Get Better Business Skills

Learn the art of business with inspired business skills sessions and tailored one to one mentoring support specifically for you and your business needs. This fully funded flexible programme covers Marketing, Business Planning, Sales & Service, Change & Process Management and ToNetZero

We want to encourage creativity, confidence and innovation in you – and your business – with our skills programme, Better Business Skills.

Now a well-established route to help businesses of all sizes to improve business skills, our sessions can give you the confidence and courage to plan a new pathway for you, your employees and your business.

This fully funded programme, delivered in partnership with the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, offers:

This fully funded programme offers:

1. Business Skills Sessions delivered by Expert Tutors in half day online sessions – clients can build their own programme from the wide range of sessions available

2. One to One Mentoring – Once the selected Business Skills Sessions have been completed Learners have the option of accessing up to 3 hours of Mentoring from their selected Expert Tutor to help them embed the skills and knowledge in their business or their role

All Learners will be supported by a Skills Adviser to build a tailored programme that quickly builds their skills, knowledge and confidence.

We’ve grouped the current sessions into themes we feel naturally complement each other but you can Build Your Own Programme by selecting sessions across multiple themes as suits your requirements.

Click here for a list of upcoming session dates

Session	Overview
AI for Digital Marketing	Gain a better understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential applications for your digital marketing and business operations
Brand & Deliver	Get to grips with the magic of marketing and learn how to build a brand and strategy.
Business Planning	Make a plan – What does success look like to you, what are your visions and values?
Carbon Footprints	Evaluate your own carbon footprint and offer realistic working solutions effecting a reduction
Circular Economy	Understand the key concepts involved in developing a circular economy and what this means for you
Create Videos That Get More Clicks, More Likes, and More Clients	Designed for beginners, we will cover all the steps you need to create online videos for your business by exploring the techniques used by successful video bloggers, documentary makers and film producers.
Customer Service	We all say we are happy to help – but how does make a difference to your bottom line? Understand your customer’s journey and how you can really help.
Digital Marketing Strategy	This session will show you how to Choose the right social networks for your business, Identify your target audience and Plan content that suits your audience.
Finding Customers	Discover where your customers are through research and profiling techniques – making a difference to your sales strategy.
5S Workplace Organisation	The 5S Workplace Organisation method is all about creating an efficient and effective workspace. The 5Ss are Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain.
Forecasts and Budgeting	Learn how to use budget to improve your business performance. Budget prep, variances, financial planning and management.
Introduction to Canva for Branded Graphics	A great opportunity to create branded graphics for your business. This easy session will help navigate and use the app itself – identifying ways of using this platform for social media.
Lead by Example	Move from manager to leader through understanding different styles and techniques.
Lean Strategies	Learn the basics of this established strategy that identifies problems, removes inefficiency and gives you a better working environment – profitably.
Low Carbon and Ethical Marketing	Produce a coherent and balanced low carbon marketing plan
Low Carbon Operations	Understand the challenges facing corporate businesses, relating to low carbon operations
The Magic of Marketing (Start-up)	Understand the basic principles of marketing and how digital marketing can help build your business.
Managing Risk and Change Management	Understand how to build a better business – with tools and practical tips around process improvement, risk, change, cost analysis and problem solving.
Mastering Time Management for Business Success (Start-up)	Understand your time stealers and learn techniques to help prioritise your workload to improve your business.
Perfect Pitching	Pitching your business effectively in formal and informal settings is a real skill – and it is one anyone can learn. Let us help you get better at promoting your business.
Plan For Success (Start-up)	Understand the fundamentals of business and what you need to do to get going.
ROI & Social Media	Hints and tips to track and measure social activity to work out its worth. Tools and spreadsheets available to help measure success.
SEO and Digital Marketing	Make your website more prominent by understanding how to improve your search ranking
Understanding Finance (Start-up)	Understand the importance of managing your finance and we’ll give you tools to make the most of your money.
Using Facebook More Effectively	Recognise the platform’s features and how to use the channel to promote your business
Using LinkedIn More Effectively	Recognise the platform’s features and how to use the channel to promote your business
What is Net Zero?	Get a greater understanding of the core elements of the To Net Zero agenda
Your Sales Toolbox	Understand the sales journey, build your confidence and convert your sales with a toolbox of techniques.

Session	Overview
Business Planning	Make a plan – What does success look like to you, what are your visions and values?
Forecasts and Budgeting	Learn how to use budget to improve your business performance. Budget prep, variances, financial planning and management.
Finding Customers	Discover where your customers are through research and profiling techniques – making a difference to your sales strategy.

Session	Overview
Finding Customers	Discover where your customers are through research and profiling techniques – making a difference to your sales strategy.
Brand & Deliver	Get to grips with the magic of marketing and learn how to build a brand and strategy.
ROI & Social Media	Hints and tips to track and measure social activity to work out its worth. Tools and spreadsheets available to help measure success.
SEO and Digital Marketing	Make your website more prominent by understanding how to improve your search ranking
Digital Marketing Strategy	This session will show you how to Choose the right social networks for your business, Identify your target audience and Plan content that suits your audience.
Using Facebook More Effectively	Recognise the platform’s features and how to use the channel to promote your business
Using LinkedIn More Effectively	Recognise the platform’s features and how to use the channel to promote your business
AI for Digital Marketing	Gain a better understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential applications for your digital marketing and business operations
Introduction to Canva for Branded Graphics	A great opportunity to create branded graphics for your business. This easy session will help navigate and use the app itself – identifying ways of using this platform for social media.
Create Videos That Get More Clicks, More Likes, and More Clients	Designed for beginners, we will cover all the steps you need to create online videos for your business by exploring the techniques used by successful video bloggers, documentary makers and film producers.

Session	Overview
Perfect Pitching	Pitching your business effectively in formal and informal settings is a real skill – and it is one anyone can learn. Let us help you get better at promoting your business.
Customer Service	We all say we are happy to help – but how does make a difference to your bottom line? Understand your customer’s journey and how you can really help.
Your Sales Toolbox	Understand the sales journey, build your confidence and convert your sales with a toolbox of techniques.

Session	Overview
5S Workplace Organisation	The 5S Workplace Organisation method is all about creating an efficient and effective workspace. The 5Ss are Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain.
Lead by Example	Move from manager to leader through understanding different styles and techniques.
Lean Strategies	Learn the basics of this established strategy that identifies problems, removes inefficiency and gives you a better working environment – profitably.
Managing Risk and Change Management	Understand how to build a better business – with tools and practical tips around process improvement, risk, change, cost analysis and problem solving.

Session	Overview
What is Net Zero?	Get a greater understanding of the core elements of the To Net Zero agenda
Carbon Footprints	Evaluate your own carbon footprint and offer realistic working solutions effecting a reduction
Circular Economy	Understand the key concepts involved in developing a circular economy and what this means for you
Low Carbon Operations	Understand the challenges facing corporate businesses, relating to low carbon operations
Low Carbon and Ethical Marketing	Produce a coherent and balanced low carbon marketing plan

Session	Overview
The Magic of Marketing	Understand the basic principles of marketing and how digital marketing can help build your business.
Mastering Time Management for Business Success	Understand your time stealers and learn techniques to help prioritise your workload to improve your business.
Plan For Success	Understand the fundamentals of business and what you need to do to get going.
Understanding Finance	Understand the importance of managing your finance and we’ll give you tools to make the most of your money.

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With over 200 businesses now attending our specialist business skills session, take a look at some of our video case studies:

“I needed a real crash course on everything, and that’s what NBSL had to offer, everything from finance to strategy and beyond”

“Working with NBSL has been fantastic. With the Better Business Skills programme they’ve made it incredibly easy”
Joe Hinchcliffe, Subco Engineering

“I’m not very technologically minded and I needed help. So somebody recommended NBSL. I looked at the courses, thought that’s amazing, what’s the catch? And there wasn’t a catch”

“My website is now a lot better, I’m selling through that, which I wasn’t before”
Richard Knapper, Snapper Photography, Whitley Bay

Register your interest in Better Business Skills

To find out more about the Better Business Skills programme, just click below, enter your details in the form and one of our skills team will get in touch. Please note, to be eligible for the programme, you must be aged 19+ and live in the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority area (northeast-ca.gov.uk).

If you have any questions, you can give us a call on 01670 813322 or email [email protected]

Delivered by NBSL, this project is funded by the UK Government and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority through the Adult Skills Fund

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness heads the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (North East MSA) serving an area of 2.2 million people including County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland. Sunderland’s Business Support Programme is funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority through its Integrated Settlement. For more information visit www.northeast-ca.gov.uk.