Events

Description

Lunch and Learn: How to start a business with £2000 and a spare room 

Terence is the co-founder of FRUU, a UK cosmetic company that focuses on turning wonky and surplus fruits into sustainable, vegan cosmetics for the masses. 

Started in 2017, in Terence and co-founder Kelly's spare room, with just £2000, FRUU still develops, designs, manufactures all of their products in their workshop in London. FRUU is currently stocked and distributed in 1000+ retail stores, in the UK, Ireland, EU and South Korea, including leading stockists such as Holland and Barrett, Feel Unique, Missguided and Notonthehighstreet.

Join this webinar to hear Terence’s journey and his tips for starting a business on a budget, from your home.

Description

BRIC Talks Event No.2 - Brownfield Remediation Technology

About this Event

Own or occupy a brownfield site or thinking about buying such a site or renting premises on one? Not sure about the advantages and disadvantages? Want to know more about what might be involved in developing brownfield land or the latest techniques available to support your development?

BRIC Talks could be a good place for you to start. The talks will focus on topics which help underpin the successful development and re-use of brownfield sites such as tax incentives, new building scanning techniques and assessment of sites, followed by time for networking.

BRIC Talks - Event No.2

We are delighted to host the second in a series of talks and networking events. We have the pleasure in welcoming Paul Pearson of Dunton Environmental Ltd who will discuss Brownfield Remediation Technology. The cost of remediation can often deter many developers from utilising brownfield land, especially as heavy contamination can make it an even more daunting and challenging task.

Paul will be providing an overview of the latest technologies being utilised in brownfield remediation to deliver a cost effective service, such as turning waste into an asset with Duntons innovative circular economy business model.

This event is being held on Tuesday 3rd December 2019, 9am - 10.30am

Location: ECMS building, University of Wolverhampton, Springfield Campus, Cambridge Street, Wolverhampton, WV10 0JR.

Arrive: 9am for 9.15am start

Introduction by BRIC team – 9.15am

Guest Speaker – 9.20 – 9.40am

Networking – 9.40 – 10.15am

Register:

We look forward to welcoming you to this event. Please register your attendance via Eventbrite. If you have any queries, please email the BRIC team at BRIC@wlv.ac.uk

About us:

This series of events has been created by the University of Wolverhampton Brownfield Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) which supports the regeneration and re-use of brownfield sites for social, domestic and business purposes. The Centre, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is able to provide assistance to qualifying Black Country SMEs in areas such as:

• Soil Scanning

• Soil Analysis and Remediation Techniques

• Building and Ground Scanning

• Geographic Information Systems

• Water Contamination, Ground Stabilisation and Demolition

www.wlv.ac.uk/bric

Twitter: @BRICerdf

About our guest speaker

Paul Pearson is SHEQ Director at Dunton Environmental Ltd. A highly qualified health and safety expert with vast experience in assisting clients with health and safety matters on a consultancy basis, including auditing and monitoring of health and safety systems. Paul is an expert at devising bespoke training packages on all matters relating to health and safety within the construction sector, as well as general health and safety in the workplace

https://duntonenvironmental.com/

Travel to the event:

The University of Wolverhampton Springfield Campus, where the ECMS building is housed, is currently under development. Due to building works, there is no on-site parking and street parking is limited. Wolverhampton railway station is only a 5-10 minute walk away as are local pay and display car parks operated by Wolverhampton City Council. The following link identifies the nearest car parks which are located at Faulkland Crescent and Broad Street.

https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/parking-and-roads/city-centre-car-parks

Description

Discover trade opportunities across the Commonwealth

With one year to go until the Commonwealth Games 2022 register now for this great opportunity for experienced Midlands exporters to discuss the prospects for their products or services with DIT trade advisers and overseas delivery partners in 50+ markets across the Commonwealth. 

Today’s 54 Commonwealth countries account for over 17% of world GDP in Purchasing Power Parity and contain 2.4 billion of the world’s 7½ billion people. Moreover, many Commonwealth countries have favourable demographics compared with several major European countries, where working populations are expected to age and shrink.

Even without any formal arrangements, trading between Commonwealth countries is 19% cheaper than with non-members. Massive costs cuts come from shared history, cultural links, common legal systems, business practices, and a common language between many Commonwealth countries. This is also known as ‘the Commonwealth advantage’.

How to book?
This is a dedicated platform which allows you to request and accept 1-2-1  meetings. 

You can find brief market profiles for most markets on the Commonwealth Markets tab of this website.

Please read the adviser profiles carefully and only request meetings with advisers covering your sector (or all sectors). Please be as explicit as you can be about what sort of advice or help you need.  You may also be asked for supplementary information - please respond promptly.

Please note: Each Supplier is allowed a maximum of 12 1-1 meetings. 

Contact

If you have any queries, please contact the events team on: 

E: info@tradewm.co.uk   

Description

Welcome to the launch of the West Midlands Creative Scale Up Programme.

The West Midlands Creative Scale Up Programme is a 2 year programme funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport that aims to help Creative Businesses in the region with support including Access to Finance, Marketing, Value and Pricing, Intellectual Property and Contract Law, Business Growth and Scaling Up and Sales, Pitching and Presenting support.

The Programme aims to work with a raft of Creative Businesses across the region including screen, gaming, VR, AI, performing arts, marketing, PR, design, architecture, galleries, theatres etc…

Those businesses with an interest in receiving investment will then be introduced to a number of different investors and funding streams through Showcase Events which will happen biannually.

Agenda:

09:15 Arrival and Networking

09:50 Introduction to the Creative Scale Up Programme (Fiona Latter Programme Manager, West Midlands Creative Scale Up Programme)

10:00 Welcome address / Formal Launch of the Programme (Andy Street – Mayor of the West Midlands)

10:15 Introduction from Simon Blake, Deputy Director for Creative Industries, Department of Culture, Media and Sport

10:30 Break

10:40 Introduction from 3 Creative Businesses based in the West Midlands (Fiona Latter)

10:45 Imagineer

11:05 Vermillion Films

11.25 Simworx

11:45 Break

11:55 The Bull Ring for the Creative Scale Up Programme (facilitated by Bart Dalton Consulting)

5 x Creative Scale Up Workshop providers to ‘pitch’ their workshops to the audience

This is an opportunity for those businesses who are interested in participating in the WM Creative Scale Up Programme to find out more about the different types of business support that will be offered throughout the duration of the Programme.

12:35 Question and answer session.

12:45 Closing remarks (Fiona Latter)

12:50 Lunch and Networking

1:45 End of session

To ensure your place please register your attendance.

Description

Interested in kickstarting your PR, but unsure of what it can do for your business?

In this workshop, School of Sales trainer, Rosie Davies-Smith, will take a closer look at how you can drive your product-based business forward through a long-term PR strategy.

Rosie will cover:

• When am I ready to start PR?

• An overview of the different types of press features - and the benefits of each

• How to pitch to the press and stay on the journalists radars

• How to make the most of your coverage

• The benefits of PR

• How PR fits with your strategy

• + more

How to join the workshop

Once you have registered to attend the workshop, you will be sent an email confirmation containing a link to join the workshop via Zoom. Please use this link at the time of the event to join.

Description

The government has introduced a range of measures to support businesses during coronavirus. But even if you’re eligible, it can be hard to know which options to consider.

Join Mike Stanley, Lender Partnerships Manager at Fluidly, for a breakdown of how to apply for funding during this crisis.

The session will cover:

• How the government-backed CBILS and Bounce Back schemes work
• What you need to know before taking out a business loan
• An introduction to alternative finance options
• How to think about a plan a, b and c for your business funding

Speaker:

Description

Part of a series of Onboardlocal Webinars brought to you by High Speed (HS2) Ltd that aim to help local businesses navigate the HS2 supply chain and better understand some of the things that we are looking for from suppliers. We want local businesses along the line of the new high speed railway to be able to make the most of the opportunities HS2 will bring, and get involved in the supply chain wherever they can. Health and Safety is at the heart of everything we do. It means caring for our workforce, communities along the route, future passengers and public, and also setting new industry standards, and finding innovative solutions to challenges. We want to set the bar higher than ever before and create an environment where no one gets hurt. During this free webinar an expert from HS2 Ltd will: - Demonstrate how HS2 is setting health and safety at the heart of everything we do by working with our supply chain on seven key areas of focus - Explain how our health and safety ambitions are reflected in our procurement process - Provide you with insight in some of the ways you can better showcase and stand out to us through your health and safety commitments - Spend some time answering your questions

Description

Why Change Management is a crucial universal business skill and how it can help you to achieve deep, meaningful and faster change to sky rocket their business results. This session will show you why Change Management is a skill every business person needs, it will show you that change management can be scalable to every business size and applicable to every situation. The session will also show you how it will make an immediate difference to your business results and the next steps you can take if you want to learn more about the must-do minimums and easy-win extras that deliver the successful and sustainable change.

Description

WEBINAR

We are living in an unprecedented time. Working from home (or not working at all) might be the biggest change to how we work since email was invented. So, how do you help people thrive in this uncertain time? Dr Andrew Dewar, a Chartered Psychologist with a PhD in motivational psychology, is offering a webinar to discuss some important things you need to consider to maximise motivation and performance for you and your team. We will cover topics such as pillars of wellbeing, communication, psychological safety, and motivation.

People are the most important resource in the workplace. Without your employees, the workplace cannot function efficiently. One of our aims at EnTRESS is to support SMEs in the Black Country with resource efficiency. By focusing on maximising motivation and wellbeing we hope to support a healthy and efficient workplace.

Andrew brings calm to your chaos. He uses expertise in psychology and continuous improvement to enhance performance and solve complex problems.

His innovative work has been published in academic journals, providing life-enhancing advice to people around the world. Andrew’s knowledge has propelled him through a young but stellar leadership career, gaining awards in high level sport, third and public sector.

He currently pursues his passion for performance improvement in three ways. Building and developing high performance teams within and across organisations. Helping leaders develop through one to one coaching so they have an even greater positive impact. Leading change by improving morale, motivation, systems, processes and culture.

Description

With so much change, challenge and confusion just now, it’s easy to feel lost. That’s why we like to use the Business Model Canvas – a single page road map of your business. By having your entire journey in one view, it’s easier to remain focussed and in control by understanding where you are, what your options are and where danger may lie. This view is crucial when managing change or uncertainty. Join the NatWest Business Builder team as examine the 9 key areas of a business model and talk through the best practises for your business. You’ll come away with a sense of where changes could be made to your business model to retain customers, improve cashflow and refine objectives.

Description

This webinar provides an overview of the scheme, including how the scheme works, eligible establishments, registering and making a claim and what happens after you’ve claimed.

Description

BRIC Talks Event No.3 - Application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) within brownfield development projects

About this Event

Own or occupy a brownfield site or thinking about buying such a site or renting premises on one? Not sure about the advantages and disadvantages? Want to know more about what might be involved in developing brownfield land or the latest techniques available to support your development?

BRIC Talks could be a good place for you to start. The talks will focus on topics which help underpin the successful development and re-use of brownfield sites such as tax incentives, new building scanning techniques and assessment of sites, followed by time for networking.

BRIC Talks - Event No.3

We are delighted to host the third in a series of talks and networking events. We have the pleasure in welcoming Matthew Guy, of Geomatrix Earth Science Ltd, who will discuss the Application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) within brownfield development projects.

This event is being held on Tuesday 28th January 2020, 9am - 10.30am

Location: ECMS building, University of Wolverhampton, Springfield Campus, Cambridge Street, Wolverhampton, WV10 0JR.

Arrive: 9am for 9.15am start

Introduction by BRIC team – 9.15am

Guest Speaker – 9.20 – 9.40am

Networking – 9.40 – 10.15am

Register:

We look forward to welcoming you to this event. Please register your attendance via Eventbrite.

If you have any queries, please contact the BRIC team via email BRIC@wlv.ac.uk.

About us:

This series of events has been created by the University of Wolverhampton Brownfield Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) which supports the regeneration and re-use of brownfield sites for social, domestic and business purposes. The Centre, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is able to provide assistance to qualifying Black Country SMEs in areas such as:

• Soil Scanning

• Soil Analysis and Remediation Techniques

• Building and Ground Scanning

• Geographic Information Systems

• Water Contamination, Ground Stabilisation and Demolition

www.wlv.ac.uk/bric

Twitter: @BRICerdf

About our guest speaker

Geomatrix Earth Science Ltd are a specialist provider of hardware and software for exploration geophysical surveying, covering all current techniques. Over the past 17 years, Geomatrix have built up a profound knowledge of each geophysical technique and are retained as exclusive sales representatives by many of the leading geophysical instrument manufacturers and sustain one of the largest lease pools of geophysical equipment within Europe.

Matthew Guy has been employed by Geomatrix since completing his post graduate MSc course in Archaeological Prospection in 2011. Whilst at Geomatrix Matthew has specialised in the application and development of geophysical instrumentation, regularly providing consultation and training to geophysical contractors. In addition to his duties at Geomatrix, Matthew currently sits as the Chair of the Near Surface Geophysical Group, a special interest group of the Geological Society of London, and is a member of the EuroGPR committee.

https://www.geomatrix.co.uk/

Travel to the event:

The University of Wolverhampton Springfield Campus, where the ECMS building is housed, is currently under development. Due to building works, there is no on-site parking and street parking is limited. Wolverhampton railway station is only a 5-10 minute walk away as are local pay and display car parks operated by Wolverhampton City Council. The following link identifies the nearest car parks which are located at Faulkland Crescent and Broad Street.

https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/parking-and-roads/city-centre-car-parks

Description

VARIOUS AUGUST DATES AVAILABLE This webinar tells you how to claim the second grant in the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, who is eligible, the amount you can claim and other support available.

Description

On 13 December at 11am we are joined by Charlotte Nichols of Harvey and Hugo to discuss how to drive your sales with smarter marketing.

If you're interested in how Public Relations should tie into your marketing strategy, this is the webinar for you. We're going to be covering as much as possible in this session to give you all the advice you need to start your own PR campaign for your business in 2020.

We'll also delve into how to build in values to reflect your companies culture.

Charlotte Nichols grew a successful PR that focusses on building their clients’ brands by telling their stories. In today’s world of attention overload, it can be hard for your story to be heard above all the noise. We help make sure your story is seen, shared, watched and most importantly felt through creative traditional and digital campaigns. Ultimately, we help our clients’ messages reach the hearts and minds of their target audiences.

Join us! You'll even get the chance to ask your own questions at the end of the session.

Description

Running a business in today’s challenging environment can put unwanted pressure on business leaders. You may find yourself constantly juggling work and life pressures, as well as supporting the staff that you lead.

In the Stress Management Society’s ‘Excelling Under Pressure’ Workshop, you will learn what stress is, how it affects your daily life, when it is beneficial and when it is harmful.

In this workshop we will explore some of the flawed strategies that people commonly use to deal with stress and provide practical exercises and techniques designed to help you de-stress at work and at home.

We cover three key areas
• Understanding stress; giving people the skills to recognise the signs, symptoms, causes and effects of stress
• Creating and maintaining a healthy work balance; these practical techniques and strategies will include time and prioritisation management
• Increasing personal resilience; tips and tricks for SME Leaders

Why attend?
The event would suit business owners keen to find out more about how stress can affect their daily life, including when it is beneficial and when it is harmful. Delegates will learn how to recognise the symptoms of stress in both themselves and their teams and what tools and techniques are at their disposal to de-stress.

We want to support as many local businesses as possible, so therefore can only accommodate one attendee per company.

This will be an interactive event hosted by Santander and delivered by the Stress Management Society.

Register to attend by the 30th August.

Description

The topics to be covered are as follows: I. Impact of CV19 on opportunities for SMEs in NA • Situation in New York II. UK business response to CV19 • Trade and Investment • Market Access III. Update on FTA/MRAs IV. Support for SMEs in NAvv

Description

With the Coronavirus pandemic accelerating changes in the way we work, our 'Future of Work' series in partnership with Dell Technologies looks at the working practices founders should be implementing now, to future-proof their businesses.

Description

IP and Growth Funding (Angel Investment) - How to use your IP to unlock financial opportunities. The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) continues its popular partnership webinar series helping business owners and business advisors get to grips with IP-related subjects as diverse as building brand & reputation and exporting your IP.

Description

Low Carbon SMEs invites you to free webinar series co-hosted with Bryt Energy. Across three bite-sized webinars, Low Carbon SME speaks to Bryt Energy for tips and insight into managing your business electricity. Webinar 1 : Understanding your business energy bill: Tuesday, 8th Sep, 11:00am-11:30am What do the charges on your invoice mean? Why is it important for you? How can you manage these to reduce costs and become more efficient? Webinar 2 : Understanding your business electricity usage: Tuesday, 15th Sep, 11:00am-11:30am How can you optimise your energy usage? How can you reduce costs and maximise the benefits from half hourly data? Webinar 3 : Find out more about Renewable energy and Low Carbon SMEs diagnostic and grants: Tuesday, 22nd Sep, 11:00am-11:30am What is renewable energy? What options are there, and which one might suit your business? How can it boost your business? Access 2-5 day free energy efficiency support by Low Carbon SMEs to identify energy waste and potential for improvement. Find out more about the grant support (match-funded) available to SMEs in the Greater Birmingham, Solihull and Black Country. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Please note- By registering, you consent to Low Carbon SMEs programme to store your registration information If you have any concerns or questions, please email smelowcarbon@aston.ac.uk. This webinar will be recorded via Microsoft Teams. Joining instructions will be emailed to attendees in due course. Please register all attendees and include their email address to be able to receive the webinar invite on MS teams. This workshop is open to all SMEs in the Black Country, Greater Birmingham and Solihull area. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Low Carbon SMEs: Aston University’s Low Carbon SMEs Programme supports energy-intensive industries to reduce their carbon footprint, energy costs and improve profitability. The programme is open to small & medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Greater Birmingham & Solihull and Black Country regions. We provide:  Access to energy efficiency capital grants of up to £6000 (match-funded)  Free on-site energy efficiency survey  Cutting-edge collaboration opportunities with Aston University Academics  Workshops/Webinars sharing best practice Eligible businesses can receive dedicated one-to-one support from energy experts and Aston university's Academics to reduce their carbon footprint, and develop a holistic approach to energy efficiency that will lead you to higher productivity and increased net profit. SME eligibility: Have an annual turnover of not exceeding €50 million and/or an annual balance sheet not exceeding €43million Have received no more than €200,000 of de minimis State Aid in the past 3 years. Employ fewer than 250 employees Contact us: For enquiries, please email- smelowcarbon@aston.ac.uk or call us on 0121 204 3480, 0121 204 4248. To find out more about the Low Carbon SMEs programme, please visit-http://www.smelowcarbon.co.uk. This Programme is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Description

The 24th Annual Ethnic Minority Business Conference is going ahead this year virtually. Thanks to our sponsors Lloyds Banking Group we will be delivering three mini conferences across November and December. Our first conference will explore International Perspectives on Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship.

Description

The BECCI project invites you to join in with some interesting conversations and a chance to make new contacts, all from the security of your own home. Collaboration over a coffee has never been more rewarding!

Join us to share your thoughts and experiences about the challenges brought on by the current pandemic situation. It’s more important now, than ever, to stay connected.

We want to gather your feedback on future webinar sessions. What topics would you like our technical team to cover? Is there a particular business aspect you need help on? The current pandemic situation is a great opportunity to focus your attention on personal and business development.

Our aim is to provide a weekly “Build Your Business with BECCI” webinar, covering different topics at YOUR request. We'll start with baby steps; have a virtual coffee together and build out based on the communities’ needs and interests.

Join the conversation – we’re here for you!

Description

Want to generate more leads, increase your online sales & improve your CX? Join Mark Kirby from Leadoo, the lead-driven marketing platform to discover how to convert more leads and put your marketing & sales results through the roof.

Description

DEALS is a response to the urgent and impending need to decentralise our power grid network to accommodate the transition of robust management and control from hundreds to thousands of power generators at present in the UK towards tens of millions by 2030. The parallel transition of Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) to Distribution System Operators (DSOs) carries with it both an engineering responsibility for providing the operational robustness of our country’s energy network, but also the fiducial and ethical responsibility of dealing fairly and justly with the new ‘prosumers’: treating citizens as both consumers and producers, requiring governance and collective action where consensus on decisions is acceptable and sustainable.

Description

Given the shift towards life-cycle costing in the procurement process, just how should you structure your costing model to capture the true cost of your contract? This webinar will identify the life-cycle elements you need to consider, as well as those additional costs, such as added value or innovation. Getting your award criteria right can help to ensure you achieve the best price/quality ratio.

Description

In support of Minerva Birmingham PitchUp and to encourage greater engagement between our local successful business people with our local entrepreneurs we a running familiarisation program for those interested in finding out more about investing in our high growth start-ups and scale ups . This is the fifth webinar in a series of 8 covering the important aspect of Term Sheets and Shareholder agreements. Through the series you will get chance to chat to experts , experienced investors and academics on being an angel investor. We aim to break the myth on type, age profile, investment levels and what is actually an angel investor. The angel investors speaking during these events will continually change to provide you with the maximum possible exposure to different views. Introduction to Business Angel Investing For the Potential Angel Investor Agenda & Led by Prof J Lyon of Warwick Business School Prof J Lyon is not only an accomplish academic, he is a serial entrepreneur having stated life in the private sector and has been both an active investor and receiver of angel funding. He thus comes with a unique perspective. In addition you will get a chance to hear for another active angel investor on their opinion of the challenges of getting the right Board structure which can be a key to many failures when its wrong. 1. Boards, their need, their structure when it works and when it doesn’t 2. What red flags to watch for 3. Any do’s and don’ts? 4. An active Minerva angel investor's perspective (10 mins) 5. Q&A All events are recorded and available on request

Description

Jeroen Corthout is co-founder and CEO of Salesflare, an intelligent CRM built for SMBs selling B2B, mostly popular with agencies and SaaS companies. Salesflare itself was founded when Jeroen and his co-founder Lieven wanted to manage the leads for their software company in an easier way. They didn't like to keep track of them manually and built Salesflare, which pulls customer data together automatically. It's now the most popular CRM on Product Hunt and top rated on review platforms like G2 for its ease of use and automation features.

Description

CityFibre is investing £50 million into a digital infrastructure project that will make Wolverhampton one of the best-connected cities in the world. The session will discuss why digital infrastructure is crucial to growing and protecting the local economy. The benefits full fibre connectivity brings including; increased business productivity and innovation, adding value to property prices and unlocking flexibility in the workforce. Full fibre is also the foundation to other community benefits including smart lighting and traffic management and IoT initiatives.

Description

Join KTN for a virtual exploration of smart local energy systems and their potential in the race to net zero.

19 July 2021—22 July 2021

Integrating energy use, generation and storage locally could save costs, cut emissions, and bring communities greener, cheaper energy.

This online event will shine a spotlight on the issue - exploring UKRI-funded energy system projects around the UK, the latest research, the lessons being learnt and the hurdles found on the way.

Delegates will be able to hear expert speakers, view virtual booths showcasing challenge participants and funded projects, and network through 1:1 sessions. 

Description

Hosted by the China Britian Business Council you'll get a comprehensive overview into the Chinese e-commerce market including routes to market, cross-border e-commerce, general trade, e-commerce platforms, social media, live commerce and key players.

Description

The BCIMO are excited to launch three themes of the their Business Innovation & Engagement Programme (1) Innovative Thinking (2) Factories of the Future (3) and Supply Chains of the Future. The themes will provide local businesses with multiple opportunities to actively engage with leading experts, learn new and innovative skills and become part of creating a new and exciting Very Light Rail supply chain market which will bring significant business growth opportunities into the area.

*We will be offering test track tours from 12pm at the site for SMEs only who are keen to be part of our supply chain programme. Please note: numbers are limited.

Description

Free virtual 1:1 sessions for SMEs to discuss funding options, COVID-19 impact, resilience and strategy with a professional fund manager.

Are you concerned about the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on the finances and cashflow of your business?

Our Finance Clinic aimed at businesses based in the West Midlands is here to help. Receive free one-to-one support from our fund managers and find out more about the funding options and support available to you. One-hour bookable appointments are available from 10am-4pm

One-hour bookable appointments are available from 10am-4pm.

As well as providing information about the government funding available as a direct response to COVID-19, this 1:1 session will also give you the chance to find out about a range of funding options to support business expansion including debt funding, equity investment, asset finance and other alternative funding streams.

Our clinic provider, Chirag Mistry, works on the MEIF fund, collaborating with clients and intermediaries to provide growth funding in the West Midlands.

FREE ONE-TO-ONE FUNDING CLINIC

THURSDAY 2 JULY 2020

BOOKABLE ONE HOUR APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE BETWEEN 10.00-16.00

You will be asked to select your preferred time slot when you register. Please make a note of the time slot you have selected.

Please note: Your meeting with our expert will be delivered via online video conferencing (e.g. Zoom meeting) or telephone, so you don’t need to leave the house or office. You will be asked to choose your preferred option when booking.

Description

Join to find out more about the fully-funded support available to Black Country SMEs to help you identify and develop additional revenue streams and enhance customer intimacy through the development of service-led strategies.

Description

business.connected: 10 marketing trends you should know about in 2022

In this free 60 minute business.connected workshop, programme adviser and digital expert,  Fin Wycherley will offer key insights into key marketing trends you should know about in 2022.

During the workshop, you'll also have the chance to ask Fin any burning digital marketing questions.

Description

Bringing your business and brand online: All the things to consider when build an online presence for your customers to reach you.

Bringing your business and brand online: All the things to consider when build an online presence for your customers to reach you

Square’s Martin Guerrero will lead a practical session about all the things to consider when building an online presence for your customers to reach you. This will be an interactive session with opportunity for Q+A throughout.

Where will the training take place?

When you register you will receive a link to join the clinic via Zoom. Please note the link will not work until the event date and start time.

About Square

We build tools to empower businesses and individuals to participate in the economy. Sellers use Square to reach buyers online and in person and manage their business.

Whether you’re an electrician wanting send invoices, setting up the food service with a delivery option, running a retail shop with a a second, third, and fourth location we can help you manage your business.

Description

We would like to invite you to an awareness event for the DWP Kickstart Scheme.

As an employer, consider the Kickstart Scheme as a way to grow your business and help a new generation start a career in your sector.

This free employer webinar hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions will explains the benefits of the Kickstart Scheme, how you can apply and answer any questions that you may have about the scheme.

The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new 6-month jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. Thousands of employers like you, across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, have already applied.

The scheme has lots of benefits to help you grow and flourish your business:

• you will have a young person working for you for six months funded by the UK government

• their new ideas will help your business flourish

• it’s a way to resource your business with no commitment on either side, and it helps support young people in a difficult post-pandemic economy.

Description

Lunch and Learn: Five tips for a smooth tax return 

Ease your way into doing your tax return, making it a little easier with these five streamlining tips from accountant Yarka Krajickova. 

In this webinar, Yarka will share five tips for making doing your tax return an easier process and will cover how to get to know your numbers better.

Please send any questions you'd like Yarka to answer during the webinar to events@enterprisenation.com.

How to join the online webinar

On registering for the webinar, you will receive an automatic email from Go to Webinar with the link to access the event. The event will begin at the time and date stated in the registration information. If you don't receive the link within two hours of signing up via Eventbrite, please let us know by emailing events@enterprisenation.com (Please note, it may be in your junk folder). 

Description

This is your chance to join fellow Black Country business owners and entrepreneurs to chat over a complimentary tea or coffee after work in a friendly, informal environment.

In January, we will be joined by Lucy Cross, Business Development Manager at the Black Country Growth Hub. She will talk to us about How the Growth Hub can support your business through collaborative working

Lucy offers an individual signposting service across the region to help drive business growth. Come along to find out how your local Growth Hub's specialist staff can use their knowledge to ensure that you, the customers, access all the support available to you to ensure the best chance of growth for your company.

In addition, FSB representatives will be on hand to talk to you about ensuring that you get the most from your FSB membership. Of course there will be time to mingle and circulate with your promotional literature and those all-important business cards!

This networking evening is free and open to all small business owners, self-employed and entrepreneurs. Non-members are welcome.

Complimentary soft drinks and snacks will be provided. You can buy your own drinks from the brewery if you wish.

Agenda:

• 18.00 – 18.30 Registration & Open Networking
• 18.30 – 19.00 Introductions & Elevator Pitches (Optional)
• 19.00 – 19.15 What’s the FSB all about?
• 19.15 – 19.45 30 minute Keynote Presentation
• 19.45 – 20.00 Presentation Q&A & Business Clinic
• 20.00 – 20.30 Open Networking

There is parking available at the trading estate. Please see a map of the location here.

We look forward to welcoming you! Don’t forget to download our Business Networking - 10 top tips.

For general enquiries regarding the event, please contact Elanor.Godbold@fsb.org.uk

Description

This webinar will provide information on the actions you should take to prepare your business for new rules from January 2021 including: Travelling for business Owning, managing or directing a business in the EU

Description

The Black Country Growth Hub team will soon be heading out to various locations within the Black Country to reach local businesses and provide FREE and impartial business support.

You won’t be able to miss the brightly coloured double-decker bus popping up all over the region from Monday 18th November to Thursday 21st November 2019.

The tour will feature some great local specialists such as Catax, Natwest, Talbots Law, Forresters, People Plus and Higgs & Sons - speaking on a number of different topics from recruitment to intellectual property.

Jaspal Sohal, Head of Black Country Growth Hub said:

“This is an excellent opportunity for businesses to find out exactly what we do and how we can help them. The Black Country Growth Hub is completely free and impartial support service, and our specialists have been chosen to provide help on topics such as finance, new business, intellectual property and legal advice. We understand it can be difficult for businesses to be aware of what support programs are available in the region, so this is the perfect opportunity to meet with our team and get support to help their journey towards business growth.”

Whether you’re interested in growing your business, implementing a new innovative process, recruiting apprentices, finding networking opportunities, moving your business to the Black Country OR have a different enquiry – come along and speak to the team!

Pre-book your appointment when a member of our team or a local specialist by clicking here

Click here to go to our bus tour page to find further information

Full Schedule:

Description

FREE 1 Day Course - Understand how your business can take advantage of Additive Manufacturing Technologies

About this Event

Objectives of Training:

• Understand which Additive Manufacturing Technologies exist
• Understand how your business can take advantage of Additive Manufacturing
• Fully understand different Additive Manufacturing processes, materials and applications
• Gain an overview of where and how Additive Manufacturing has been used to create alternative solutions
• Understand the processes involved in designing a part for Additive Manufacturing

Description

Enterprise Nation is hosting daily Lunch and Learn webinars to give you a boost, offer some advice, and become part of your daily business schedule. Enterprise Nation team members are interviewing guests from the worlds of enterprise and policy, and you can get your questions answered by the experts.

Thursday 29 July: Starting up- the legal basics

Are you launching a business or in need of a brief legal refresher? Join start-up expert lawyers Christophe and Mythri as they discuss some of the key legal issues to consider (and the pitfalls to avoid!) when setting off on your start-up journey.

Christophe Robert and Mythri Reddy are associate lawyers at London based law firm, Edwin Coe LLP.  They work with owner-managed businesses, SMEs, entrepreneurs and start-ups across a wide range of sectors and provide legal advice on a variety of corporate and commercial matters.  

Description

Understand how Circular Economy can benefit business. How to introduce Circular Economy practices and techniques. Identify support and challenges for business. Identify different Circular Economy approaches and tools. Where to go for expertise and help.

Description

We invite you to join us for the fourth and final webinar exclusively for Advanced Manufacturing businesses. Hosted by Simon Rainer, International Cluster Adviser for the Advanced Manufacturing sector, you will hear from the Department for International Trade (DIT) and local Export Champions who are successful exporting businesses who work with DIT to help like-minded businesses by sharing their sector expertise, knowledge and experience...

Description

This event provides adult social care employers with the opportunity to learn about and explore the recruitment and retention of people who may face barriers to employment, including people with criminal convictions.

Attendees will hear from leading policy figures, including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) and Care Quality Commission (CQC), about the advantages of recruiting from a wider talent pool and attracting a diverse range of candidates for roles.

The event will also feature case studies, Q&A with an expert panel and an interactive and engaging legal briefing delivered by Dominic Headley, Director of Dominic Headley & Associates, one of the leading safer recruitment experts in the UK. This event will help delegates to:

• understand the benefits of open recruitment and widening your talent pool
• improve the diversity of their workforce
• learn how to recruit people safely and fairly from different backgrounds
• understand how to minimise any potential or perceived risks that might be involved
• find out how to access further support from Skills for Care, DWP, DBS and key employability support organisations to address workforce supply.

Description

The current pandemic has taught us that leadership matters now more than ever, whilst leaders try to diversify their businesses, encourage resilience and think under pressure, it has been the “ultimate test of management and leadership”. The pandemic may have encouraged us to improve our intellectual ability in areas such as managing teams remotely and utilising digital technologies more effectively, but what about our emotional ability? This is known as Emotional Intelligence. The most successful leaders are those that spend their time developing their emotional intelligence and understanding how their behaviour impacts others. In a time of crisis, Emotional Intelligence is key. Our ability to be aware of our own behaviours, the impact we have on others and to self – regulate our emotions during times of stress will be what differentiates us from others. We also need to develop our ability to be genuinely empathetic towards others emotions so that we can best support our teams and colleagues in the post-pandemic world. This session will help leaders to: Describe the key components of Emotional Intelligence. Analyse how emotional intelligence, impacts you and the people around you. Reflect on leadership strengths and areas for development to increase self awareness. Use techniques to self regulate own emotions in the workplace. Enhance social skills to communicate and manage relationships more effectively. Speaker: Emma Bloomfield is Head of Executive Education at the University of Wolverhampton Business School. An expert in leadership and management, Emma has over ten year’s experience of working with some of the UK’s most successful companies to develop dynamic and innovative industry led Executive Education, CPD and degree apprenticeship programmes to develop business leaders and support organisational growth. Emma has held various senior management positions, including running her own business and has been a mentor to over 100 senior leaders to help them achieve personal growth. She has a highly developed knowledge of the economy of the West Midlands, with a focus on productivity and skills and is committed to supporting the development of skills growth in the region.

Description

Roll Up, Roll Up, for a new-style exhibition for the Black Country!
 
A fun, entertaining and informal way to meet new customers and talk to a range of businesses providing offers, discounts and promotions.

Time is precious and exhibitions are an amazing way to explore a range of products and services all under one roof and one day!
 
Exhibitions are also a great way of experiencing product demonstrations, networking with new people and making connections and talking to different suppliers about how they can help you, your teams and your business. 
 
On the day, you'll get a chance to meet with exhibitors and:
 

• Explore a range of promotions, discounts and offers
• Learn more about different products and Innovations from over 80 exhibitors
• Develop your understanding about what Is In the marketplace and find solutions which could help you
• Meet with prospective new partners, customers and prospects
• Take part in our business card tombola on the day to win some great prizes

 
Refreshments will be available to purchase on the day

Description

WEBINAR

Responses to COVID-19 have increased the volume of online conversation. It can be difficult for businesses to break through, when a strong online presence has never been more important.

SpeechifAI can boost your visibility by turning every one of your customers into effective social media influencers.

This webinar will show you how you can maximise your referral marketing metrics – generating organic impressions, clicks, and conversions! – without paying for digital advertising.

While word-of-mouth marketing isn’t able to happen face-to-face, SpeechifAI makes it happen online.

Description

This two hour Virtual Masterclass will include a live Q&A session moderated by our Digital Trade Adviser, as well as provide you with a clear idea of which social media platforms are used in different countries, and how to incorporate and leverage those in your online export strategy.

Description

Theme: Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) in Manufacturing

Join the next Sustainable Production Innovation Network (SPIN) event. This interactive online event will invite industrial guest speakers to present case studies, and an interactive break-out session will give you the opportunity to explore a topic with like-minded businesses.

You will leave the event with a greater understanding of how LCA's can work for SMEs.

To find out more about the Sustainable Production Innovation Network and its cohorts go to https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/business/innovationexperience/spincohortsandevents/

Description

From Kickstart and Apprenticeship incentives, to Traineeships and industry placements – there have been a host of new government measures announced in recent weeks, to give people a route into work and provide a pool of talent for employers to draw on.

Description

WEBINAR

This webinar will cover:

• Asia’s response to the Coronavirus Crisis so far & it’s impact
• How following the experience of Asia can support your business’ response and recovery
• Answer your questions

Description

Are you thinking about starting a business? Are you running a new business? lf you pay your council tax or business rates to Dudley Council you can sign up to a new free programme of support.

Description

We would like to invite you to an awareness event for the DWP Kickstart Scheme.

As a West Midlands employer, consider the Kickstart Scheme as a way to grow your business and help a new generation start a career in your sector.

This free employer webinar hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions will explains the benefits of the Kickstart Scheme, how you can apply and answer any questions that you may have about the scheme.

The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new 6-month jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. Thousands of employers like you, across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, have already applied.

Description

5G will transform the sector: facilitating more efficient and effective ways of working. Globally, the sector is experiencing ever shorter product life cycles; against a backdrop of rapid shifts in trends and increasing demand for personalisation, consumers expect agility. Manufacturing equipment is also becoming progressively more complex and so making changes to production lines at short notice can be tricky, even more so when relying on wired connectivity. In a time of shrinking margins, maximising uptime is more important than ever to retain profitability. 5G provides the means to tackle these manufacturing challenges – and more.

Description

Dave Brooke, VP Small Business EMEA, will discuss how Dell Technologies enables its team to switch off. Offering advice on how having the right technology can increase productivity, to achieving a satisfying work/life balance, Dave will also discuss the many benefits both structure and discipline can bring to your working day.

Description

This event will focus on how firms across the Black Country can ensure that their premises are safe for members of staff, customers and visitors. With a focus on how Covid 19 has changed business practices, we will be inviting Regulatory Service teams from across the four Black Country Local Authorities to discuss how to Covid-proof a workplace with Black Country businesses. We will also be inviting the Health and Safety Executive as a guest speaker, as well as having business support teams from the various local authorities to answer any questions that businesses may have. The world has changed, potentially irrevocably, over the last five months. What was considered normal business practice is now seen as unsafe and potentially life threatening to 'at risk' members of staff. It is crucial that all business owners, of all sizes and from all sectors, fully understand the role they play in ensuring the safety of their staff. That's why we think it is crucial, that as united Black Country, we ensure the safety of employees in the region. We will be calling on the Regulatory Services teams from all Black Country local authorities, as well as the Business Support teams and Public Health, to ensure that MDs, FDs and HR Departments understand what must be done, for their firm to operate in a 'post-lockdown' landscape. We want to ensure that attendees can ask the necessary questions and seek the advice they need on making their premises safe. We will have experts in the room that can point to further support, answer the necessary questions and support businesses to make the necessary changes.

Description

The ‘Enterprise for Success’ programme has been designed to help support SMEs to accomplish their business ambitions.

Enterprise for Success is led by Solihull MBC and is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

You can book directly onto one of our 2 day workshop programmes specifically designed and created in partnership with successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. The workshop will cover a range of steps to growth, and will look at developing or redefining your business strategy and preparing your product/service for market, aligning your marketing strategy with your overall business strategy.

We do recommend that that you take advantage of our easy to use Business Diagnostic Tool and complete the online questionnaire in advance of attending a workshop. It should take no longer than 20 minutes to complete. After you submit all the required information, you will receive a Business Analysis Report detailing your results. You will also receive a one-to-one Business Growth Consultancy session with Birmingham City University’s SME Growth Advisor, who will discuss your report with you in further detail and formulate a bespoke strategy unique to your business. The Business Diagnostic Tool can be accessed by clicking https://bcu-survey.growmycompany.co.uk/index.php/692579?lang=en

Please register to attend Workshop 1 which is 2 separate workshops - Day 1 is on Tue 18th Feb and Day 2 is on Thurs 27th Feb 2020.

Workshops:

Round 1 Tuesday 18th and 27th Feb

Round 2 Tuesday 21st and 28th April

Round 3 Tuesday 21st and 28th July

Round 4 Tuesday 22nd and 29th September

Round 5 Tuesday 17th and 24th Nov

Description

We're back with our free to attend virtual networking morning for businesses in and around the Black Country. This is your opportunity to meet with other entrepreneurs, self-employed people and small business owners, to continue to network, collaborate and support each other.

Attendees will each be given 30 seconds to introduce their business in a supportive, unpressured environment. Please come armed with any top tips or burning questions about coping with the current situation.

In addition, FSB representatives will be on hand to talk you through what we're dong to support small businesses and ensuring members get the most from FSB membership over the recovery period.

Description

We would like to invite you to an awareness event for the DWP Kickstart Scheme.

As an employer, consider the Kickstart Scheme as a way to grow your business and help a new generation start a career in your sector.

This free employer webinar hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions will explains the benefits of the Kickstart Scheme, how you can apply and answer any questions that you may have about the scheme.

The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new 6-month jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. Thousands of employers like you, across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, have already applied.

The scheme has lots of benefits to help you grow and flourish your business:

• you will have a young person working for you for six months funded by the UK government

• their new ideas will help your business flourish

• it’s a way to resource your business with no commitment on either side, and it helps support young people in a difficult post-pandemic economy.

Description

Directors are responsible for navigating their organisations into the future and must be prepared to contribute to a wide range of issues. The Situationally Intelligent Director develops an inquisitive nature, with their curiosity often extending beyond their own areas of expertise.

• They recognise that the challenge is to develop the capability to be ‘fit for the future’ and strive to keep themselves current and relevant in a changing world.
• They consider how emerging issues may impact the success of the organisations they lead.
• They are connected to other leaders and boardrooms, to emerging best practices, to external ideas and experiences.

Situational Intelligence is the Directors’ ability to develop approaches based on a clear understanding of their strategic context, their objectives, the people they must engage with and their own strengths, potential and reputation. The season end Formula 1 coverage referred to this intelligence as ‘driver nous’ – practical intelligence.
 
For this interactive session we are joined by Anna Bateson, Founder of business consultancy Cutting Through The Grey and co-author of the Situational Intelligence Reference Model. Anna facilitates our Business Effectiveness Programme, exploring the issue from the organisation, board and director’s perspective.  She believes that curiosity is an essential tool for Leadership, Governance and organisational success. Our conversation will encourage you to reflect on your own situation as a director and your intentions and priorities for 2022.

Description

A 12-week summer series of 90-minute self-learning and development sessions has been launched to help those who may have felt a little overwhelmed in recent weeks and for those who have had to pivot, not just in their personal life, but in their role and function within an organisation and who are steering their way into an unknown future of very different possibilities and opportunities. The Chamber are encouraging everyone to tap into each of the six topics, and whilst all are stand-alone, each one dovetails with the next to help individuals with their own personal and professional development. Each session will be delivered by award winning performance and development coach, Wendyanne Shapiro from Lotus Flower Consultancy. This session will cover: Resilience & Mindset Reflexive or reflective thinking patterns Strengthening your resolve and breaking the habit Future thinking and moving towards.

Description

You can increase your prices and tie your customers into lucrative support contracts while selling more to them and more often and they will even thank you for it. How? Aston Business School has developed a proven, fully funded programme to ensure you achieve this. You will make more money, have more free time and feel less stressed. It costs you nothing. As just one example, AE Aerospace with support from this programme more than doubled its turnover from £2m to £5m . Manufacturing, engineering and tech firms can all benefit from this programme. It does not matter if you are forming metal or coating it, making components, products or machinery, producing software or hardware. The same principles apply.

Description

The purpose of this workshop is to develop a holistic view of industrial supply chains (SCs) in the Midlands region and identify strategic opportunities to establish SC resilience.

Description

This webinar gives employers an overview of:

• pay for employees who've had or are having a baby
• what payments you can make
• how to calculate payments

Description

We would like to invite you to an awareness event for the DWP Kickstart Scheme.

As a West Midlands employer, consider the Kickstart Scheme as a way to grow your business and help a new generation start a career in your sector.

This free employer webinar hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions will explains the benefits of the Kickstart Scheme, how you can apply and answer any questions that you may have about the scheme.

The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new 6-month jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. Thousands of employers like you, across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, have already applied.

Description

Wenta are delighted to announce a new partnership with Google Digital Garage, offering Social Media Strategy via live training.

Learn how to create a social media strategy based on your business goals.

For small business owners and aspiring social media marketers who want to find out about how businesses use social media. Discover how social media can help your business grow, how to build a social media strategy, best practice, and how to measure success.

1. Starting social media platforms for businesses

2. Building social media strategy based on business goals

3. Defining a set of brand guidelines for a business on social media

Description

Enterprise Nation is hosting daily Lunch and Learn webinars to give you a boost, offer some advice, and become part of your daily business schedule. Enterprise Nation team members are interviewing guests from the worlds of enterprise and policy, and you can get your questions answered by the experts.

Wednesday 19 January: New year, new plans for growth

It’s a New Year which means new plans for growth.

Join this Lunch and Learn webinar with Stuart Hartley, the director of Incrementa, who will be offering his greatest advice on how to identify the one most important thing for your business in 2022 and how to find that laser like focus.

Key takeaways for this session:

- The ability to identify the one wildly important goal for your business in 2022.

- Key ways to break this goal down into manageable bite sized pieces.

- Important techniques to prioritising your growth efforts.

Description

WEBINAR

This webinar will cover:

• How to successfully earn from home so that you have the time to pursue your passions
• The most common mistakes people make when trying to earn from home, and how to avoid them
• Answering your questions

“Even before COVID-19 hit, many entrepreneurs and prospective business owners have been looking for ways to earn from home. However, sadly, majority of small business owners earn less than half the national average salary and would be better off earning from a job. Many more spend hours on the internet researching and, even though they know they have it in them, they find it hard to get started on the right path and find their first clients. In this webinar I will share with you the most common mistakes people make when trying to earn from home and you can find ways to make money that still gives you the time to do what you are really passionate about.”

Description

The UK Government, in consultation with industry, has produced guidance for businesses in England, to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible. Join this free webinar, hosted by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to find out more about how to make your workplace COVID-secure.

This webinar is designed to be relevant for any food preparation or food service setting where food is sold for takeaway or delivery. For example:

• bars

• pubs and restaurants operating as take-aways

• cafes

• food to go

• food delivery

• takeaways and mobile catering

• contract catering at the point of service to the consumer, such as in offices or similar environments

It also applies to the food services provided by businesses. It does not apply to food preparation or food service in clinical or healthcare settings.

How to join the webinar:

• You will receive a link to the online event page after you complete your registration. You will also receive reminders and links from Eventbrite 48 hours, 2 hours, and 15 minutes before the event starts.
• Use the link in the email to access the online event page (you will need to sign into Eventbrite).
• Further technical details on how to watch the webinar are available on the event detail page after you register.

This is one of a series of webinars about how to work safely in different types of workplace. Many businesses operate more than one type of workplace, such as an office, factory and fleet of vehicles. You may wish to attend more than one webinar as you think through what you need to do to keep people safe. View the full series of working safely during coronavirus webinars below.

• Working safely during coronavirus: factories, plants and warehouses
• Working safely during coronavirus: restaurants offering takeaway or delivery
• Working safely during coronavirus: shops and branches
• Working safely during coronavirus: vehicles
• Working safely during coronavirus: construction & other outdoor work
• Working safely during coronavirus: labs & research facilities
• Working safely during coronavirus: offices & contact centres
• Working safely during coronavirus: other people's homes

View all the working safely during coronavirus written guidance

Find out more about the business support measures available:

• Use the business support finder to see what support is available for your business, or visit the Business Support Hub to find all business support information
• For the latest information direct to your inbox, sign up to the Coronavirus Business and Employers Bulletin here.
• Follow the Business Support Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.
• There are also Business Support helplines providing free and impartial business support. The number for England is 0800 998 1098, for Scotland 0300 303 0660, for Wales 0300 060 300 and for Northern Ireland 0800 181 4422.

Description

oin the editors of the Servitization Applied case study book in this live webinar as they share the motivations for creating the book and introduce the 30 case studies.

Description

Join our lunchtime webinar programme to help businesses navigate the design to manufacture journey. Turning an idea into a scalable, commercial product is a challenge that faces many entrepreneurs, innovators and SMEs. Developing a new product, new functionality or new customer experience can be difficult, and the design to manufacture process must be given careful consideration to ensure that development costs and timelines are managed effectively. Navigating this process can be daunting and good communication between stakeholders is vital. By understanding what designers and manufacturers care about, it will be easier to establish the good relationships and processes that will avoid costly, time consuming changes further along the development process. KTN in partnership with Product Design Scotland have curated an exciting and informative a lunchtime programme – join us each week for an opportunity to hear from representatives across the design to manufacture space. Experienced innovators and specialists will give their own perspectives on the challenges and important considerations that should inform early stage product development. Grab a tea and a sandwich and join Abi Hird and Alastair McInroy each Wednesday for expert insights, stimulating debate and an opportunity to join our diverse and vibrant community collectively focused on navigating the design to manufacture journey. REGISTER for Navigating the Design to Manufacture Journey Webinar Series. You can select one or as many weekly event sessions to attend.

Description

WEBINAR

The AI for Services team is hosting a lunchtime webinar to provide support for Innovate UK grant funded projects impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. This webinar will be curated by members of the network and is open to all sectors.

This session is scheduled for Tuesday 21st April 12:00 – 13:30 and will include presentations from member organisations covering business support guidance, legal challenges and the impact on the angel community and early stage investment. There will also be time for Q&A.

Agenda to Follow

Who will be Presenting?

Each presenter will give a 15-20 minutes presentation followed by some Q&A

• Business Support – Wesley Rashid, CEO, The Accountancy Cloud

• Legal Challenges – Pamela Austen, COO, Legal Beagles Group

• Impact on the Angel Community and Early Stage Investment – Charlotte Thompson, KTN

Description

Sean Towns, Endpoint Security Systems Engineer, will discuss the latest technology from Dell Technologies to ensure small businesses are protected from the biggest threats facing them today. Providing you with 3-5 tricks and tips that can help small businesses stay ahead of the game.

Description

The Middle East is a diverse, hugely lucrative but also challenging export market. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the UK’s largest civil export market in the region and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Arab world and an important export partner.
Western and Arab cultures have very different views on how to do business and it is important to get a deeper understanding of what these differences are and how to overcome perceived barriers. 

This half-day training will help you to improve your communication with partners in the region. Knowing your way around the do’s and don’ts in business culture will save you from uncomfortable miscommunications. The Middle East is a difficult market to penetrate, so it is important to get it right.
 

The training will cover:

• Arabic business culture: religion, beliefs, values, attitudes and customs
• Arabic business and economic environment
• Arabic business communication and negotiation style
• Challenges and solutions for doing business in this region
• understanding and overcoming common trade barriers / pitfalls
• market entry and protecting your business
• ease of doing business
• e-commerce strategy

Who is this workshop for?

This event is funded by West Midlands Chambers of Commerce’s ERDF SME International Growth Project. In order to attend you must be an SME registered within the West Midlands.

Description

eCommerce is here to stay — and growing at a rapid pace. The online opportunities to expand your company's brand presence and global reach are huge!

Join us in 2020 for Go Global: Grow your Digital Footprint, a free Midlands Engine event focused on selling via international online marketplaces. This event is for you if your business ticks one or more of the following criteria:

• a Midlands based SME with a turnover of £500k+
• are already exporting, with a web presence
• have a strong domestic business, have an e-commerce site and are ready to export through an online marketplace 

Expect a thought-provoking start to the day with a panel session hosted by Jatin Bhurabhai, Ecommerce & Marketplaces Consultant from DIT, where you will hear from: 

• Candy Kittens - Jamie Laing & Ed Williams, Founder and Managing Director 
• BrewDog - David McDowall, Group Chief Operating Officer 
• Ohh Deer - Laura Philbin, Sales Manager 

Description

Join Timothy Armoo, CEO of Fanbytes group & noted as one of the “Most Influential People in Advertising 2019” by the Evening Standard to learn:

• How to create an army of fans around your business or brand using TikTok
• How to grow your TikTok account to 100,000s within 14 days using Fanbytes’ 3 step strategy
• How a single TikTok campaign lead to over 200,000 fan videos within 4 days
• How Fanbytes used these insights to build ByteHouse, the first-ever UK TikTok house which has clicked over 70 million views in its first month

Description

This VIP session is for any UK company looking to maintain or grow their business in Europe. Attendees will gain unique insights into opportunities and trends across Europe and Israel.

The session will give UK businesses a deeper understanding of the support available to help them succeed across Europe.

Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Europe, Chris Barton, will officially open HMG’s Europe Trade Month. Hear from Ambassadors in Europe’s major markets about the opportunities available in their sub-regions and national markets, pointing out particular sectoral opportunities and trends of key interest. The moderated discussion will then be followed by a Q&A.

Description

Tracey Liot is a social entrepreneur and disability awareness advocate who founded Xtra Potential in 2020, a social enterprise driving change so every child can reach their potential and live life to the full. Tracey spent over 15 years in corporate sales environments working for FTSE 100 companies. This experience equipped Tracey with a tonne of grit and resilience - character traits she has drawn on to fight for social justice and inclusion for her son, Archie, who was born with a disability that affects his speech and spine.

Description

Demystifying Brownfield Land Development – A 1.5 day workshop for Black Country SMEs

12th/13th October 2021

University of Wolverhampton Springfield Campus

A fully funded workshop to introduce Black Country SMEs to brownfield land development.

The Brownfield Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) extends an invitation to eligible* SMEs to submit an expression of interest to attend this knowledge transfer workshop to introduce them to brownfield land development. This is aimed at companies considering development but who are cautious or concerned about the complexities that can be associated with brownfield sites.

The number of invitations are limited so quick uptake of this offer is advised.

Once you have submitted your expression of interest a member of the BRIC team will contact you to chat through the workshop content and walk you through the process to attend as this will require some documentation to be completed.

Any questions you may have before signing up can be directed to Janet Bayley:

j.bayley2@wlv.ac.uk

Workshop Structure

It is planned that the 1.5 day workshop will include:

• Advantages and disadvantages of developing brownfield sites

• Legislation and regulatory requirements (including planning)

• Design of site investigation, site reconnaissance and types of investigation

• Risk assessment

• Options for remediation, techniques available and potential costs

• Funding availability and options for brownfield land development

The workshop will be repeated, so if you are not successful in your application to attend this event, you will be contacted for the next one.

BRIC is 50% funded by the European Regional Development Fund Programme.

* Eligibility Criteria

• The enterprise is an SME located in the Black Country (Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley)

• The enterprise must have fewer than 250 employees

• The enterprise must have an annual turnover not exceeding Euro 50m (£35m) and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding Euro 43m (£30m).

• The enterprise should not be owned by 25% or more by any other enterprise or public bodies.

Description

Walsall Works will be hosting the borough’s largest recruitment event this year!

Come along and meet with over 80 employers and providers offering hundreds of employment, apprenticeships and training opportunities.

The Walsall Works Expo will take place on Thursday 5 September 2019. The Event will be held at The Hub, Walsall College, Littleton Street West, Walsall WS2 8ES from 10.00am – 4.00pm

Description

With an increase in the number of employees being based remotely and the expectation companies will continue to offer this level of flexibility long-term, now more than ever, small businesses need to look at solutions to help them streamline operations, reduce costs and deliver agility, speed and performance. Join Noel Victor, Business Development Manager for Dell Technologies as he discusses: The challenges being faced by small businesses today regarding IT operations and keeping the lights on How Dell Technologies offerings and Management Solutions can help overcome these challenges How can small businesses manage their Data Centre remotely in a simplified, automated, Intelligent & secure manner Dell Technologies products and solutions and some of the other tools & services we provide outside of technology such as Financial support to help address these challenges

Description

In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, many business owners and entrepreneurs find themselves feeling apprehensive as they continue to face an uncertain future. Join award-winning startup CEO Merlie Calvert to learn how to rediscover your confidence and ambition in order to spot and seize the business opportunities created by the new normal.

Description

DIT are kicking off our first episode of the series on Black Friday (26th November) at 11am with honest and inspirational Barry Tong, a DIT Export Champion, Founder of Sol Retail, and IOD Director of the Year finalist.

Barry will be interviewed on the topic of Amazon – selling to the world, and promises to cover some great tips on how UK sellers can navigate the choppy Amazon waters to maximise international sales growth.

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This webinar provides an overview of the changes to the scheme, how employers will be affected, flexible furloughing, key dates and support available.

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Never has there been a better time to look at new options for trade to grow your export portfolio, especially as the UK develops its independent trade strategy.

This online event will provide expert in-market insight, opportunities and share best practice on entering and enhancing trade between the United States and the UK for manufacturers.

This webinar will hear from experts including the UK negotiators for the US at the Department of International Trade, Make UK’s American counterpart organisation, the National Association of Manufacturers and successful exporters from UK manufacturing.

Those joining the event are encouraged to ask questions of our experts and Make UK members will be able to follow up with speakers including the Government representatives and American industry representatives.

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AMTECAA - Advanced Manufacturing Technologies to Create, Activate & Automate

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As the world slowly emerges once again, there are a myriad of new markets and opportunities to consider that flow from the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst it’s important to re-engage with customers we’ve served previously, it’s also important to consider where behaviours and trends have changed in previously unexplored areas that may now be a lucrative area of focus.

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WEBINAR

Many ecommerce sites have had their sales damaged by the economic effects of Covid-19 and yet some, are still flourishing. I’ll cover the advertising strategies, ad copies and creatives they’re using to generate sales where others are failing. Facebook and Instagram has seen an explosion of traffic since isolation and so it’s essential your ad setup is well placed to capitalise on this. I’ll share how a company had it’s best month in 2020 during the outbreak of covid-19 and how you can replicate their success. In the webinar I’ll share a link to a free audit I’ll conduct of your Facebook ads.

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Specialist one-to-one support is available through the West Midlands Growth Hubs and the Department for International Trade, together with an experienced VAT expert, to find out the answers to your most pressing questions.

Businesses in the West Midlands are encouraged to take advantage of this free advice to help navigate the complexities of VAT.

To register for a clinic your business must be registered in the West Midlands area, and have VAT queries directly related to the UK's exit from the EU, and have not previously participated in these VAT clinics.

In order to help as many businesses as possible, only one 30-minute session may be booked per business, per subject (i.e. 1 x VAT clinic or 1 x Import clinic). If duplication occurs we will email both parties to request only one representative may attend a meeting.

These clinics are not available to business consultants or those providing business advice services.

This professional advice service is offered as a fully funded service by the West Midlands Growth Hubs and the Department for International Trade and the sessions are in high demand, with limited availability. If you cannot attend your allocated session or need to postpone for any reason please ensure you notify us at least 24hrs in advance so that the time-slot can be offered to another business. Failure to do so may result in you being unable to book onto future 121 clinics.

BOOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Book your own personal one-to-one session with a VAT specialist to talk through your queries by using the online booking system below. The 1-2-1 sessions are 30 minutes long. We will be in touch with a time for your slot and link to join your meeting.

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Morning clinic with accredited Boost with Facebook trainer.

In this free 60 minute morning clinic, your expert trainer will be on hand to answer your social media questions and run through ideas with you on how best to utilise Facebook and Facebook family of apps for your business.

The clinic will be open to a small number of business owners, please be aware this will be a group event and you will not receive 1-2-1 support from. You will also have the opportunity to network with female founders across Ireland.

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These are difficult times. These are times when we are unsure what will happen next, let alone what the future will look like. These are times when we need to look after ourselves and our employees.

This webinar will look at coaching and counselling skills and tools that are easily accessible to support you and others. We will look at tools to develop the conversation, tools to uncover and support the real issues and tools to take action.

Speakers:

Jenni Jones is an Associate Professor at the University of Wolverhampton Business School, UK, where she is the Course Leader for the MA and ILM programmes in Coaching and Mentoring. Previously, she has worked in a variety of HRD leadership roles and currently leads a variety of external coaching and mentoring projects within the private and public sector.

Nicky Adams is a Senior Lecturer in HR and Leadership at the University of Wolverhampton Business School. Prior to joining the University, Nicky worked in customer services management, taught in Further Education and has run her own Learning & Development consultancy providing learning, development, coaching and mentoring for individuals in organisations large and small in the public, private and third sectors. She has also delivered training and mentoring within Samaritans, where she has been a listening volunteer for over 25 years.

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The B2B exhibition attracts 100 exhibiting businesses and a footfall of over 1,500 visiting businesses from across the Midlands. The Midlands Business Network Expo is an excellent platform for networking, brand recognition, promotion and business connectivity in the region. 

If you are looking to increase your business network, spread product brand awareness, find new sales opportunities and increase your sales pipeline then this is the perfect event for your business. Come along as an exhibitor or a visitor and showcase your business at the biggest B2B expo in the Midlands. 

Why should I attend the Midlands Business Network Expo?

• Make valuable business connections within the Midlands

• Generate sales leads for your business 

• Identify new customers

• Promote your brand

• Develop your skills and gain business insight 

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Please join The FSE Group and Santander for a business skills workshop- what do you need to grow your business and how do you do it?