Be part of something bigger

This workshop is the first of a 2-part series aimed at people who are planning to start or have just started a business and need to know the basics of what to do. You will leave the workshop understanding the skills you need and the actions you need to take to start their business.

This workshop will help you understand:

• The main reasons businesses fail
• The importance of planning for success
• The importance of market research and how to do it
• What resources you will require
• The basic requirements for setting up e.g registration, insurance, tax & VAT

To book a place Click here

Are you new to LinkedIn? Do you have a LinkedIn account, but don’t know how to use it? Do you want to create a strategy of how to make it work for you?

Are you new to LinkedIn? Do you have a LinkedIn account, but don’t know how to use it? Do you want to create a strategy of how to make it work for you?

Attend this fun and interactive workshop for beginners ** to see why LinkedIn is the most valuable social media channel for business professionals to network on .

On LinkedIn, you will find resources and support, and be able to build relationships wit potential customers, clients, partners and more.

Now owned by Microsoft, LinkedIn has half a billion users and is the only social network which has been specifically designed for professional to connect.

In the introductory, interactive workshop, attendees will learn:

1. Tips on filling out a LinkedIn profile in order to showcase
2. Education, background, skills and experience
3. Content sharing best practices (what and when)
4. Giving/getting recommendations
5. What groups are, and how they are useful
6. How to search/find the right people
7. Advice on connecting and communicating once you do

Attendees will leave with a basic LinkedIn strategy that will allow them to continue to achieve personal and professional results.

**As this course is practical, interactive and “hands on”, it is advisable to have an account set up before hand and to bring a laptop or a tablet to work on.

To book a place Click here

Find out how to use image sharing apps Pinterest and Instagram to grow your business. Learn how to shoot, process and upload photos.

More from being a beginner to knowing enough to gain commercial benefit from the use of Pinterest and Instagram. Learn which type of audience you can reach via each platform and the factors and analytics such as cost and timing of posting images and how that can maximise impact.

Discover the basic ‘does and don’ts’ of taking your own pictures, processing them and uploading tem onto digital platforms. See some real life examples of posts that demonstrate good, bad and indifferent use.

This is a “DigitalBoost” event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

To book a place Click here

The Negotiating and Influencing Skills Workshop is a different take on the old-school nature of negotiation. It will help you communicate with different personalities and influence with style!

No smarm, swagger or combat required!!

So, you want to get better at negotiating the best outcomes for your business. You want to overcome resistance and bring people ‘on-board’ with your ideas and products.

You will learn how to:

• Define your desired outcomes
• Listen for clues and cues in negotiations
• Read others signals and manage your responses
• Understand other’ needs and wants
• Overcome resistance
• Reduce potential conflicts
• Positively influence the outcomes of your interactions

Delivered by a DISC Certified trainer, this Cazbro workshop is informal, practical and full of humour. It helps you fined your personal power – and learn how to use it. Come along and feel your power!!

To book a place Click here

Gain and advantage in te changing retail landscape. With many puling out of high streets and the internet share of the market increasing, how does the small business compet and take advantage?

The pace of change in retail has been fast in the last 10 years. We will look at wht is driving this and the real facts and ways to work together to entice customers to our businesses and towns. We will also look at the importance of:

•  Getting an experience and how to develop a brand
• The USP#s of your product/service in ensuring return custom
• Having a strategy and pan for not only your business but the local area

We will look at the statistics for retail tell and what tell us and what opportunities this gives to the independent retailer and the service sector, what things are important to the customers today and how to design your business around this. The course will informs and time to discuss ideas and opinions and ideas for you to do back to your business and develop.

To book a place Click here

This workshop is the second of a 2-part series. You will leave this workshop with an understanding of the skills you need and the actions you need to take to market and manage your business.

This workshop will:

• Provide an introduction to marketing
• Outline the basic elements of creating a marketing plan
• Highlight the key aspects which need to be managed in the business
• Outline the basic elements of how to manage the basics

This half day workshop will be practical and results-oriented. After introducing each topic and explaining the relevance, we will introduce tools that can be applied at that stage. You will have the opportunity to discuss and plan how you will implement these tools.

To book a place Click here

This workshop is ideal for those looking to increase the effectiveness of their paid advertising and digital marketing strategy.

After completing this workshop you will be able to make more informed decisions about where-paid for advertising fits in to your strategy. We will explore the relative merits of all the different types of paid – for online options available to you, as well as the mix of social media platforms you can choose from.

The event also covers strategy, ad content guidelines and ad sizes, keyword planning, tracking and analysis to optimise your campaigns. You will gain a clearer understanding of how to evaluate and analyse existing social media advertising campaigns, pinpoint areas for improvement, and be on top of legal guidelines.

This is a “DigitalBoost” event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway in partnership wit Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

To book a place Click here

This workshop aims to improve your understanding of how search engines prioritise results.

This workshop will look at:

• How search engines work
• The importance of good copy and meta data
• Registering with major search engines
• Updating the site
• How to measure the improvement to your site

By the end of the workshop you will have the relevant knowledge to enable you to improve your search engine positioning.

To book a place Click here

This workshop is aimed at established and existing businesses which are looking to prepare their first self – assessment or alternatively require a refresher on completing.

The aim of this workshop is to allow the person to leave with a greater knowledge of how to complete a self – assessment form, to ensure they have the right information ready to complete the self – assessment process, to ensure they understand what to fill in and also to make sure they are claiming for every allowance that hey should be. As a result of this session, delegates will be able to:

1. Determine who must complete a self – assessment tax return
2. Understand how and when to register for self – assessment
3. Be aware of HMRC deadlines and penalties
4. Understand how to obtain an estimate of their income tax liability
5. Be able to complete relevant sections of a self – assessment tax return for their business
6. Know where to go for further information, help or advice

To book a place Click here

Bring your laptop and join us for a fantastic practical beginner’s workshop and learn how to design simple but beautiful graphics using Canva the FREE simple online tool.

These creations can then be used to market your business – online and off.

Create stunning images for presentations, your website/blog, email newsletters and any social media channels.

This workshop is not exclusive for online marketing, you will learn to create images for print as well – e.g business cards, flyers, posters or invitations.

At the end of this session, you will be able to edit pictures, design cover photos, collages and create stellar images to market your business both offline and on

‘Please note: Participants must bring along a laptop. This is a hands – on, practical course so some basic computer skills are essential.

To book a place Click here

Every business needs a website, and if budget is tight, then you might prefer to build one yourself. Introducing WordPress – one of the most popular web building systems used on millions of sites across the world. This workshop will be delivered over 2 half days. In order to get the most out of this workshop, clients are asked to bring  along a laptop.

Part 1

We’ll begin this session with brief outlines of some of the basic components of a business website. What pages do you need to create, what messages do you want to tell, what is the purpose of your website?

You’ll learn how to create a WordPress account, choose a theme (a design), create some basic web pages, and be introduced to Blogging!

To book a place Click here

In this workshop you will learn how to listen to what your customers are saying and respond to online review comments.

With the popularity of review sites such as Trip Advisor on the increase, it’s becoming more important for businesses to monitor what is being said about them.

Businesses can no longer rely on their own online marketing messages. 90% of consumers now read online reviews before visiting a business and 88% of consumers now trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This workshop will highlight the huge benefits that can be had by having online reviews and also show you how to get more positive reviews and how to manage your existing ones.

To book a place Click here

In this workshop we will offer practical guidance in an area which seems to cause issues for people in selling mode, close the sale.

We will explore buying signals, negotiation skills, link selling, – key elements that will increase your sales.

The programme is packed with selling techniques which you can use in your business immediately. Delegates leave wit a number of sales points to try: more confidence: and a willingness to chase and close each and every sales opportunity.

This course is extremely practical, we draw on examples from your business to illustrate points and make the session relevant.

Content includes:

• Ladder, AIDA Spin Formats
• Great closing techniques to get
• Commitment – silence
• Buying Signals
• Negotiating techniques
• Overcoming objections
• Link selling, up selling
• Features, Benefits, Proof – why customers should buy from your company
• Sales Conversations – what to say and what not to say
• Asking questions and listening

To book a place Click here