Invest in Angus

Scottish Business Week 2022
2022-10-03 09:00 - 2022-10-07 17:00 UTC
Registrations are now open for Scottish Business Week 2022 – a virtual week-long event between the 3rd – 7th October, run in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland.
This free event is open to all businesses in Scotland and anyone thinking about starting up. There will be inspirational speakers, webinars and masterclasses offering support and guidance to help increase efficiency and build resilience.
Keynote speakers include:

Councillor Gail Macgregor, Environment and Economy Spokesperson, COSLA
Carolyn Currie, Chief Executive, Women’s Enterprise Scotland
Andrew Dobbie, Founder/CEO, MadeBrave
Dr Martin Valenti, Director of Net Zero, SOSE
Ivan McKee, Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Scottish Government

There will also be panel webinars on business support, starting up, women in business, digital transformation and sustainability; together with webinars and masterclasses on a variety of topics from how to make your business more efficient to writing a business plan. Plus, you can learn the fundamentals of resource efficiency and become a Green Champion through Business Energy Scotland’s CPD-certified training course.
Sign up to guarantee your place, and for more information on the programme.

Making digital content accessible
2022-10-10 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.

Producing engaging online content
2022-10-10 14:00 - 16:00
Producing quality content is an excellent way of helping your customers develop a meaningful relationship with your brand, services and products. In this webinar we will show you how to source and develop a variety of content for your website and social channels. Ideal for businesses that already have a business website or use social media and now want to take it a step further, and develop the skills to show your audience that you are a trusted operator in your field.
This session will help you:

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

Blogging for business
2022-10-11 10:00 - 12:00
This webinar will provide you with the knowledge and understanding you need to create a blog that promotes your business.
We will cover:

What a ‘blog’ is, how to set one up and what it takes to make them work
Other small and medium sized businesses who already blog successfully and what you can learn from them
Options for monetising a blog
How to promote your blog
How your blog can help move your website higher up search engine rankings
Understanding analytics and measuring the impact of your blog

How to protect and manage your intellectual property
2022-10-11 14:00 - 16:00
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

An Introduction to Self-Employment and Starting your own Business
2022-10-11 18:00 - 20:00
The workshop will provide you with the opportunity to network with other business owners and will also highlight useful sources of information, advice and guidance.
There will also be information on additional services from Business Gateway and details of other webinars which may be appropriate for you.
This webinar is for businesses based in Dundee, Angus and Perth.

Website analytics to improve your business and sales
2022-10-12 10:00 - 12:00
Google Analytics (Universal and GA4), Search Console and Heat Mapping are incredibly powerful tools that help you better understand how your website is performing. This webinar will better equip you to be able to improve the performance and effectiveness of your website by:

Learning about top landing pages and traffic sources, to understanding organic search rankings and user interaction,
We’ll show you around the Google Analytics interface, help you view and understand key reports, how to setup conversions and more.

Beyond Brexit: Selling and Exporting Overseas
2022-10-12 14:00 - 16:00
Jane Milroy our expert in exporting will be running this innovative masterclass helping you to look at ways to grow business and explore some great opportunities selling to different markets overseas.
This information packed webinar will take you through all the key areas you need to consider when trading internationally with a particular emphasis on doing business with EU countries in the post-Brexit era. It will cover both strategic and practical aspects of both exporting and importing and is suitable for companies that are new or in the earlier stages of trading internationally.
Topics to be covered will include: researching market opportunities, routes to market and working with international partners, incoterms, customs and VAT implications, legal aspects of working internationally and pricing strategies and getting paid.

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 1: On page optimisation
2022-10-12 14:00 - 16:00
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

Pinterest for business
2022-10-13 10:00 - 12:00
A commonly used tool for those researching products and services for personal life (clothing ideas, holidays inspiration, cooking alternatives!), but how can it benefit your business? Move from being a beginner to knowing enough to gain commercial benefit from the use of Pinterest.
During this webinar we’ll help you better understand:

Who is using Pinterest and what are they looking for?
How to setup your business profile
Key features to use within Pinterest
Measuring success and engagement

Healthy Working Lives - Attract and Retain Staff
2022-10-13 12:00 - 13:00
This event will focus on topics within the workplace (flexibility, mental health, etc). You’ll be made aware of potential issues, solutions through the support available, and benefits of implementing such policies.
Through our interview-style event, Healthy Working Lives will explain the latest trends they are seeing in the workplace. The floor will then be opened for attendees to have the opportunity to ask the experts their own questions.
You’ll leave this event with a new resource for information, in Healthy Working Lives, that you can utilise for future guidance.

Twitter for business
2022-10-13 14:00 - 16:00
This webinar will help you develop and hone your social media strategy in order to amplify your message using Twitter. You will gain a deeper understanding of where Twitter fits into your overall plan, and how it differs from other platforms.
You will also learn about:

What makes a good Twitter profile (and the options available to you).
Twitter best practice content and what makes the perfect tweet.
Dashboards such as Hootsuite to help you manage and integrate your social media accounts and schedule content.
Advanced techniques for social listening and pro-actively finding content and customers.
The basics of Twitter paid advertising.

Complete Guide to Finance for Start-Ups
2022-10-13 18:00 - 20:00
The workshop will look at:

managing a profit and loss account
producing a cashflow statement
working capital
the different sources of finance
the different legal structures of a business

There will also be information on additional services from Business Gateway and details of other workshops which may be appropriate for you.
This webinar is aimed at businesses based in Dundee, Angus and Perth.

LinkedIn for business
2022-10-13 18:00 - 20:00
No longer just an online CV, LinkedIn can be an incredibly powerful – and profitable – business tool. Like any tool, you must learn how to use it, and this webinar gives you expert guidance.
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.

How to start a business: The basics
2022-10-13 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

Selling and Exporting Overseas 1-2-1 Surgery Sessions
2022-10-14 09:00 - 17:00
Has Brexit had impacted on your business? Join our expert guru Jane Milroy for a dedicated one to one hours session where you can discuss any queries you might have specific to your business.
This 1-2-1 session is a follow on to our masterclass running on Wednesday 12th October – Beyond Brexit: Selling and Exporting Overseas.
Please note these surgeries are for businesses based in Dundee, Angus and Perth.

Facebook for business
2022-10-14 10:00 - 12:00
Get to grips with Facebook – the world’s most popular social networking platform.
In this webinar you will:

Learn how to get the most out of Facebook and how it could fit into your business’s digital marketing strategy.
Better understand the algorithm behind Facebook, and how to create great content that achieves a bigger reach and impact.
Learn from the stats and data you can get from the system and discover who your most interested customers/clients are.
Understand the power of Facebook advertising, and other selling options available to you.
Discover other business opportunities presented by Facebook, including how to promote and sell products and services.
Be introduced to ‘Business Suite’ – a free Facebook dashboard to manage all your business activity.

TikTok and Instagram Reels for business
2022-10-14 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.

The business benefits of running a sustainable business
2022-10-14 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

Photography for online business
2022-10-17 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.

Build an effective strategy to grow your business
2022-10-17 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

Learning zone: Managing risk – How to prepare for the unexpected
2022-10-17 18:30 - 19:30
Having risk is not good, however letting it become an issue is worse. From financial to resource to supply issues, all can have a major impact on your businesses. Therefore, you need to start planning and monitoring well in advance to help you prepare for change
We will discuss:

Risk vs issue
What risks could your business have (people, fraud, flood, late payments, utility issues)?
Financially understand each risk – will it cost you?
What would you do differently if there was another pandemic (paperwork, reserves, processes, accounts)?
Reputational risk

Customer Persona: Identify the tools to help uncover insights about people
2022-10-18 14:00 - 16:00
Customer Personas are used to help you understand key traits, behaviours, goals, responsibilities, and needs of a specific type of user and then look at how you will attract the best customer segments for your business.
This is a two part reservation for the events listed below.
Week 1: Tuesday 18th October 2pm – 4pm
Roddy McLean will be talking about the universal challenges of digital marketing / the importance of content marketing as a brand building tool and the corresponding need for deep understanding of the target audience followed by introduction of the audience persona roadmap process.
Week 2: Tuesday 25th October 2pm – 4pm
This will be a practical session focusing on the persona roadmap process itself and how to walk through the various steps.
Booking this event will automatically reserve your space for both webinars.

Build a customer focused business
2022-10-18 14:00 - 16:00
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

Market Research Made Easy
2022-10-18 18:00 - 20:00
The workshop will look at:

the role of marketing in your business
identifying your target customers
identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors
market research

There will also be information on additional services from Business Gateway and details of other webinars which may be appropriate for you.
This webinar is for businesses based in Dundee, Angus and Perth.

Learning Zone – Successfully starting a business
2022-10-19 10:00 - 11:00
So many start-up businesses fail due to lack of planning. This webinar will be a short and sharp overview of what you need to think about to ensure your business is sustainable and avoids the pitfalls when starting up.
We will cover:

Why start-ups fail (cash, time, market research)
Spend time researching your idea
Will you be a sole trader or a limited company?
What are your main revenue streams?
What are your main start up and running costs?
What assets, resources and people do you need?

Fire Safety within Short-Term Lets
2022-10-19 11:00 - 12:00
We are delighted to welcome James Saunders, Station Commander, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to share an overview of what fire safety measures are expected within short-term let premises. James will cover the following

Premises Profile: including occupancy capacity; home sharing; escape routes; internal floor space
Fire Risk Assessments: including inspection requirements; guests’ needs in relation to fire safety; doors & exits; firefighting equipment (extinguishers); automatic fire detection; emergency lighting; fire log book
There will be the opportunity for questions & answers throughout the session.

James Saunders, Station Commander, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service has worked in the fire service for over 25 years and is currently Deputy Head of Fire Safety Enforcement.
This one-hour webinar will form the basis of presentations with questions & answers session. Please submit questions in advance to joyce@assc.co.uk.
Terms:

Attendance at the “ASSC Talks” is free to ASSC members as a way of continuing to add value to the already cost-effective membership
Non-members are very welcome to book. Attendance for Non-ASSC members is £25 including VAT per Talk

An introduction to business websites & what you need to consider
2022-10-19 14:00 - 16:00
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.

Webinars, live streams, and video conferences: Running a business remotely
2022-10-20 10:00 - 12:00
There are many tools available to allow you to communicate with people online. Whether you are trying to run a workshop or seminar, hold a meeting or just communicate. Many of these digital tools are easy to use and offer some powerful facilities. Let us guide you through:

What webinars, live streams and video conferences are and what is right for your business
Case studies and examples of how they are used
An overview of the tools and platforms currently available

How to generate and increase sales
2022-10-20 14:00 - 16:00
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
