#BEAM

Jan 5
3 min

2022 Blog Review - A Year of Lampshade Making

Another year of fabulously creative lampshade making is nearly over and it’s time to look back on how the Dannells Lampshade Making blog has inspired, educated and supported your lampshade making skills and small lampshade making businesses. A true exchange of ideas, you, our customer community inspire us every day with the lampshades you make and we hope that the blog has done the same for you, in 2022! Soft Shade Making Series It was the year of the Soft Shade for Dannells,

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Aug 16, 2022
5 min

BEAM - How to use Reels, Stories and Live Video on Your Social Media

Reels, Stories and Live streaming videos have increased in importance in the last 5 years, engaging and capturing customers’ imaginations across all social media platforms. Understanding what these different features mean for your lampshade-making business is all explained in today’s BEAM post, and we've shared our ideas on the type of content that we feel suits each medium, with the hope you’ll consider using these influential tools, as part of your social media strategy. Re

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Jul 21, 2022
4 min

BEAM - Using Social Media to promote your Lampshade Making Business

In today’s digital world, using social media for your business cannot be ignored. A crucial free marketing tool to get your lampshades noticed, social media allows you to engage with customers directly about your products, build a community and increase your revenue. In this BEAM post, we’ll share pointers and ideas for creating social media content and how you can make it work for your lampshade making business, however big or small. Why use social media for your business? T

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Jun 29, 2022
4 min

BEAM – How to use SEO Keywords for your Online Shop

Considered an essential part of digital marketing, understanding the basics of SEO keywords can really benefit your lampshade making business and increase your sales. From creating a list of keywords and highlighting free online tools, to exploring how to maximise product descriptions and website content, today's BEAM post is packed with information to take your online shop from invisible to visible. What is SEO? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, which is a digital

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May 26, 2022
6 min

BEAM - Setting up an online shop

Have you ever wanted to create your own online shop? Whether you're new to selling lampshades or are already selling via other online retail platforms, today's BEAM post explores three online eCommerce platforms and what they offer and includes pricing, domain names and what you’ll need to consider and prepare to show your lampshades at their best, before entering the world of being your own online shopkeeper! Choosing a Platform There are dozens of eCommerce platforms to cho

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May 4, 2022
6 min

BEAM – Offering Returns and Refunds

Although we imagine your lampshades are amazing, there may be some circumstances when a customer wants to return their shade. Dealing with returns and refunds can be a tricky business, so in today’s Business Expertise and Advice for Makers post, we’re going to explore the legislation on refunding customers, based on the lampshades you make and the method you use to sell them. We'll also look at customer returns and how to ensure your customers are clear on your refund policy

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Mar 24, 2022
6 min

BEAM – Taking on Bespoke Lampshade Commissions

Packaging your skills in a way that gives the customer choice, can be a valuable way of increasing profit margins and effectively using your lampshade making talents. This said offering bespoke lampshade commissions as an additional service, needs careful consideration and preparation to successfully adapt in line with your customers and your own expectations. In this BEAM post, we’ll run through the pros and cons of making bespoke lampshades, what you'll need to think about

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Feb 22, 2022
4 min

BEAM - Pricing your lampshades to sell

Loving lampshade making shade is one thing, but making enough money to run a sustainable business is quite another. In this BEAM blog post, we look at the ins and outs of pricing your handmade lampshades and what costs you’ll need, including how to work out your hourly rate to the cost of your morning cuppa, alongside tips on making sure you're pricing is still affordable for your market. What costs do I need to think about to work out my pricing? To work out accurate prices

1,281 views2 comments

Feb 4, 2022
5 min

BEAM - How to sell on Amazon Handmade

Amazon might not seem the most obvious choice for selling your lampshades, but since the online shopping giant created Amazon Handmade, a dedicated platform that champions high-quality products and passionate makers, it suddenly becomes a more viable and interesting option. We explore the time, effort and cost, alongside the pros and cons, of selling on Amazon Handmade. How big is Amazon? There are no bones about it, Amazon is HUGE in the UK. It's the largest online marketpla

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Jan 25, 2022
11 min

BEAM Meet the Entrepreneur - Light Owl

Discovering a niche gap in the interiors market, that happily coincided with his passion for creativity, Rab Moghal of Light Owl made it his personal mission to create a lampshade making business that would stand head and shoulders above the rest. By applying his far-reaching business knowledge, principles and efficiencies and by having a positive passion for his lampshades, customers and team, Light Owl have recently sold their 4,000th shade - that's after just two and half

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Jan 5, 2022
4 min

BEAM – 5 ways to grow your lampshade making business

Happy 2022! With a new year ahead and after a couple of weeks of essential rest and relaxation, now is a great time to reassess where you are in relation to your goals for 2022 and your lampshade making business. If you’re ready to take the next step, we’ve got five exciting ways in which you can get to the top of your lampshade making game and add new services, breath new creative life into your products and expand your selling reach. Read on to find out how you can make 20

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Dec 23, 2021
3 min

Blog highlights and Top Posts of 2021

It’s been a busy year on the Dannells blog and with many people trying their hand at lampshade making in the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, we’ve been writing blog posts that inspire, educate and support you, whether you’re new to lampshade making or already an experienced and established lampshade maker. This year alone we’ve posted over 80 blog posts that cover everything from lampshade making tips, tricks and tutorials to small business advice. As 2021 draws to a close we tho

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Nov 30, 2021
4 min

BEAM - 5 Amazing Ideas for Packing Your Professional Lampshades

Making stunning lampshades that are carefully crafted is only one part of being a lampshade maker and retailer and packaging your beautiful lampshades, so that your customer receives them in pristine condition is equally important. In today’s post, we'll share ideas for wrapping and protecting your shades including tips from our Lampshade Makers Facebook Group, clever eco packing inspiration and Dannells products to help you reach the packing pinnacle! 1. Under Wraps Protecti

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Nov 2, 2021
4 min

BEAM - Tips for selling at Christmas Craft Fairs + UK Craft Fair listings

Hurrah! Selling in real life at Christmas Craft Fairs and Markets is possible again this year! Not only are fair and markets a fantastic opportunity to sell some of your fabulous handmade lampshades, they are brilliant for getting feedback on your designs and taking commission orders that will see you through to the new year! We've put together our top tips for selling at craft fairs in 2021, plus a list of UK wide craft fairs and markets for you to grab a stall at or get in

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Oct 12, 2021
6 min

BEAM - Professional Lampshade making safety standards

Making and selling lampshades may be your dream job, but have your thought about the more regulatory and safety considerations of retailing your own lampshades? In this BEAM post we’ve collated information, standards and guidance in association with The Lighting Industry Association (LIA), to highlight what you need to know from a safety perspective and to ensure the hard lampshades you’re making are to the highest possible safety standards. Lighting terminology Before we st

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Sep 30, 2021
9 min

Business Expertise and Advice for Makers - How to sell on eBay

The selling platform giant eBay might not sing 'handmade' or be your first choice for selling your lampshades, but as we take a closer look in this month's BEAM post, there's definitely potential to boost your brand, gain loyal customers and showcase your shades. How big is eBay? The simple answer is BIG! eBay is one of the biggest online selling platform in the UK, second to Amazon and has whopping 298 million visits per month. As a global selling platform, the ubiquitous eB

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Aug 20, 2021
7 min

BEAM - Meet the Entrepreneur - Sian Elin

We've loved helping you explore the many ways of expanding your business with our more practical Business Expertise and Advice for Makers posts, but what about learning from someone who's experienced and developed a successful homeware brand? Sian Elin has managed to do just that, by capitalising on her talents as a print designer, being stocked by and collaborating with high street stores, as well as receiving national press accolades and presenting lampshades on live TV. Wi

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May 14, 2021
5 min

Business Expertise and Advice for Makers - How to sell on Folksy

Sharing tools, knowledge and support that help your lampshade making business grow is a key part of the Dannells company ethos and the second post in our new BEAM series (Business Expertise and Advice for Makers) is all about how to sell on Folksy. Finding the right place to sell your lampshades online can be a minefield and in this post we’ll clearly outline what’s involved to start selling on Folksy, breakdown the costs and ask for first-hand advice from a Dannells' custome

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