Be part of something bigger

Aimed at people who identify as introverts, who don’t enjoy networking or who are just plain terrified by the idea of walking into a room full of strangers and starting a conversation.

People buy from people they like. This makes networking a crucial tool in building your business. However, many people in business find networking difficult. Some describe the prospect of starting a conversation in a room full of strangers terrifying, even if it is only a Zoom meeting!

There is good news, though. Introverts can learn how to be better at networking than extroverts, without changing your personality or ‘faking it’. You can even turn your lack of confidence into an advantage.

During this workshop we’ll learn:

• The power of quiet: why introverts are better natural networkers.
• How to prepare for the meeting.
• Top tips for walking into the room.
• How to start conversations and build rapport.
• How to be noticed and remembered – for the right reasons.

To book a place, click here.

An opportunity for new & existing Ayrshire businesses to have lunch while meeting with Business Gateway & other businesses.

Join us for an in-person networking event! You’ll hear from our advisers, be surrounded by local business owners and our team will be on hand to offer advice or answer any questions.

Meet, connect and collaborate with fellow business owners, meet our business advisers and book a free 1-2-1 surgery session with an adviser, tailored to YOUR business.

Bring your business cards! There will be the opportunity to introduce your business and take part in a 1-minute speed pitch!

There will be complimentary refreshments for you to enjoy as you network!

To book a place, click here.

This webinar is aimed at individuals who are looking at ensuring they are considering all aspects of how they should be managing the financial aspects of their business on a day to day basis.

Delegates will learn about the key aspects of financially running a business keeping on top of the day to day activities, developing profit and ensuring they know how to manage their financials. The workshop will also discuss the variety of accounting packages available and if your business should be using them.

The aims of this session is:

• To understand your profit and loss account.
• To develop your knowledge of what you should be doing on a day to day basis with the financials of your business.
• To consider if the time is right for your business to invest in an accounting package.
• To keep your business focused on how to improve your profitability.

To book a place, click here.

Join us for a day discussing all things social media, as we examine the ways tools like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok can help (and hinder) your business objectives.

Social Media is much more than just a promotional tool. Used effectively, you can truly engage and influence your target market audience and achieve better business objectives. Used wrongly, and you’re likely just wasting your time hoping for some vanity likes.

This session aims to ensure you remain ‘business focused’ with your own usage of social media and will cover:

• The current social landscape.
• The power of social influence.
• Creative social media business examples.
• The business dangers of social media.
• Practical Tips and Tricks.

There will also be plenty time for questions, and some live audits of attendee social media profiles (with advice and recommendations given).

To book a place, click here.

Learn to elevate customer service, build lasting relationships, and boost business success. This webinar offers actionable strategies to exceed customer expectations and handle challenges effectively.

In today’s competitive business landscape, exceptional customer service is key to winning and keeping customers, we will delve into proven strategies to elevate customer experiences and enhance brand loyalty. Learn how to exceed customer expectations, handle complaints with confidence, and create positive, memorable interactions. This session will cover real-world examples and actionable insights, enabling you to address common customer service challenges, improve communication, and foster lasting relationships.

We will cover:

• Understand and define what customer care really means to customers!
• Communication and setting expectations.
• Establishing a culture of customer care.
• Building a team that embraces customer-focused services.
• Your customers’ rights and how to deal with customer complaints.
• Your legal obligations.
• Developing a customer care plan.

After this training session you will understand practical steps that you can take to improve customer service, retaining customers and attract new customers. There will also be information on additional services from Business Gateway and details of other workshops which may be appropriate for you.

To book a place, click here.

An effective digital marketing strategy is more vital than ever. Join us to cover the key factors you need to consider when planning and implementing one.

Join us for this session on Digital Marketing Planning looking at how you can take a logical approach to building your strategy and ultimately helping your online content be found by the people who are most likely to buy your products and services. We will cover:

• Goals and customers.
• Platforms, Brand and Content.
• Competitors, Planning and Measurement.

To book a place, click here.

This session is ideal for businesses ready to start advertising on Facebook and Instagram, or for those who have tried and are wondering how to improve and optimise their ads.

If you’re boosted posts but never quite seen results – or you’re finally ready to start using Meta Ads like a pro – this practical session is for you. This course is aimed at those in business who are ready to step up their ads on Facebook and Instagram. This course is a practical session and will walk you through the essentials of building effective ad campaigns that convert.

We’ll cut through the jargon and show you how to target the right people, write ads that stop the scroll, and generate leads without wasting your budget.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between boosted posts and real Meta Ads.
• How to create and set up a campaign using Meta Ads Manager.
• Tips for writing ad copy and choosing images to get results.
• Building warm and cold audiences – who to target and why.
• What makes a good lead generation ad (and how to track it).

This session is focused on action. If you’re ready to get started with Meta Ads – or if you’ve dabbed before but want to get serious – we’ll help you build a foundation that gives you a better return on your spend.

To book a place, click here.

This workshop is aimed at new and existing businesses which are looking to use Xero to manage their bookkeeping or would like a refresher on how to use Xero.

Delegates will leave this course with a greater knowledge of what cloud accounting is and how it is beneficial for your business. We will look specifically at the accounting software Xero in detail including how to set up a Xero account, link and reconcile bank accounts, create and personalise sales and purchase invoices, view relevant reports and use contacts feature.

As a result of this session, delegates will be able to:

• Set up a Xero account.
• Link and reconcile bank accounts.
• Create and personalise sales incomes.
• Create purchase invoices.
• View relevant reports (Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, Aged  Debtors and Creditors).

To book a place, click here.

This session will allow you to understand how search engines work, how they structure results, how they are listed and how to maximise your chances of getting to the top of the rankings.

This session will enable you to raise your search engine ranking so consumers can see your business offerings first. This is a key topic for many businesses today.

You will learn how to monitor and assess the known factors affecting your search ranking, find out what people are searching for and establish current search trends. To ensure maximum success we will brief you on how to keep up to date with search algorithm changes and how to avoid violations and penalties applied by search engines. By the end of this workshop you will understand the factors affecting your search engine rankings and act to improve your position.

To book a place, click here.