Invest in Angus

What the CPTPP means for International Trade
2023-11-17 08:30 - 09:30 UTC
The UK joined the Free Trade Agreement known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) earlier this year. Following this, access will be opened up to the other 11 signatory countries (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam).
Reuben Aitken, Scottish Enterprise’s Managing Director for International, will host a panel session composed of representatives from the Institute of Export, the UK Government’s Department of Business and Trade, and GlobalScots from the UK and the Asia-Pacific region.
The panel will help to show what this Asia-Pac trade bloc means for business growth.
Topics covered will include:

The range of benefits the CPTPP will bring (including to the services industries)
Digital trade
Diversification of supply chains
The impact on investment

Managing People - Sustaining Employee Engagement
2023-11-16 16:00 - 18:00
Participants will learn how to create and maintain a happy, productive and engaged workforce.
As finding and employing new, valuable staff can be difficult, this session aims to help members of management and business owners review their current practices and implement new ones.
Doing so with hope of achieving employee engagement, satisfaction, loyalty and longevity, reducing employee turnover and the need for continuous recruiting.

How to protect and manage your intellectual property
2023-11-16 10:00 - 12:00
You have invested time, energy, and money into your project, however, have you protected the innovation?
Following this webinar, you will understand how to manage your intellectual property (IP) or how to start the process of registering it.
Topics covered include:

What are intellectual assets (IA)?
What is intellectual property (IP)?
How to use IP (in the real world)
Where to get more insight and information

Participants will leave with:

An understanding that all businesses create IA/IP
A framework of knowledge about IP
A little more knowledge about the diverse types of IP
An insight into how to identify, protect and exploit IP/IA
Context of why IP/IA matters
Links to useful learning resources

Selling your business masterclass
2023-11-16 10:00 - 12:00
Have you considered a succession plan for your business? It’s never too early to start thinking about your options. Employee ownership is fast becoming the preferred exit route for business owners.
Aimed at business owners considering an exit from their company, this session will give attendees the opportunity to hear fit-out and construction company Pacific Building and construction management training company Esteem Training explain what they considered in choosing employee ownership and how things have worked.
Andrew Harrison from Co-ownership Solutions will talk through all ownership succession options before focussing on employee ownership and how to ensure the employee buyout is a smooth process.
Timings:
10.05 Welcome – Glen Dott, Scottish Enterprise
10.10 Ownership Succession Options – Andrew Harrison, Co-ownership Solutions
10.35 Employee Ownership Case Study – Pacific Building
11.00 Employee Ownership Case Study – Esteem Training
11.25 Support available – Glen Dott, Scottish Enterprise
11.30 Q&A
11.45 Close
Attend this workshop to learn how employee ownership offers a tax efficient exit route that protects your company’s legacy while providing a competitive price for the business. Could it be the right succession solution for you?

Retaining Great People-Strategies for Success
2023-11-15 09:30 - 11:00
Retaining the right people is one of the greatest challenges facing businesses. In this 90-minute masterclass, we’ll explore the most effective ways to retain the great people that you work hard to recruit. We’ll share emerging best practice from across public and private sectors, help participants to reflect on areas they would like to enhance in the retention of talent.
The masterclass will explore these key areas:

Why do people leave?
Salary and developing a competitive benefits package (financial and non-financial).
Innovative ideas and retention techniques to set yourself apart from competitors.
The importance of the people manager.
Creating a culture of belonging and how this impacts all of the above.

After which you’ll have the change to attend an interactive workshop where these themes will be explored further, and you’ll get a chance to discuss your specific business challenges with the masterclass hosts.

Right to Work: Employer Compliance
2023-11-15 09:30 - 10:30
The UK Government has announced that the fines for employing illegal workers will increase from £15,000 to £45,000 per individual found to be working without lawful immigration status.
Fines can be issued in a number of different situations including:

Where an individual entered the UK illegally and never had a right to work
Where an individual has a restricted right to work and is working in breach of these restrictions
Where an individual previously had a right to work, but no longer holds this status
With the changes to Right to Work caused by Brexit, and the constant merry-go-round of changes to the Right to Work Rules, it can be very difficult for HR Managers and business owners to stay on top of this issue.

This Thorntons Law webinar will cover key points employers need to consider when reviewing their policies to prepare for the upcoming changes from an immigration and data protection perspective.

How to generate and increase sales
2023-11-14 14:30 - 16:30, 2023-11-10 09:30 - 11:30
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

Instagram for business
2023-11-14 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.

Email marketing for business
2023-11-14 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

How Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help your business marketing
2023-11-13 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 brand new practical webinar will explore how AI can help revolutionise 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 include:

What is Artificial Intelligence
Current AI tools and systems to use right now (including ChatGPT and Dall-E 2)
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.

The essentials of bookkeeping and what expenses you can claim
2023-11-13 09:00 - 11:00
This webinar is for those who are entering business for the first time or require an understanding of what is involved in financially managing a business, including basic bookkeeping, and creating a profit and loss account. You will also get an understanding of what expenses the business can claim and then how to fund your business. At the end of the session, you will receive a workbook on excel to help you manage and monitor costs and sales.
At the end of this session, you will be able to:

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

Build your brand and promotional graphics
2023-11-11 11:30 - 13:30
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

TikTok and Instagram Reels for business
2023-11-10 14:00 - 16:00
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.

Business Finance Viability
2023-11-09 16:00 - 18:00
Led by experienced advisers, this webinar takes the fear out of finances, providing practical tools and guidance to help you confidently manage your business’s budgeting and forecasting. You’ll learn how to identify the hidden costs of running your business, including the cost of hiring staff, maintaining stock levels, and other crucial expenses.
Through a series of engaging exercises, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your business’s financial viability, helping you make informed decisions about its future growth and success. Whether you’re a new entrepreneur or have been in business for a couple of years, this webinar is tailored to your needs, providing you with the knowledge and skills to take your business to the next level.
Don’t let financial worries hold you back from realizing your business’s full potential. Sign up for the Business Finance Viability webinar today and discover how to confidently manage your business’s financial health!

Google Analytics – Understand how your website performs
2023-11-09 14:00 - 16:00
Google Analytics (Universal and GA4) 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.

How to write and develop your business plan
2023-11-09 09:00 - 11:00
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

e-Commerce with Shopify
2023-11-08 09:30 - 11:30
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

The Importance of Scottish Provenance of Food and Drink
2023-11-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Arbroath Football Club, Gayfield Park, Arbroath, DD11 1QJ
Appetite for Angus is running ‘A Taste of Angus Food and Drink Festival’ in the first week of November. We’re delighted to host a networking event, bringing together food and drink professionals in Angus, including producers and hospitality industry members.
Hear from Carol Saunders, Head of Insight for Scotland Food & Drink, as she explores data and presents the importance of Scottish provenance in the food and drink industry.
Fiona Walsh will tell us more on ‘Appetite for Angus’, a network of local food and drink businesses who are working together to promote what the region has to offer, to ensure everyone has access to local food, and to collaborate, support and help each other.
This event offers valuable insights and networking opportunities for local attendees, emphasising the significance of provenance in their products. Don’t miss the chance to connect with industry experts and grow your contacts in Angus!

Kickstart your Marketing
2023-11-07 16:00 - 18:00
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.

Photography for online business
2023-11-07 14:00 - 16:00
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.

Build a customer focused business
2023-11-07 10:00 - 12:00
Did you know that a returning customer will typically spend more than two thirds more with your business than a brand new one?
Did you know that retaining just 5% of your customer base can give an increase of over 20% in profits for your business?
Having an effective strategy in place for your business to deliver great customer service is critical for your business.
We will cover:

Why good customer service is critical for business growth
What are the essentials of delivering great customer service and how should this be delivered?
How to effectively manage different types of customers and their expectations
How, why, and when you should measure the service a business delivers
How to use the service provided to promote a business and enable growth

Can Do Innovation Summit
2023-11-07 08:30 - 17:30 | Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, G51 1EA
From AI to sustainable technologies, changes in tech, data and innovation are happening at a rapid pace.
The CAN DO Innovation Summit connects start ups, SMEs, innovators, entrepreneurs, and academics. You’ll explore trends, insights and tools that allow your business to stand out in a tech-driven future.
You’ll also learn how emerging technologies, along with the right business cultures, can help tackle industry and societal challenges.

Facebook for business
2023-11-06 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.

Online Sales: Improve, develop & make more money
2023-11-06 14:00 - 16:00
What’s the best way to sell your products online? The key to improving your online business is measuring its effectiveness – you can then take steps to optimise its performance. Should you be using your own eCommerce store or Amazon, neither or both? This webinar will help you decide.
We will cover:

Factors to consider when selling online.
What eCommerce options exist, and the benefits of each
Differences in available eCommerce platforms
Benefits of automation
Key items to optimise performance

The low-cost guide to marketing your business
2023-11-06 09:30 - 11:30
When budgets are tight, it can be difficult to find the funds for marketing. This webinar will offer marketing tips and advice that you can then use across your business – without bursting the bank!
We will look at:

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

How to start a business: The basics
2023-11-04 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

Video production for social media
2023-11-03 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.

The Basics of Starting a Business
2023-11-02 16:00 - 18:00
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.

Build an effective strategy to grow your business
2023-11-02 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
