The local business growth consultancy Cool Ventures is running a series of free workshops to help businesses across the Bath area thrive and prosper.
Cool Ventures directors Roger Wilkins and Sue Marchant
The courses are open to businesses that enrol on the Bath Business Support Programme and the Swindon and Wiltshire SME Growth Programme, which are delivered by Cool Ventures.
The programmes provide free intensive support to small and medium-sized businesses across Bath and Wiltshire.
Businesses benefit from one-to-one coaching from specialist advisers and access to workshops on key topics including business planning, finance, marketing and management.
Forthcoming workshops delivered by Cool Ventures include:
Developing a Growth Strategy and Business Plan
Date: 1st March 2018 & 18th April 2018, Time: 9am – 5pm, Venue: Bath and County Club, Bath.
This practical workshop is aimed at owners of established businesses looking to develop and grow. You will have some ideas about how you want your business to look in two or three years time but are not sure how to map out the necessary changes.
The workshop will outline the steps you need to take to move closer to your goals and help you understand some of the challenges you could face in transforming your business. You will gain the tools and confidence to develop your business strategy as well as a single page business plan which will define your key activities for the next 12 months
Making Your Website Work For You
Date: 7th March 2018, Time: 9am – 1pm, Venue: Bath and County Club, Bath
If you want to understand how to make your website generate more sales and work harder for you and your business, this workshop is for you.
During the morning you will explore how to ensure your web designer understands what you want from your website and how to use Google Adwords effectively to generate more business without wasting money. You will also learn how to avoid the basic security mishaps and sell your product or service online.
By the end of the workshop you will have an understanding of:
- Creating a website brief
- Advertising on Google Adwords
- Security and your website
- Selling with e-commerce
Create More Time And Be More Productive!
Date: 14th March 2018, Time: 10am – 1pm, Venue: Bath and County Club, Bath
This workshop is ideal for business owners, managers and employees who want to give themselves more space and time, and improve productivity.
What you really need most is more space, not more time. You need space to think, to plan and to decide, so that you can be in a productive state and get things done. And you need a system to help you with that.
The workshop will teach you how to move from victim of circumstance to captain and commander. You will learn some tips for planning, how to back control and the art of saying “No”, as well as techniques for managing stress.
Marketing Communications for Business Owners
Date: 28th March 2018, Time: 9am – 1pm, Venue: Bath and County Club, Bath
If you find marketing daunting or want to understand how to reach more customers, this workshop is for you. During the morning we will explore key areas of marketing such as:
- Why marketing can make the sale easier
- Company and personal branding
- Making your company stand out
- Effective networking
- Researching your competitors
- Telemarketing and telesales
Creating Content for Digital Marketing
Date: 10th April 2018, Time: 9am – 1pm, Venue: Bath and County Club, Bath
This interactive workshop is for businesses looking to grow, raise awareness or enhance their digital presence, through creating compelling content online. You’ll discover how powerful a blog on your website can be to build your presence and influence online.
You will look at how writing the right content in the right place at the right time can help your website move up the Google rankings. You will take away some simple strategies to get your business noticed online.
Coaching Others To Do Their Best
Date: 26th April 2018, Time: 10am – 1pm, Venue: Bath and County Club, Bath
Coaching isn’t about you telling your people what to do; it’s about helping them to think for themselves, to take responsibility for their actions, and to learn and develop with your support and feedback.
This workshop explains the rationale for coaching, and why you will get the most from your people when you adopt the role of manager-as-coach. You will learn the following coaching skills:
- Rapport, the art of observing and mirroring conversational style and body language.
- Listening that truly demonstrates you are paying attention.
- Questioning that helps people to create solutions.
- Feedback which helps them learn and develop.
- Difficult conversations and how to achieve a constructive outcome.
For more information about the free business support offered through the Bath Business Support Programme and the Swindon and Wiltshire SME Growth Programme, contact Cool Ventures on 01225 580850 or email [email protected].
