Rossendale Borough Council launches free 60-minute business workshops

Rossendale Borough Council are offering a series of six free business development workshops aimed at supporting businesses in Rossendale.

The ‘Sixty Minute Business Blast’ workshops are designed to provide valuable insights and strategies to improve profitability, tax efficiency, competitive advantage, sales leads, quality management, and overall business environment analysis. 

The sessions will be held on consecutive Wednesdays beginning September 20 at Rossendale Borough Council offices between 10-11am. 

The sessions will be conducted by Jane Pallister, a business advisor, growth consultant, and quality management expert with twenty-three years of experience. Jane has worked with universities, business support agencies, and national-level programs, making her a valuable resource for local businesses. 

The topics covered in the sessions will include: 

• Tax Efficiency: Learn how to account for every expense, avoid overpaying taxes, and take advantage of allowable expenses, working from home allowances, and more. 
• Standing Out: Explore effective ways to differentiate your business in a crowded marketplace by showcasing your backstory, experience, qualifications, and unique selling points. 
• Social Media Leads: Understand the customer decision journey, create positive touchpoints, leverage testimonials and reviews to attract more inquiries through social media. 
• Quality Management: Gain insights into the basics of quality management in a micro-business, including creating process flows and tracking opportunities for continuous improvement. 
• Business Environment Analysis: Learn how to assess the trading environment, conduct competitor analysis, identify market trends, and respond positively to external factors affecting your business. 
• Making Money: Discover ways to ensure profitable trading, covering overheads, delivery efficiency, customer service, profit margins, and financial metrics to keep finances secure. 

Each session will run for sixty minutes, allowing participants to gain valuable knowledge and practical tips without a major time commitment. Additionally, participants will receive presentation slides and handouts for ongoing reference, creating a lasting resource to help their businesses thrive. 

The council place great importance on supporting local businesses to help ensure a thriving local economy and are providing the workshops free of charge to businesses of all sizes. 

Council Leader Alyson Barnes stated: "The 'Sixty Minute Business Blast' workshops reflect our commitment to the local business community in Rossendale. We understand the challenges they face, and these workshops are designed to provide practical solutions and guidance to help them succeed." 

Tariq Ali, business advisor at Rossendale Borough Council, added: "This is a great opportunity for businesses in Rossendale and we're lucky to have Jane Pallister help deliver the sessions. She's a well-known and well-respected business advisor and I'm sure everyone who attends will come away with valuable information and feeling like they've really learnt something." 

Sessions will be held on Wednesdays at Rossendale Borough Council offices on the following dates: 20th September, 18th October, 15th November, 13th December, 10th January, and 7th February, each running from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.  

Businesses can register for any or all the sessions, with a maximum of two participants per business. Participants also have the option to request a Zoom link for virtual attendance. 

For more information about the 'Sixty Minute Business Blast' workshops, and to reserve your spot please contact tariqali@rossendalebc.gov.uk