In this episode, Danny talks to UX Designer Sam Selbie about finding simple ways to make your business website more sustainable. We look at ways of reducing your website’s carbon footprint through some small changes, such as image sizes and hosting, as well as exploring how a sustainable website can also benefit your customers and their experience of your brand online! Find out how you can start being more sustainable today.

DigitalBoost Digital Bites

Digital sustainability: How to have a greener website

Listen to our latest podcast episode where we have partnered with Skills Development Scotland to talk through the importance of modern apprentices in the workplace and discuss why more Scottish businesses are continuing to invest in apprenticeship schemes. Host Danny Gallagher, Business Gateway Highland Manager, will be joined by Neil Cunningham, Employer Engagement Adviser at Skills Development Scotland; Anthony Burns, Chief Operating Officer of ACS Clothing and Radoslaw Lacki, one of ACS Clothing’s Modern Apprentices. Throughout the engaging discussion, Skills Development Scotland will highlight the support they offer businesses in finding the right apprentices and the wide variety of apprenticeship schemes that are available in Scotland. We will also learn about ACS Clothing’s commitment in developing their apprenticeship scheme and explore why apprenticeships are crucial in building the careers of Scotland’s youth workforce.

The changing world of work: apprenticeships and how they can support your organisation

Listen to the next episode of our latest Business Gateway Connections podcast series, where we interview well-known Scottish brands to explore their story and gain insight into what it’s like to run some of Scotland’s fastest growing businesses. Host Danny Gallagher, Business Gateway Highland Manager, will interview Simon Howie, founder and owner of Scottish leading butcher brand, Simon Howie. Founded in 1986 in Dunning, Perthshire, Simon Howie has become the UK’s best-selling haggis brand and in 2021 the business reached new heights by launching the first ever haggis into space. Throughout the podcast, Simon will discuss the story behind the brand, including how it all began and what’s next for the butcher, as well as provide insight into the challenges the business has faced during the pandemic, and offers key advice for budding entrepreneurs who want to start their own business.

Business Gateway in conversation with Simon Howie

Listen to the new podcast episode of our latest Business Gateway Connections series where we interview well-known Scottish brands to explore their story and gain insight into what it’s like to run some of Scotland fastest growing businesses. Host Danny Gallagher, Business Gateway Highland Manager, will be joined by Darina Garland, Co-Founder and Director of outdoor pizza oven company, Ooni. Recently commended at the 2020 EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards, Darina launched the business in Edinburgh in 2012 and it has now grown to become the world’s most popular wood fired portable oven brand. Through an in-depth discussion, Darina will discuss the secrets behind the recent growth of Ooni, including the culture behind one of Scotland’s most talked about businesses and how they have adapted to major challenges across the past 12 months.

Business Gateway in conversation with Ooni

Listen to our latest ‘Connections’ podcast episode where we focus on what businesses can do to prepare for the UK leaving the EU at the end of December. We hear from business owners on how they are preparing leading up to the 1st of January 2021 and learn about the simple and low-cost actions all businesses who will be impacted can look at taking right now. Host Danny Gallagher, Business Gateway Manager, Highland and Moray will be joined by Kevin Shakespeare, The Institute of Export and International Trade, Brie Reid and Tom Martin, Co-Founders of Snag Tights and David Archer, Managing Director of Sephra Europe for their perspective on the current situation. Through an in-depth discussion the podcast will highlight the key changes that will come into place and what businesses need to plan for and implement in preparation for leaving the EU.

Preparing your business for leaving the EU

Starting your own business can be thrilling, exciting, and without a doubt a bit daunting! Tune in to our latest Business Gateway ‘Connections’ podcast episode, where we explore how those facing redundancy in light of COVID-19 may want to take the leap into self-employment or starting a business. Danny Gallagher, Business Gateway Manager, Highland and Moray speaks to Sarah Johnson, Director at IndigoLeap and Gillian Macdonald, a Business Adviser for Business Gateway, who share tips on how people can work out if they are in fact armed with that “light bulb” idea to help them start a new venture, what support and resources are available, and how a strong digital strategy can help get you off the ground.

Starting a business after redundancy

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a massive shift in the adoption of flexible working with many employees working from home or working reduced hours. Several the biggest employers in the UK have said they have no plans to return to the office full time so does this mark a cultural shift in the workplace. In this episode, we speak to Nikki Slowley of Flexibility Works who has been an advocate for flexible working for many years. And we are also joined by Karen Pickering, Director and Chair of the board at PagePark architects, a company where before lockdown traditionally employees would work at the office but have found allowing staff to work remotely has been a massive benefit to productivity.

Is Flexible Working the Future?

In this episode, guests Sarah Johnson of Indigo Leap and David Percival of Elevator examine how digital upskilling can help you and your business bounce back more quickly after COVID-19. Additional resources DigitalBoost resources https://www.bgateway.com/resources/digitalboost Take a Digital Health Check https://www.bgateway.com/resources/digitalboost/digitalboost-healthcheck Set up your Google My Business https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/business/ Keeping your SEO and PPC up to date https://www.bgateway.com/resources/digitalboost/digital-resources/keeping-your-seo-and-ppc-up-to-date Elevator https://www.elevatoruk.com/business-support/aberdeen/ Indigo Leap https://www.indigoleap.com/

Give your business a DigitalBoost - rebuilding after COVID-19

In this episode Business Gateway Highland Manager Danny Gallagher speaks with Rachel Hanretty, Founder of Mademoiselle Macaron and Keith Elrick a Business Gateway adviser who specialises in helping start ups on what it feels like to take that leap into self-employment and bring your business idea to life. We all know that starting a business is never easy, especially in the middle of a crisis. But it’s not impossible and with the right planning and support it could be a lot simpler than you think. Maybe you are facing redundancy and considering going it alone and starting up? Regardless of your situation, this podcast could help you kick of that business journey. We discuss how you can know your idea is viable, what support and tools might help. Funding, finance, and all the legal stuff you need to think through. Essential listening for anyone considering start up and self-employment right now. Business plan template from Business Gateway: https://www.bgateway.com/resources/business-plan-template Planning to Start: https://planningtostart.com/ Local Business Adviser Support: https://www.bgateway.com/local-offices Mademoiselle Macaron: https://mademoisellemacaron.co.uk/ 

Starting up a business during challenging times

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our lives, enforcing major changes, which for many have caused much stress and anxiety. In this episode, Business Gateway Highland Manager Danny Gallagher talks to Louise Stuart of Health Working Lives and Catriona Davies from Resolution Mediation Scotland. They discuss things you can do to maintain good mental health as an employer, and the steps you can take to look after your workforce during what is a strange situation for everyone. We also discuss how you might start conversations about mental health, the power of OK, useful apps, courses and techniques which can form a toolkit in and out of work. Come Alive UK: https://www.comealiveuk.com/ Health and Safety Executive: https://www.hse.gov.uk/ Resolution Mediation Scotland: https://www.resolutionmediationscotland.co.uk/ Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/ Meditation apps and resources: https://insighttimer.com/ https://www.calm.com/ https://www.headspace.com/ Healthy Working Lives For information on workplace health, safety and wellbeing you can speak to a specialist adviser for free by calling the Healthy Working Lives Adviceline on 0800 019 2211 or by webchat www.healthyworkinglives.scot (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). https://covid19.healthyworkinglives.scot/ Information and guidance on dealing with COVID-19 as an employer or employee: https://www.healthyworkinglives.scot/workplace-guidance/illness-absence/Pages/coronavirus-guidance-for-employers.aspx Information on looking after your employees mental health: https://covid19.healthyworkinglives.scot/employer-information/mental-health Information on looking after your mental health: https://covid19.healthyworkinglives.scot/employee-information/mental-health Useful information, advice and resources to assist planning to return to work. https://covid19.healthyworkinglives.scot/planning-return-to-work To access the free Healthy Working lives online learning suite, you can register for an account at https://elearning.healthscotland.com/ then browse and select the course you want to enroll in.

Looking after the mental health of you and your employees

In this episode, Phillip talks to Alison Bell of Bell HR and Ann Kerr, a specialist HR adviser for Business Gateway about restarting business operations.  The post COVID-19 workplace poses many challenges for employers. This open and frank conversation touches on some of the burning issues facing businesses right now; from restructuring and making redundancies, to making best use of the furlough scheme and applying best practice in communication with staff. Some useful links: http://www.bellhrconsulting.co.uk/ https://www.bgateway.com/resources/getting-back-to-business-hr-considerations https://www.bgateway.com/resources/getting-back-to-business-hr-guidance-for-employers

The Essentials of Getting Back to Business

In this first episode, Phillip talks to Jamie Watt of Innovair and Business Gateway adviser John MacGillivray. They talk about the business landscape, and what changes have been made to the day-to-day operations during the lockdown. They also look at longer-term strategies and how Innovair has taken advantage of some downtime to improve their digital marketing materials. There are also some really handy tips on keeping employees engaged and protecting your mental health. Find out more on Innovair: https://www.innovair.co.uk/ Our Coronavirus Support page: https://www.bgateway.com/coronavirus-business-support-across-scotland DigitalBoost resources: https://www.bgateway.com/resources/digitalboost/ Coronavirus funding support and grants (updated daily): https://www.bgateway.com/resources/finance-and-grant-announcements

Getting Back to Business

In this episode, Charlie talks to UX Designer Sam Selbie about finding simple ways to improve your Businesses website. We cover what mistakes to avoid, how you can create a great website on a budget, simplicity and hierarchy of information, the importance of catering for a mobile audience and we talk a lot (a lot) about good content. And find out what the one thing you should do to improve your website today! http://illustrations.co/ https://thenounproject.com/ https://fonts.google.com/ https://unsplash.com/ https://www.opendoodles.com/ 

Simple Ways to Improve Your Website

Charlie spoke with Mike McGrail, Digital Marketing Consultant from Velocity Digital how to analyse the online presence of your business and the important role it plays in your success.  Mike also shares some insider tips on tools and trends and recommends the best way to spend your time and money online. For more information on how to analyse and improve your digital presence, discover our free workshops and guides here: https://www.bgateway.com/resources/digitalboost Our Audit Your Digital Presence Article http://articles.bgateway.com/auditing-your-digital-presence/ Other useful links: https://moz.com/ https://sproutsocial.com/ https://www.facebook.com/business/insights/tools/audience-insights https://uk.marketo.com/ https://www.hubspot.com/ https://www.mautic.org/ Fyre Festival documentary https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81035279 

Analyse and Improve My Digital Presence

Charlie speaks to Sarah Johnson, Founder of Indigo Leap about what difference digital marketing can make to your business and how it has evolved over the last few years. With chat about PPC, setting digital goals, how to measure success and what 3 things businesses should be doing. We mention quite a few links so we've collated them all in one place for you. DigitalBoost guides: https://www.bgateway.com/assets/templates/Digital_Marketing_Strategy_Guide_Entry_Level.pdf https://www.bgateway.com/assets/templates/Digital_Marketing_Strategy_Guide_Intermediate_Level.pdf https://www.bgateway.com/assets/templates/Paid_Advertising_Guide.pdf https://www.bgateway.com/assets/templates/Facebook-for-Business.pdf https://www.bgateway.com/assets/templates/LinkedIn-For-Business.pdf https://www.bgateway.com/assets/templates/DigitalBoost_Video_guide.pdf Links to useful digital tools: Squarespace: https://www.squarespace.com/ Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/ Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/ Google Analytics: https://analytics.google.com Links to Platforms' resources: Adwords learning hub: https://skillshop.exceedlms.com/student/catalog/browse Facebook business hub: https://www.facebook.com/business LinkedIn marketing hub: https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/success Instagram business hub: https://business.instagram.com/?locale=en_GB Other good sources of info: MOZ SEO Guide: https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo 

How Digital Marketing Can Make a Difference

This series is brought to you by DigitalBoost, Business Gateway’s leading digital skills programme for SMEs. We’re rounding up top tips from digital experts to help your business get ahead online.

hubhopper

DigitalBoost Digital Bites

hubhopper