Accounting & Practical Record Keeping

A half day practical workshop for anyone new to setting up and running business finances.

Objectives:

Understand and identify the most appropriate structure for your business Understand why your business needs to keep records and how to use financial information Identify what records will be needed to control and monitor the finance of the business Understand how tax, NI and VAT are calculated

Branding & Packaging for Island Businesses

A half day practical workshop for anyone new to establishing or developing a brand

Objectives:

Identifying how to create a strong brand for customer awareness and adding value Apply consistent branding to all areas of the business including packaging Confidence in developing the brand to an off-island market

Business Bookkeeping

A hands-on half day workshop delivering a practical example of cash book record keeping using aspreadsheet template.

Objectives:

Create and maintain a simple cash book system for your business Understand the sales and purchase ledger transactions Understand how to reconcile bank transactions

Cloud for Business Essentials – DigitalBoost

Your back office and technology requirements need to be secure, scalable and cost-effective. Thiscourse will help you discover or improve a strategy to achieve just that.

How can you keep track of customers and manage resources efficiently? Is a cloud-based solutionright for your business? How do different back office strategies compare on cost?

At the end of this workshop you’ll have up-to-date information and tools to help you make strategicback-office decisions.

Real-world examples will help you understand different cloud-based platforms, their functions andtheir costs. You will be able to identify which platforms suit your business, and how their scalabilitycould complement your future growth.

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

Commercial Tendering

A half day practical hands on workshop covering processes and systems for submitting a PQQ andtender.

Describe the tendering process

Identify tender opportunities and check eligibility and suitability of opportunities

Respond effectively to an invite to tender

Understand the features and benefits of the Procurement Scotland portal and make effective use ofit

Understand the reason for pre-qualifying questionnaires

Digital Marketing Strategy – DigitalBoost

Digital marketing can deliver real world business growth, and this workshop will show you a practicalstrategy for success.

This inspiring workshop will guide you through the practical steps needed to design a digitalmarketing strategy to meet your business objectives and create more leads.

Successful strategies have three key elements: Content Creation, Content Publication and ContentAmplification©. You will learn time-efficient techniques for developing these elements so you canconfidently drive more traffic to your website.

We’ll help you understand the digital trends and equip you to work more strategically with the bigsearch engines (Google, Yahoo and Bing) to improve the quality of your search results. We will showyou how to plan more engaging email newsletters and posts on social media such as Facebook,Twitter and Google+.

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

Effective e-Commerce - DigitalBoost

Want to grow your business? Not sure about selling online? This workshop will arm you withvaluable skills and information that will help you increase the effectiveness of your eCommercepresence.

What’s the best way to sell YOUR products online? The key to improving your eCommerce businessis measuring its effectiveness - you can then take steps to optimise its performance. Should you beusing eBay or Amazon, neither or both? This workshop will also take you through the factors toconsider whether you are setting up a new online business, or increasing the efficiency of an existingone.

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

Facebook for Business – DigitalBoost

This workshop is designed for people who want to deepen their understanding of how Facebook canbe used to engage with their target audience in order to boost conversions.

Facebook is an increasingly effective tool for reaching target audiences and engaging with themwhen they are in a responsive mode. People who attend this workshop will learn how to assesswhether Facebook is an appropriate medium for them, how to find and refine their audience and totarget, create and optimise posts and adverts. The event will also cover measuring the effectivenessof pages, posts and adverts, including through the use of Facebook Insights (a powerful tool that letsyou track user interaction), as well as integrating Facebook with websites. You will also gain valuableknowledge about e-commerce, security, compliance and privacy. The ultimate aim is to equipdelegates with knowledge that will enable them to use this crucial element of social media toincrease sales and solidify brands.

Delegates may wish to bring along their laptops so they can work on their Facebook accounts duringthe workshop.

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

General Data Protection Regulations

A half day workshop covering up to date social media and digital market techniques for yourbusiness. Aimed at anyone looking to get their business ready for the changes around DataProtection with the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations in May 2018.

Objectives:

What is the GDPR and what it means for you How GDPR applies to the UK post-Brexit How the Data Protection Act might change What you will need to do differently What the penalties could be for non-compliance

How to Write a Business Plan

A half day practical workshop for anyone who has a requirement to write a business plan.

Objectives:

Understand the different elements contained in a business plan Identify and recognise best practice in the key elements of the business plan Understand on a practical level how to collate the information required for a business

plan

Implementing Pricing for Profit

A half day practical workshop for anyone looking to gain confidence in pricing techniques.

Objectives:

Explain the need for credit control and methods of maintaining Cashflow Calculate profit margins Understand the impact of discounts and price rises on their profitability

Keep your Business Safe Online (Cyber Security Essentials) – DigitalBoost

Find out how to take some simple steps to reduce your chances of being hacked and also how tominimise the impact if your business does suffer a cyber attack.

Recent news stories show that businesses (large and small) are often paralysed by hackers. Thisengaging workshop will show you how to reduce the risk and mitigate the impact if you are unluckyenough to suffer a cyber attack. The content includes password management, spotting phishingemails, avoiding ransom ware, antivirus software and firewalls. All businesses are at risk from cyberattacks, use this free workshop as an opportunity to help protect yours.

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

LinkedIn for Business – DigitalBoost

Want to boost your business with LinkedIn? We’ll take you beyond networking by showing you howit can market your products and promote your brand.

LinkedIn can be an incredibly powerful - and profitable - business tool. Like any tool, you have tolearn how to use it, and this workshop gives you expert guidance. You’ll create a LinkedIn strategy tosupercharge your business via marketing and brand promotion initiatives.

You’ll learn when to use personal and company profiles and how to optimise them for maximumvisibility. Content is king these days, and we’ll show you how to plan and produce captivatingcontent that enriches your brand.

Note: If you are a beginner we recommend you attend our other workshop ‘Introduction to SocialMedia’ workshop prior to this. But please speak to your local Business Gateway office for moreinformation if you are unsure.

Also, the value of the event will be enhanced if you can bring along your laptop or tablet so you canwork on your LinkedIn account during the session.

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

Management Masterclass 1 – Roles & Responsibilities of Managers

A series of 6 half day workshops that will build and develop the skills and confidence of both existingmanagers and staff members who are new to management roles, giving practical examples andexperiences of good management techniques.

Objectives:

Understand the core roles and responsibilities in management, including coping with thetransition from staff to manager; the behaviours of managers; practical keys to effectivemanagement techniques. The group will also learn about the differences betweenmanagement and leadership and understanding leadership styles.

Management Masterclass 2 – Team Building & Developing People

A series of 6 half day workshops that will build and develop the skills and confidence of both existingmanagers and staff members who are new to management roles, giving practical examples andexperiences of good management techniques.

Objectives:

Understand how to build and develop a team, including what motivates employees, learninghow to delegate, coaching and developing staff members, different learning styles in theteam

Management Masterclass 3 – Workplace Communication Skills

A series of 6 half day workshops that will build and develop the skills and confidence of both existingmanagers and staff members who are new to management roles, giving practical examples andexperiences of good management techniques.

Objectives:

Understand how to communicate effectively as a Manager in the workplace, includingorganising and holding meetings, written communication, verbal/non-verbalcommunication, barriers to communication and how to overcome these.

Management Masterclass 4 – Time & Project Management

A series of 6 half day workshops that will build and develop the skills and confidence of both existingmanagers and staff members who are new to management roles, giving practical examples andexperiences of good management techniques.

Objectives:

Understand how to develop personal and team techniques to managing time and workprojects effectively, action planning as a group.

Management Masterclass 5 – Workplace Challenges & Conflict Resolution

A series of 6 half day workshops that will build and develop the skills and confidence of both existingmanagers and staff members who are new to management roles, giving practical examples andexperiences of good management techniques.

Objectives:

Understanding how to problem solve as a Manager, dealing with challenges in the team,confidence in dealing with conflict and having difficult conversations, tools/techniques toovercome challenges and issues.

Management Masterclass 6 – HR/ Practical People Management

A series of 6 half day workshops that will build and develop the skills and confidence of both existingmanagers and staff members who are new to management roles, giving practical examples andexperiences of good management techniques.

Objectives:

Understand how to build your team, Recruitment & Selection processes, Contracts &Policies, Absence Management processes, managing Discipline & Grievance, PerformanceManagement, Personal Development Plans

Marketing Principles & Content Creation

A half day practical workshop for anyone new to setting up and running or developing marketingstrategies

Objectives:

Define Marketing & draw up a Marketing Strategy for a business The 4 Ps of Marketing Recognise and choose appropriate promotional methods for your island business Confidence in creating good quality marketing content

Online Tax Self Assessment

This workshop will be useful to anyone needing to learn more about submitting a personal tax onlineassessment and will cover:

Income Tax National Insurance Contributions Capital Allowances Dividend Income

Paid for Advertising – DigitalBoost

This workshop is ideal for those looking to increase the effectiveness of their paid advertising anddigital 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 ofpaid-for online options available to you, as well as the mix of social media platforms you can choosefrom.

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

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gatewayin partnership with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

Practical Business Planning & Market Research

A half day practical workshop for anyone new to setting up and running a business.

Objectives:

To understand the links between business planning & success & avoid failures To assist in identifying a good business plan To understand what the market is and what constitutes market research To understand who and what you need information about and how to obtain it To relate Market Research findings to setting sales targets

Press Releases & Website Brief Writing

A half day practical workshop for anyone looking to further develop their marketing strategiesthrough PR and Web Engagement.

Objectives:

Practical guidance on how to write a good press release Communication Planning Design a Website Brief to suit your business needs

Producing Engaging Online Content – DigitalBoost

Producing quality content is an excellent way of helping customers develop a meaningfulrelationship with your brand, and ultimately boosting sales. Learn to understand, source andmeasure content.

Even if you are not traditionally in the business of providing content, it’s important to have good-quality articles or even nuggets of useful information on your website and elsewhere to drivecustomer engagement and help you stand out from your competitors. If you can provide easilyaccessible evidence that you are an expert in your field, or are able to provide an attractive “space”that makes customers more inclined to spend time with you, it’ll be easier for them to choose youwhen they’re ready to spend. This session will help you understand what kind of content yourcustomers are looking for, how to find, write and package it, how to market it to them and how tomeasure how engaging it is for them. This workshop is ideal for businesses that already have acommercial website or use social media, and want to move to the next level of engagement. It willequip you to amplify your brand and message, and to boost sales and profits.

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

Twitter and Hootsuite - DigitalBoost

A workshop for businesses that already use Twitter as part of their digital marketing strategy, andwish to produce more engaging content, reach a wider audience and measure the effectiveness.

This workshop will help you develop and hone your social media strategy in order to amplify yourmessage. You will gain a deeper understanding of where Twitter fits into your overall plan, how itrelates to other platforms, and the relative benefits of sponsored posts, as well as how to createthem.

We will also go through the features of Hootsuite in order to help you manage and integrate yoursocial media accounts. This includes learning about advanced techniques for creating and publishingcontent, and delegating tasks to other team members. Legal requirements and best practiceframeworks will also be covered.

This is a ‘DigitalBoost’ event which is funded by Digital Scotland and delivered by Business Gateway.

Understanding Pricing for Profit

A half day practical workshop for anyone looking to gain confidence in pricing techniques.

Objectives:

Identify working capital requirements for the business Understand pricing for profit Use different pricing structures to meet their profitability requirements Understand the term “break even” and why it is important in managing profitability

Digital Photos for Business Promotion

A half day practical workshop for anyone looking to improve their own marketing materials.

Objectives:

Identify different promotional materials and production methods Understand how to select images that reflect your brand Identify where and how to use digital photography in marketing materials

Web and Social Media Analytics – DigitalBoost

This workshop (previously called Website Analytics) unlocks Google analytics so you can clearly seewhere your website traffic is coming from and why, transforming your website’s effectiveness.

Google Analytics is an incredibly powerful tool for all businesses with an online presence, and by theend of this workshop you’ll be comfortable reading, understanding and acting on analyticsinformation.

You’ll be able to see at a glance where your website traffic comes from, and what this means foryour company. Even more powerfully, you’ll be ready to use the data to improve your website’seffectiveness.

We’ll show you how often to check analytics, how to set goals and the most effective ways toimplement analytics tools. So when you develop your digital strategy you can be confident you willsee results.

Please note, participants must bring a laptop, tablet or smart phone to the workshop.

Your People – Your Marketing

A half day practical workshop for anyone working in a customer facing environment.

Objectives:

Understand the importance of focusing on customer needs Identify how the Pareto Principle can be used to identify key customers / clients Identify how your business’s performance will be measured by your customers/clients Identify what excellent customer service is Understand how to deal with complaints and difficult customers Identify how you can gather customer data to assess their levels of satisfaction and help

improve products and services