Invest in Angus

Business Finance Viability
2025-03-18 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
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!

How to generate and increase sales
2025-03-18 13:00 - 15:00
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

SSDA Conference 2025
2025-03-19 09:30 - 17:00 | The Peebles Hydro, Innerleithen Road, Peebles, EH45 8LX
This key annual event brings together the South of Scotland’s tourism sector with service providers, key stakeholders and the public sector. It’s designed to unite everyone invested in shaping the region’s vibrant visitor economy.
This conference provides a platform for connecting, networking, learning, and forging meaningful new collaborations. It’s once again inspired by the four pillars of the South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy:

inspire – discover fresh ideas and success stories that highlight the unique strengths of the South of Scotland as a world-class destination
develop – explore innovative approaches to developing destination products, and creative experiences that resonate with visitors, celebrate local culture, and add value to the region’s tourism offering
responsible – champion sustainability and responsibility in tourism, ensuring that our natural environment, local communities, and cultural heritage are protected for generations to come
support – gain access to invaluable resources, tools, and networks to support your business’s growth and resilience

These themes will shape the day, helping to:

drive engaging discussions and practical workshops to tackle current challenges
seize emerging opportunities
ensure a sustainable, inclusive, and innovative future for tourism in the region

Whether you’re a business owner, community leader, or professional in the tourism industry, the SSDA Conference is your chance to explore innovative practices and be part of shaping the South of Scotland as a destination that inspires visitors and supports thriving communities.

Discover Scottish Gardens
2025-03-19 09:30 - 17:00 | Cambo House, St Andrews, KY16 8QD
Discover Scottish Gardens has been promoting gardens and related businesses to visit for nearly ten years.
It has a popular printed map, website, and marketing and PR/media opportunities for members. It also recognises the importance of hosting an annual gathering of this scale to support the network, encouraging collaboration across the industry.
This event is open to Discover Scottish Gardens members, partners, and non-members interested in the network and industry.
This event is for:

gardens open to the public and open by appointment
hotels, and accommodation providers with beautiful gardens
garden centres and plant nurseries
those interested in working within the garden tourism industry
businesses interested in supporting the garden tourism industry

The conference will offer those in the sector and related industries a chance to connect, network, and hear from a range of inspiring speakers on redevelopment and restoration projects as well as insights on Scottish tourism.

A step-by-step guide to building your business plan
2025-03-19 10:00 - 12:00
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

Social media essentials: Instagram
2025-03-19 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

Continuous Improvement Business Breakfast Workshop
2025-03-20 08:30 - 11:00 | Scottish Enterprise, 99 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5HD
Join the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) as it hosts a breakfast event on that will help you engage your people in change and create a culture of excellence within your business.
The SMAS will explain how lean manufacturing can engage people, create sustainable change and will look at the leadership qualities that support this process. It’s a fantastic opportunity to take a step back and explore an alternative way of working and thinking about your business.
The workshop will also provide an overview of the SMAS Business Improvement Academy (BIA) and demonstrate how it can help you develop a culture of change in the workplace to benefit your business.
Who should attend?
This event is open to all manufacturers and producers – large, small and sector-wide – who wish to improve their business efficiency.
It is aimed at business leaders and managers who are looking to introduce a culture of change in the business. It can help you encourage your workforce to look for opportunities to ‘do things better’ and deliver process improvements that can benefit the business.
The event has been timed to ensure minimal time away from the workplace. Participants will arrive from 8:30am, when breakfast rolls, fruit, pastries, and refreshments will be available. The workshop will start at 9am and finish at 11am. There will be ample opportunity to network with like-minded decision makers and explore ways that SMAS can support your business.
This event is free of charge, with limited places, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Selling Your Business Masterclass
2025-03-20 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 specialist hydrocarbon accounting consultancy Accord Energy Solutions explain what they considered in choosing employee ownership and how things have worked.
Louise Fisher from Baxendale EO will talk through all ownership succession options before focussing on employee ownership and how to ensure the employee buyout is a smooth process.

The Smart Way to Build and Protect Your Brand
2025-03-20 11:30 - 13:00
Join us for an interactive session led by GrowBiz Enterprise Facilitator Becca Flory, who is a serial entrepreneur and lawyer.
Using case studies, Becca will share ‘dos and don’ts’ as well as practical tips on how to help you run your business safely and confidently—without the legal jargon!
You’ll leave with clear, actionable steps to protect and grow your business. In this session, Becca will cover:

GDPR made simple: Learn how to responsibly capture customer details for email marketing and build lasting customer relationships.
Clear agreements: Discover how to create service agreements for suppliers and customers to ensure smooth working relationships and avoid misunderstandings.
Protect your brand: Understand how to safeguard your creative work so others can’t copy you.
Effective terms and conditions: Craft T&Cs that truly serve your business goals.

These topics often feel intimidating, but Becca will show you how easy it can be. With her guidance, you’ll gain the clarity and confidence to focus on growing your business.

Social media essentials: LinkedIn
2025-03-20 14:00 - 16:00
No longer just an online CV, LinkedIn can be an incredibly powerful – and profitable – business tool.
During this webinar, you will:

Learn how to create a LinkedIn strategy to boost your business reputation via marketing and brand promotion initiatives
Learn the difference between personal and company profiles and how to optimise them for both maximum visibility and brand awareness
Understand that content is king on LinkedIn, and we’ll show you how to plan and produce captivating content that enriches your brand

River South Esk Catchment Partnership Catchment Management Plan 2 - Workshop Session
2025-03-21 08:00 - 17:00 | Brechin Mechanics Institute, 10 Saint Mary Street, Brechin, DD9 7JG
Join us for a day of brainstorming and prioritising catchment opportunities that will form the basis of our second catchment management plan. This event will bring together stakeholders and communities who will shape the priorities and vision of our new 10 year plan.
Morning Session:
The day will include a morning Priorities and Vision workshop.
Running from 10am – 12.45pm, space is limited and must be booked.
Afternoon Session:
An afternoon drop-in session will run from 1.30pm – 5.30pm at which, the River South Esk Catchment Partnership, partners and communities share information on projects taking place in the catchment. The session is an opportunity for communities to shape priorities, that will inform Partnership aspirations and the River South Esk Catchment Management Plan 2.

How to start a business: The basics
2025-03-22 10:00 - 12:00
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
2025-03-24 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

Business Support – Drop In Sessions (Kirriemuir Library)
2025-03-24 13:00 - 16:00 | Kirriemuir Library, 28 Reform Street, Kirriemuir, DD8 4BS
The Business Gateway team will be at Kirriemuir Library to offer expert advice and support for all your business questions.
Drop in and speak to us, or use the book now button and a member of the team will be in touch to book an appointment.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow business, our advisers are here for you every step of the way.

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 2: Off page optimisation & technical considerations
2025-03-24 14:00 - 16:00
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

Why your business needs a blog
2025-03-24 18:00 - 20:00
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

An introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for small businesses
2025-03-25 10:00 - 12:00
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.

Social media essentials: Facebook
2025-03-25 14:00 - 16:00
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

Clean Heat 2025
2025-03-26 09:00 - 19:00 | DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Glasgow Central, 36 Cambridge Street, Glasgow, G2 3HN
The Clean Heat event is dedicated to the delivery of clean, renewable heat to buildings in Scotland. It brings together public, private, and third-sector organisations to share their knowledge and expertise of the sector.
Its purpose is to generate interest in the clean heat supply chain by showcasing the opportunities that exist within it.
The event will also address the barriers to Scotland’s heat decarbonisation targets and look at how we can overcome them.
We’re looking for a broad range of attendees, including:

Small and medium-sized enterprises that are already in, or looking to enter, the clean heat supply chain and are based in Scotland
Local authorities
New-build developers
Key industry organisations
Investors
Academics, innovation centres, and Catapults
Utility providers
First mover organisations – registered social landlords, public sector bodies, private landlords, and social housing organisations

Delivering profit to drive growth
2025-03-26 10:00 - 12:00
The course covers financial analysis, strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and the role of innovation and scalability in leveraging profit for long-term success.
We 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

How to deliver low-cost, high impact marketing
2025-03-26 13:00 - 15:00
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

Ready, Steady, Grow: How to Expand Your Business
2025-03-27 10:00 - 12:00
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.

How to build your brand
2025-03-27 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

The Employee Ownership Transition: A Deep Dive
2025-03-27 10:00 - 12:30
Are you considering employee ownership as a succession plan for your business? Take a deep dive into the process of selling to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT)?
Aimed at business owners considering employee ownership as a succession option, this interactive online workshop will cover topics that are fundamental to every employee ownership transition.

Bookkeeping and Cloud Accounting Basics
2025-03-27 11:30 - 13:00
Join us to learn more about the basics of bookkeeping and what information and records you need to keep in order be compliant.
During this session we’ll walk you through:
* Setting up your business accounts, discussing some of the methods you could use
* Business banking
* Recording transactions and sales
* Income and expenditure
* Keeping receipts and storing data
* Mileage and travel expenses
* What you can and cannot claim
* Types of reports.
* Finding an accountant/bookkeeper or DIY
* Preparing and submitting your own self assessment at the end of the year
There will be plenty of opportunities for you to ask questions during this interaction session which will be led by both Kirsteen Hardie, GrowBiz Finance Manager and Rebecca Mackellar, a GrowBiz client, who is a bookkeeper. Kirsteen and Rebecca support clients to make informed choices about the most suitable way to track their business accounts.
By the end of the session you’ll feel much clearer about what records you need to keep and perhaps you’ll have decided the best way to keep and manage your records which might include the use of Cloud Accounting Software.

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
2025-03-27 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

Become a CPD-certified Green Champion
2025-03-28 10:00 - 12:30
Rising energy costs, the climate emergency and increasing consumer pressure continue to impact businesses and challenge 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 business.

Social media essentials: TikTok and Instagram Reels
2025-03-28 14:00 - 16:00
TikTok and Instagram Reels aren’t just for dance trends and lip-synching videos, they can also be a fantastic opportunity to engage with your customers and increase the reach of your business online. Learn how to create bitesize video content for more effective business communication on two of the most popular social platforms.
We will cover:

How to optimise your TikTok and Instagram accounts for the best results with video
How to discover the latest trends on each platform and leverage this to create popular videos for your business
Ideas for creating content to entertain, inspire or educate your audience (with lots of examples from a variety of relevant TikTok and Reels accounts)
How to increase engagement and reach by paying attention to your videos’ structure, duration, titles and understanding hashtags and algorithms
The best kit, apps and workflow to create bitesize vertical videos for both platforms

Horizon Europe & International Low Carbon Research & Innovation Funding
2025-03-31 10:00 - 15:30 | Hilton Glasgow, 1 William Street, Glasgow, G3 8HT
Join us at our Glasgow workshop and learn about the range of funding available to support research and innovation in the critical growth areas of energy and low carbon.
We can help you understand the unique benefits that Horizon Europe and other international programmes can offer.
International funding programmes we’ll cover include:

Horizon Europe including low carbon and energy calls and EIC Pathfinder and Accelerator
Clean Energy Transition Partnership
Global Business Innovation Programme
Eureka Eurostars

Our workshop will:

Provide an overview of the unpublished 2025 energy and low carbon funding opportunities in Horizon Europe and give details of other international funding programmes and grants
Offer top tips and shared experiences from previously successful applicants and evaluators
Include a dedicated pitching session so that you can share your project ideas and expertise
Help you find support that’s available to you and your Scottish company
Introduce you to other organisations similar to yours – either those developing applications or in need of a partner

Who should join?
This workshop is of interest to innovative companies, universities, research bodies, and public sector organisations that are planning, supporting or interested in the available funding opportunities for energy and low carbon research and innovation projects.

Innovation, Culture and a Growth Mindset
2025-03-31 14:00 - 15:00
This 60-minute webinar for business leaders could transform the way you approach workplace innovation.
The global operating environment is currently one of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). To remain competitive and thrive in this world, businesses have no option but to prioritise innovation. Not simply in terms of the products or services they offer, but in their culture.
This masterclass will be delivered by the Conference Board. The speaker is John Metselaar Professor ‘Leading and Living Innovation’, Solvay Brussels School of Economics Belgium.
The masterclass will Introduce an integrated framework to organise for this. Introduce a “Generative Leadership” framework to get us (re-)grounded on the fundamentals what leaders DO (or should do).
This covers:
Envisioning (purpose, objectives, goals, strategy),
Enabling to Execute (“execution is the only strategy the consumer ever sees), and
Engaging and Empowering (motivating your people, teams, and organisation toward a desired culture).
As Innovation is a human team sport culture, often is the most difficult element for leaders to get a handle on – as it deals with human emotions. In order to be able to effectively “own” culture (and not just delegate to HR) Generative Leaders need to internalise not only what they do, but also who they ARE (or should be).
Explore applying the trinity of:-
Mind (a Growth Mindset),
Heart (Authenticity behind Vulnerability), and
Gut (through Psychological Safety) to your leadership toolkit.
