

Support in the Region: Explore the range of support available from all our professional partners – Fife College, UHI Perth, University of Dundee, Abertay University, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Business Gateway, Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce, Perthshire Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses.
Learn about Staff Training Available: Discover how investing in your workforce’s skills can be a game-changer for your business success.
Retention Strategies: Hear from experts and business owners on innovative approaches to employee engagement and development, fostering an environment where your team wants to stay and thrive.
Access to New Funding: Learn about the Tay Cities SME Skills Fund and how it can provide financial support for your business growth initiatives.

Video production for social media
2024-02-01 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.

Blogging for business
2024-02-02 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 rankings
Understanding analytics and measuring the impact of your blog

Accessible Tourism Open Day
2024-02-02 10:00 - 12:00 | The Rings, Chance Inn, Cupar, KY15 5QJ
Located in the heart of the Fife countryside, near Cupar, The Rings offers self-catering accommodation with advanced accessibility features.
Owner Moira Henderson is a passionate advocate for inclusive tourism and has developed innovative approaches to make her accommodations fully accessible.
Come along to this informal event to witness firsthand Moira’s ingenious approach to accessibility, and learn how to apply these methods to your own business to make it more inclusive.

How to write and develop your business plan
2024-02-05 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

Producing engaging online content
2024-02-06 10:00 - 12:00
Producing quality content is an excellent way of helping your customers develop a meaningful relationship with your brand, services and products. In this webinar we will show you how to source and develop a variety of content for your website and social channels. Ideal for businesses that already have a business website or use social media and now want to take it a step further, and develop the skills to show your audience that you are a trusted operator in your field.
This session will help you:

Understand what kind of content your customers are looking for
Source, write and deliver that content
Amplify your brand and message and boost engagement online

ETAG conference 2024
2024-02-06 11:30 - 17:00 | Edinburgh International Conference Centre, 150 Morrison Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8EE
Join industry colleagues at the ETAG Conference 2024 – the “must attend” event for everyone with an interest in Edinburgh’s visitor economy.
This year’s conference programme will include updates on Edinburgh’s visitor economy activity and developments. It will also highlight the latest tourism trends and insights.
The much loved “spotlight sessions” are still a firm fixture on the programme, where you’ll hear about some of the exciting projects coming to the city over the coming year or so.

Understanding machine learning
2024-02-07 10:00 - 11:00
This session teaches the foundations of how machine learning models learn and work, the components of designing a problem for machine learning to solve, and a basic understanding of the resources and tools needed for a business to invest in machine learning. Aimed at small business leaders / owners or anyone looking to get a better understanding on the subject.
In this session, you will learn:

how different machine learning models work
the essentials for preparing data for a machine learning project
options for implementing machine learning for a business

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.
