your next step

your next step

Training Services

Whether you're an HR manager looking for a training solution for a group of employees (remote or in-house), a group that's interested in a coffee-and-learn, or an individual looking for a guided learning experience, you have a training need.

Most of our training solutions are customized to fit your unique needs. Why waste time and money re-learning things you already know or learning things you don't need? Additionally, each of our training solutions includes options for Q&A with the instructor as you learn, so, if you get "stuck," there's a real person there that can help you get unstuck. What are you waiting for? Your moment is now.

Selected Workshop and Training Sessions

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Create your own CRM in Microsoft Access

All businesses and aspiring business owners need a client relationship management (CRM) system so that they can keep track of leads and clients.

In this workshop, we'll work through a simple CRM scenario, including how to create tables to store your data and how to create a user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing interface to work with that data. Along the way, we'll also discuss how you can customize this application to fit your own scenario.

This multi-session workshop is intended for people who have Microsoft Access included in their Microsoft Office installation, and are either getting started with a CRM from scratch or have an Access database that they need to understand or maintain. Understanding this process will also help you "shop around" for online alternatives, as you'll develop a better understanding of what you need to look for in a CRM.


Create your own dashboard in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets

For most people, visual representation is more impactful than text or tables of data.

In this interactive workshop, the instructor will guide participants through the process of moving from a simple dataset in table form to generating an interactive dashboard with PivotTables and PivotCharts. The dataset will be supplied, and common issues/roadblocks will be addressed, including aesthetic and accessibility issues. All participants will leave with a dashboard workbook that they can refer back to later.

Participants must have their own installation of Microsoft Excel in order to participate. Upon request, this workshop is also available for Google Sheets instead of Microsoft Excel, which requires that participants have their own Google account. No coding is required either way.


Creating macros with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

If you work with a lot of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, you might find that you repeatedly perform the same tasks with your data. Automation with VBA might help.

In this interactive workshop, the instructor will introduce participants to VBA and we'll write some code together to automate some common tasks that aren't easily captured using Microsoft Excel's "record macro" feature. Participants will leave with a workbook that they can refer back to later.

Participants must have their own installation of Microsoft Excel on Microsoft Windows in order to participate.

This is also available as one-on-one instruction, tailored to datasets and scenarios chosen by the participant.

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Create your own website with WordPress

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that lets you create and manage your website in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get way instead of having to know how to code.

In this demonstration-style workshop, attendees will be introduced to the basics of how to create a portfolio website as well as a blog, how to pick an aesthetic style (i.e., theme) for the website, how to customize menus and other features, what terms like "widget" and "plugin" mean, and how to work with media like photos and videos.


Create your own website with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

There are a lot of great content management systems (CMS) out there (e.g., WordPress), but sometimes you want to take control and really customize your site, or "peek under the hood" and understand how everything works. Learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can get you quickly on the road to coding, as well as give you the knowledge to understand why things work the way that they do and how to make tweaks to sites generated by a CMS.

In this multi-session training, the instructor will guide participants through creating a simple portfolio website completely from scratch.

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Computer literacy for senior citizens

This interactive workshop series is designed specifically for senior citizens, that is, people that want to learn how to use the technology, might want to use it to volunteer at a not-for-profit or just to keep in touch and up-to-date, and want an instructor that's more patient than family members tend to be.
Topics include:

  • Getting to know Windows
  • Getting to know your smartphone
  • Using the Internet: web searches, email, and social media, including etiquette
  • File management for documents and photos, removable storage, the cloud

These topics can also be covered individually as a coffee-and-learn or other workshop.

How we work...

We'll follow our standard procedure to figure out what you need and how you need it.

We Discover

Barbara will meet with you -- by phone, by video chat, or in person -- to discuss your training needs. If we decide we're a good fit, we'll start on your project.
We Plan

This is where we nail down the objectives for your custom training solution. Blou Designs will get to know you, including your capabilities and needs. Because learning "sticks" better when learners understand the "why" of what they're doing, we'll also delve into the context (e.g., what's been done in the past, what worked and what didn't, what's been specifically requested, how the new skills will be applied).

Based on our discussions and analyses, Blou Designs will devise a training program. This program will include things like the number of people involved and the location of the training.
We Deliver

At the time(s) and location(s) decided upon in Phase 2, participants will receive the interactive training.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you taking projects right now?

Yes! Let's connect

I don't see the topic I want in your list of past workshops and training sessions. Is that it?

That list is just a sample. We specialize in Microsoft Office, but have also been hired to learn in-house software in order to develop the training employees need.

Let's connect and talk about what you want to learn and whether that's something Blou Designs can help you with.

Why should I spend money on training at all?

Self-teaching is a great solution for a lot of things. Using tools like Google and training videos, you can piece together most of the skills you need to get the desired result. But that might not be the best or fastest way to get that result. It might also leave you with some unexpected gaps, because you didn't know to look for a particular thing and didn't happen upon it in your search results.

As an example, we've had more than one experience with an individual devising complex formulas in Microsoft Excel when a simple PivotTable would do all of the work for them with just a few clicks. Sometimes people don't realize there's a powerful tool at their disposal that perfectly fits their needs.

Targeted training can familiarize you with all of the tools in your toolset. Even better, a tutorial from a live person can show you exactly what you need (repeatedly, if necessary) and answer questions as they arise.

How much does it cost?

This depends on things like how many people will be receiving training, where the training is located, and how much travel is involved in devising and conducting that training.

How do you bill?

We bill upon completion of each training segment.

How long does it take?

This really depends on your needs. If you have a specific timeframe in mind, please send an email to or connect using our contact form and we can discuss the feasiblity of a custom training solution for you.