Invest in Angus

Develop a successful international ready website and social media presence
2023-04-03 10:00 - 11:00 UTC
There’s a lot to think about when you’re creating an international website and social presence. From selecting the best domain to language localisation, having a truly global digital presence requires some additional steps to traditional website building.
This webinar will take you through all those steps, covering the following topics:

Selecting a domain
Registering with search engines
Choosing a web host
Language
Payment and shipping
Localising your social media

Presented by Stephen Whitelaw, an entrepreneur and digital guru with over 30 years’ experience, this free webinar is a must for business owners looking to grow internationally.

Blogging for tourism businesses
2023-03-30 11:00 - 12:30
Learn the fundamentals of cost-effectively preparing, writing, and distributing blogs that your visitors will read. Making sure that your effort inspires and helps your visitor to plan and book their trip with you.
Get tools to help you research, understand your customer and write highly targeted content which will help to optimise your website and grow your list of followers.

Grow your Business online - Meet the experts
2023-03-30 09:30 - 16:00 | Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6HQ
These days, selling online involves much more than just a company website. Many manufacturing and retail businesses are expanding their ecommerce presence on to well-known marketplaces such as Amazon, Wayfair, Etsy, eBay and Alibaba.
With opportunities for selling to both retail and wholesale customers, and to expand from the UK into international markets, this is a great time to grow your ecommerce potential.
Register for this unmissable event, which will be delivered by three experts. You’ll benefit from six insightful sessions and join peers for Q&A and discussion time.
With up-to-date content backed up by practical examples, this event could help you to take the next steps in your ecommerce plans.

How to write and develop your business plan
2023-03-30 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

Using Public Contract Scotland (PCS) – How to Find and Bid for Opportunities
2023-03-29 10:30 - 12:00
Public Contracts Scotland is the national public sector tender portal for Scotland. It lists contract opportunities for all public sector bodies and has a “Quick Quote” function for lower value contracts. This webinar will help you to ensure that you’re not only comfortable using the PCS website but also know how to generate business from it.
This event is suitable for Level 1 (Beginners). This workshop is the first step to tendering for new or inexperienced bidders.
During this course, you will learn:

What is Public Contracts Scotland (PCS)?
How do I set myself up on PCS?
What functions do I need to use on PCS?
What is PCS-Tender (PCS-T)?
What is a Quick Quote?
How does e-invoicing work?

Green Heat Geothermal Workshop
2023-03-29 09:30 - 16:00 | Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6HQ
An interactive workshop to explore the types of collaboration and innovation needed to overcome barriers and accelerate the uptake of minewater as a heat source for UK homes and buildings.
Decarbonising heating and cooling is a major opportunity for Scotland that could deliver significant emissions reductions, commercial opportunities, and bring comfort and health benefits to communities and homeowners.  By 2045 the Scottish Government targets require that over 1 million homes and 50K non-domestic properties must switch to low emissions systems such as geothermal energy.
In order to deliver these targets and  deliver the level of heat demand required we need to explore mine water geothermal energy as a resource.
In Scotland there is potential availability of 600km3 of disused mineworkings in the Midland Valley (theoretically meeting 8% of Scotland’s domestic heating requirement and up to 40% of Glasgow’s heat demand) could make Scotland a world leader in this sector.
Scottish Enterprise is offering in person, practical and interactive full-day workshop on minewater heat to provide an opportunity for a range of organisations, mainly SMEs, across Scotland to build relationships, and share innovative ideas to address the barriers and accelerate the roll out and adoption of minewater as a heat source.
Who is this for?
We welcome companies who are driving innovation and growth in mine water geothermal energy, including heat abstraction, digital and data, components and systems and subsurface modelling.  Each workshop will be limited to 20 participants in order to maximise the level of discussion and interaction.
The workshop will be delivered in March 2023 in Glasgow. A networking lunch will be provided.
To maximise the day there will be the opportunity to exchange insights beforehand.

Building a Sustainable Business
2023-03-29 09:30 - 13:00 | Kirriemuir Parish Church, Bank Street, Kirriemuir, DD8 4BG
This workshop, run by our sustainability advisors will give you everything you need to know to start integrating this new, exciting part of business into your company.
By the end of this session, you will be confident with the definition of sustainability and how it relates to your business, know how to go about making your business more sustainable, and be able to identify methods to enhance your business’ sustainability and the opportunities surrounding this.

The basics of trading on eBay, Etsy and Amazon Marketplaces
2023-03-28 14:00 - 16:00
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.

Thorntons Immigration Law Webinar - What to expect in 2023
2023-03-28 09:30 - 11:30
Immigration law is always a dynamic and fast-changing area, and practitioners, individuals and businesses alike will be looking to our new government for signs of what is to come in 2023.
This webinar will explore the potential developments including:

The review of the Shortage Occupation List
Increase in sponsor licence applications
Increase in illegal working checks
Changes to the student dependent visa

The essentials of bookkeeping and what expenses you can claim
2023-03-27 11:30 - 13:30
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

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for tourism businesses
2023-03-27 11:00 - 12:30
Join the second of two 90-minute webinars designed specifically to tell you how to improve the search engine results rankings of your tourism business.
In part 1, we saw how search engines work and how to find out what people are searching for.
In part 2, we’ll look at the many factors that influence how far up the search rankings you go.
You’ll see how to optimise these factors and how to keep up with future changes in the algorithms that search engines use. You’ll be shown how use tools and plug-ins such as Google Search Console, Google Business Profile and robots.txt
We’ll then demonstrate how to avoid ‘violations’ and their consequent penalties.

HR – Recruiting, managing, and retaining staff
2023-03-24 16:00 - 18:00
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

Making digital content accessible
2023-03-24 10:00 - 12:00
Everyone consumes and understands information differently, with some facing additional challenges that aren’t always considered. In this webinar, we’ll explore the challenges that people can have when accessing digital content and we’ll look at the ways you can improve your digital content to be inclusive and considerate for all.
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

Understand and consider the barriers and challenges faced by others when accessing digital content.
Assess your digital content on how easy it is for others to access, consume and understand.
Review your website content with an understanding of what adjustments you should make to ensure that your content is catering to all.
Use social media functions and tools to help make your content more accessible.
Understand and use an ‘Accessibility Ready Checklist’ for any of your content to ensure you are designing and developing content for all of your audience.

Video production for social media
2023-03-23 18:00 - 20:00
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.

Fife Tourism Talks: Accessibility - practical advice
2023-03-23 15:30 - 16:30
The Fife Tourism Partnership is hosting a series of webinars on key current issues in the tourism industry.
These free webinars are a great way of hearing from industry experts, case studies from local businesses and a chance to meet other likeminded businesses. All the sessions will be held on Thursday afternoons at 3.30pm, via Teams.
This talk we welcome Euans Guide, the disabled access charity best known for EuansGuide.com, the disabled access review website.

How Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help your business marketing
2023-03-23 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 business benefits of running a sustainable business
2023-03-23 14:00 - 16:00
It’s becoming increasingly important to customers to source their products from companies who have strong green credentials. This webinar will show how by becoming more sustainable you can increase sales and profits.
We will look at:
Understanding the problem
What is sustainability and why it is important
Innovation
Profiting from being a green business
Embracing a purpose beyond profit
The sustainability triple bottom line
Developing your own green charter
Examples of those practicing this way of growth with remarkable success
Top tips for going green

How to Write Outstanding Tenders - The Invitation to Tender (ITT) Stage
2023-03-23 14:00 - 15:30
Understanding what a buyer is looking for and creating a response to show how you are the best candidate for the job can be tricky.
At this training, you will learn what skills are needed for your business to write a good tender response and stand out from your competitors. One of SDP’s expert trainers will also explain how to analyse the tender documents and how to find hidden clues in the tender documents to help you develop a well-round response.
Overview of what you will learn:

What work can be done pre-tender to make the process of creating a bid less stressful?
How can use Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) and Public Contracts Scotland-Tender (PCS-T) to submit tenders?
What work needs to go into preparing for the ITT before the tender documents are released.
Which skills do you need to have in your bid team to write winning bids?
What good looks like in a bid response

At the end of the session, there will be an interactive Q&A session where you will have the opportunity to ask any burning questions you may have. As well as have the chance to hear what other SME businesses in Scotland have to say.
This event is suitable for Level 2 (Intermediate), for people who know about bidding but need to develop specific knowledge and skills.

Access to funding
2023-03-23 11:30 - 12:30
Are you a business considering a fundraising campaign?
Do you need advice on what funding options are available? How do you get Funder ready?
What alternative finance is available to help grow my business?
What are the benefits of Debt and Equity?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for tourism businesses – Part 1
2023-03-23 11:00 - 12:30
It’s more vital than ever to get your business to the first few places in the online search results page. These two 90-minute events will tell you all you need to know to improve your rankings, including how search engines work.
This first session will show you how search engines work and we’ll show you the anatomy of results pages and what customers and clients look at on these pages.
You’ll see how to find out what key words people are using when they search for your service, and we’ll demonstrate how you use that information to greatly increase your ranking in results pages.

Email marketing for business
2023-03-23 09:00 - 11:00
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

Build an effective strategy to grow your business
2023-03-22 14:00 - 16:00
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

Planning & scheduling your online content
2023-03-22 13:00 - 15:00
Businesses who plan their content in advance, aligning their channels with actual business objectives, customer themes and national events, and then schedule it to ensure it reaches the target market at the right time, on the right platform – hugely increase the chances of achieving impact.
In this webinar, you will learn how to:

Plan content based on your business and your customer needs
Evaluate current social media dashboards and management tools
Create a social media content calendar and schedule updates automatically
Reach more people through automating your blog and email newsletter content
Implement simple automation techniques to increase efficiency

Having great content is just the start. This webinar will help you better organise and setup your content strategy through simple planning and effective scheduling, to achieve great business results.

Online Sales: Improve, develop & make more money
2023-03-22 10:00 - 12:00
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

Why Circular Procurement is Better for Business
2023-03-22 10:00 - 11:30
Circular procurement extends beyond ‘traditional’ sustainable procurement by helping to develop circular business models within the supply chain. It uses purchasing power to achieve maximum positive ecological, social, and economic impact throughout the life span of products and services.
This webinar will introduce the concept of circular procurement, highlighting the value of using and reusing the materials we already have, from construction, to clothing to food waste, maximising their value and potentially not only saving Scottish businesses at least £3billion a year, but also significantly cutting our emissions by reducing imports and making best use of our renewable energy.
We will hear from speakers whose expertise spans across both the public and private sector, highlighting opportunities, different approaches and viewpoints on implementing circular models within the field of procurement.

The accountant’s input to the EOT transaction
2023-03-22 10:00 - 11:00
Aimed at professional advisors, this expert webinar series will explore different aspects of the subject to broaden your knowledge and help support your clients to make informed decisions. The webinars are also relevant for business owners looking towards succession planning.
In this webinar Linzi Wilson from Consilium Chartered Accountants, will talk about valuing and selling a company to an EOT (Employee Ownership Trust). She’ll also look at how a deal can be funded.
It’s usual for these transactions to be funded primarily, or solely, by deferred consideration by the vendor — Linzi will discuss how this can be structured. She’ll also discuss tax clearances and meeting HMRC requirements.

Fair Work Workshop
2023-03-22 09:30 - 12:30
Fair Work is an investment in everyone, for everyone. It can improve productivity, innovation, organisational reputation and recruitment. It can also reduce staff turnover and help create inclusive workplaces with a richness of talent and a diversity of ideas.
For staff, Fair Work can increase financial security, physical health and psychological wellbeing. For businesses, it brings more engaged, committed and adaptable workers who spot challenges and opportunities, solve problems, offer insight and ideas for business improvement, and create value.
What’s the event about?
This is a fully funded programme which will help participating companies to:

Understand the benefits of fair work (for both the business and its staff)
Develop an action plan to embed or improve current people practices
Prioritise and take next steps to implementing an action plan

The type of projects and actions that could result from a fair work action plan include:

Improving people and fair work practices
Skills, leadership and management development
Creating a positive culture and values-based approach
Improving employee engagement and supporting performance management practices

Thorntons Corporate Webinar - Protecting Your Business During a Downturn
2023-03-22 09:30 - 10:30
In a time of economic uncertainty, supply issues, inflationary pressures and spiralling costs, business owners in all sectors need to take proactive measures to protect their business – and themselves.
Whether you need to manage costs; you’re experiencing supply chain issues; or you need to review your business structure and financing, there are a range of measures available to help navigate a difficult business environment. Seeking early advice is always recommended to help avoid potential business disruption during an economic downturn.
In this webinar and Q&A, Partners Pamela Muir and Chris Allan will explore the various legal options available to help reduce risks across your business and adjust to changing trading conditions.
This webinar will cover:

Structuring your business including location of assets and personal liability issues
Funding your business; shareholder loans v equity and third party funding
Contractual protection; contractual provisions for late payments and interest on late payments
Debtor and creditor management; effective procedures

Fife & Tayside Procurement Surgery
2023-03-22 09:00 - 13:00
To support local suppliers in Angus, Dundee City, Fife and Perth & Kinross Councils, Procurement Surgeries are hosted by each local authority on a rotating basis.
Local suppliers are invited to attend clinic appointments lasting 20 minutes, available from 9:00am to 1:00pm by prior appointment only. The appointments shall be conducted via Webex, hosted by the Supplier Development Programme.
Procurement Surgeries will:

Signpost and prepare businesses to local support, aiming to increase their confidence when tendering with the public sector;
Assist suppliers in gaining knowledge of local supply chain opportunities across Fife and Tayside;
Help the Councils build relationships with suppliers and break down barriers to bidding;
Raise awareness of the opportunities within public sector procurement, such as Regulated Procurement Pipelines; and
Support suppliers in becoming “tender ready” with the Supplier Development Programme to better understand and respond to the “ask” from local authorities in procurement.

Bookings for Procurement Surgeries must be booked in advance by SMEs by logging into the SDP website and answering the required questions that are part of the booking process.

How to start a business: The basics
2023-03-21 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
