The Basics of Starting a Business
2024-08-01 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
This webinar will give you the information needed to build a start up action plan. The plan will enable you to consider which actions are relevant to your plan, start building a set of SMART Goals, give thought to business skills development and provide a clear path for steps to launch your business.
You will also learn about the key considerations when starting a business and what steps you will need to take from legal, financial and strategic standpoints.
By the end of the webinar, you will have the information required to start building an action plan and be confident about understanding the next steps.

An introduction to business websites
2024-08-01 10:00 - 12:00
This webinar will take you through all the steps required to design, build and host a business website. You will learn about:

The need to determine website objectives
The importance of knowing who your audience is and measuring results
Setting clear calls to action and creating engaging content
Creating your brand’s visual identity online, your site’s blueprint and how you can structure your site map
What’s involved in registering your domain, maintaining your site content, and options for hosting it

This webinar will also offer guidance on when and how to outsource your website development,covering topics such as choosing a suitable content management system, what to organise first and costing for the work.

A step-by-step guide to building your business plan
2024-08-02 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

Bookkeeping essentials
2024-08-05 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

An introduction to business strategy
2024-08-06 09:00 - 11:00
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

How to generate and increase sales
2024-08-06 15:00 - 17:00
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

How to create engaging content
2024-08-07 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.
This session is 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.
We 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

An introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for small businesses
2024-08-12 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.

Why you need a strong personal brand to grow your business
2024-08-12 12:00 - 13:00
In this online session with brand photographer Gerri Campbell, you will learn how to show your business in an authentic way. It will teach you how you can cut through the digital noise and show your values and personality to your ideal client.
Gerri is a personal brand photographer capturing the unique personality of business owners and their businesses with vibrant photos that stand out and really attract their ideal clients.
In this webinar you will:

understand how to rise above the crowd in the busy digital space
gain hands-on knowledge and practical tips that can be immediately applied to your personal brand
engage in a discussion with experts and peers, enriching your learning experience

Social media essentials: LinkedIn
2024-08-12 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

Kickstart your Marketing
2024-08-13 10:00 - 12:00
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.

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 1: On page optimisation
2024-08-13 10:00 - 12:00
Join us to look at how Google and other search engines decide the order in which they list their search results. We will show you how to maximise your chances of appearing towards the top of the search rankings, ensuring you understand what key words and phrases your potential customers are using when searching online, and how to optimise your website as a result.
We will cover:

How search engines work, and the ‘on-page’ factors used to rank your site
Understanding customer search behaviour
Keyword research tools and how to benefit from them
Optimising your website content for search engines

Implementing and Sustaining Workplace Organisation
2024-08-14 09:00 - 12:00 | ETZ Ltd, 53 Blenheim Place, Aberdeen, AB25 2DY
Join our Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) on 14 August 2024, from 9:30am to 12:00 noon, for a free Lean Breakfast Workshop at W-Zero-1 collaboration space at ETZ, Aberdeen, which will provide you with the tools to support you through the Fit 4 Offshore Renewables (F4OR) programme’s Process Excellence requirements.
The series is designed to help you develop your own continuous improvement strategies, to apply process improvements, improve workplace organisation and much more. Each workshop will also begin and end with a 30-minute networking opportunity.
Workshop four – Implementing and Sustaining Workplace Organisation
Our fourth session of the series will focus on supporting your business with workplace organisation methods. You will learn:

A structured approach to implementing and sustaining workplace organisation
Solutions to potential challenges when implementing workplace organisation techniques
Practical tips and tools to organise your office or shopfloor

Our event is open to all manufacturers and producers – large, small and sector wide – who wish to improve business efficiency and begin their F4OR accreditation. It’s aimed at business leaders and managers who are looking to introduce a culture of change within the business and who wish to engage the workforce to look for opportunities to do things better and deliver process improvements that can benefit your business.

Ready, Steady, Grow: How to Expand Your Business
2024-08-14 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.
Don’t miss this opportunity to take your business to new heights!

Creating an effective email marketing strategy
2024-08-15 10:00 - 12:00
Customers buy from businesses that they know, like and trust. Email marketing is powerful and affordable tool in your digital marketing toolkit to build these relationships.
Most businesses send monthly newsletters to stay in touch with their audience, but your results will improve with a structured plan and the best practices that will be explored in this webinar.
Whether you’re new to email marketing or you’re looking to optimise your email strategy, this webinar enable you to:

Adopt email marketing into your wider marketing strategy and gain insight into your target audience
Understand the key stages of an effective marketing strategy
Segment your audiences and to target and position your offering to them effectively
Create a value-driven and customer-focussed content for email marketing whilst measuring and testing it’s effectiveness
Identify the most suitable platforms and tools for email marketing campaigns, including different paid-for account levels
Optimise the different components of a successful email campaign
Use reporting and key metrics to make sure your campaigns are successful
Be compliant with legal requirements relating to email communications and use best practices for escaping the spam folder

Horizon Europe & International Low Carbon Research & Innovation Funding
2024-08-15 10:00 - 14:00 | The Studio Glasgow, 67 Hope Street, G2 6AE
Join Scottish Enterprise for a workshop in Glasgow to learn about the range of funding available to support research and innovation in the critical growth areas of energy and low carbon.
The session will provide details of the current and upcoming funding available through Horizon Europe, as well as details of other international funding programmes and grants including Eureka Eurostars, EIC Pathfinder and Accelerator, SMART grants, Global Business Innovation Programme and more!
This event will provide an early insight to these opportunities, including some which have yet to be published.
It will therefore be of interest to Innovative companies, universities / research and public sector organisations who are planning, supporting or interested in the available funding opportunities for energy and low carbon research and innovation projects.

Is it too soon to talk about the C word?
2024-08-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Pathhead Farm, Forfar Road, Kirriemuir, DD8 5BY
Join us for an exciting joint networking event with Appetite for Angus at the Pathhead Farm Shop and Café. This event is your chance to connect with like-minded individuals and businesses in your community and to kickstart your business’s Christmas plans.
Learn about upcoming events hosted by both Business Gateway and Appetite for Angus, and explore the various support options available to you in the lead-up to the festive season.
In addition to networking, you will have the chance to hear from Ally, the owner of Pathhead Farm. Ally will share his vision for the farm shop and café while discussing his search for local suppliers to feature in his business. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore potential collaborations and gain insights into local market opportunities.
Don’t miss this opportunity to network with local businesses and discover how you can benefit from the resources and support provided by Business Gateway and Appetite for Angus.

Photography for digital marketing
2024-08-16 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

How to build your brand
2024-08-16 14:00 - 16:00
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

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 2: Off page optimisation & technical considerations
2024-08-20 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

Register Your Interest - Amazon Accelerator Programme
2024-08-20 10:00 - 16:00
Please note this is just to register your interest in the programme. A member of the team will be in touch to discuss whether the programme is right for you.
Amazon Accelerator commences on 20th Aug and runs with weekly involvement until 29 Nov , with regular content and 1-2-1’s.
Our team of experienced Amazon sellers will provide 1-2-1 support to address your company-specific issues and offer expert advice for successful sales growth. By the end of the programme you will have developed your:

Amazon profile.
launched your Amazon site.
established a significant and consistent revenue stream.

Delivery

Online learning platform.
bi-weekly online group sessions on Friday mornings.
ongoing 1-2-1 support.

Managing People for Growth - Hybrid
2024-08-21 09:00 - 16:00 | Scottish Enterprise, 99 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5HD
Our workshops cover several key areas that can help you develop the skills of your people managers. You’ll learn how to:

Identify the skills and approaches managers require to perform their roles successfully both now and in the future
Implement fair and progressive work practices through an understanding of key drivers that can develop new ways of working (for example, the fair work framework, productivity and benefits of employee engagement)
Understand the importance of effectively maximising and improving existing staff skills, while identifying the style and attributes of an effective manager

Areas our workshops will focus on:
1. The role of a manager
2. Empowering teams and individuals
3. Communication, influencing and collaboration
4. Coaching and delegation
5. Managing individual performance
6. Creating a culture of innovation

Chat GPT for Beginners
2024-08-21 10:00 - 13:00
Janine Marriott explains practical business uses for the AI that everyone is talking about – Chat GPT
We will cover the following topics and more, and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions at the end on how it can help your particular business/industry.

What is ChatGPT and how does it work?
How can ChatGPT help my small business?
How much does ChatGPT cost?
How can ChatGPT help me reach more customers?
Can ChatGPT integrate with other marketing tools I’m already using?
How do I know if ChatGPT is right for my small business?
Are there any resources or support available to help me get started with ChatGPT?

How to deliver low-cost, high impact marketing
2024-08-21 10:30 - 12:30
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

From side-hustle to start-up
2024-08-21 12:30 - 13:30
Whether you’re running a small online shop, offering freelance services, or pursuing a passion project, the session aims to help give you the confidence you need to take the next step and transform your side gig into a full-time business.
Join us for an engaging, practical session where you’ll learn the essential steps to building out your side hustle and navigate the challenges of starting-up. Our expert speakers will share actionable insights on:

Strategies to build confidence
How to overcome a fear of failure
First steps to launching your start-up
Challenges in transitioning from side-hustle to start-up
Time management tips to balance your side hustle with other commitments

Who Should Attend:

Side hustlers ready to scale their projects into full-fledged businesses
Aspiring entrepreneurs looking for guidance on starting their journey
Anyone interested in monetising their skills or hobbies

Hydrogen market opportunities in Scotland and Denmark
2024-08-22 09:00 - 10:00
Following the recent announcement on the Danish hydrogen pipeline to Germany, join this free webinar and hear from key stakeholders in the Danish and Scottish hydrogen/PtX ecosystems and get an update on the state of play in both countries.

Managing People for Growth - Hybrid
2024-08-22 09:00 - 16:00 | Connect Three, 4 Rogart Street, Bridgeton, G40 2AA

Business Finance Viability
2024-08-22 10:00 - 12:00
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!

Social media essentials: TikTok and Instagram Reels
2024-08-22 10:00 - 12:00
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

Telling Your Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability Story
2024-08-22 10:00 - 16:00 | Kinclune Estate, Kirkton of Kingoldrum, Forfar, DD8 5HX
The next Angus Agritourism Monitor Farm meeting takes place on Thursday 22nd August at Kinclune Estate, Kirkton of Kingoldrum, Kirriemuir, Angus DD8 5HX
The focus of the meeting is on ‘Telling Your Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability Story’.
We will hear from Monitor Farmer Aylwin Pillai on the progress of the build of their new wedding venue and an update on how the Highland pony tours and accommodation is performing.
We will then take a walk up the hill behind Kinclune, where you will find out more from Virginia Osborne about how to tell an engaging story about conservation, biodiversity and sustainability.
The meeting itself is free to attend and all agritourism, rural tourism and rural food and drink businesses are welcome as well as farmers and crofters considering agritourism.
