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Alternatively telephone us on +44 (0)191 372 2600
Atelier Maison have been recently featured on-line and in the press:
Jun 10 2010 by Iain Laing, The Journal
A DURHAM couple are selling home furnishings around the world after growing their business online.
Elizabeth and George Clouston set up Atelier Maison last year to sell bespoke linens and other furnishing and won a niche market selling fair trade high quality goods.
And now they are building an international client base after launching an e-tail website and using networking sites such as Linkedin and Twitter with help from enterprise support group Business Link. Elizabeth has also joined a number of online interest groups and forums that have helped her to speak directly to potential customers, and at no cost.
She said: "Like most new businesses, we did not have an infinite pot of money to invest in marketing, but we knew that it would play a crucial role in getting our company off the ground.
"After meeting with our Business Link adviser, who has helped at every stage of the business' growth, we started to explore search engine optimisation (SEO) and began looking for ways to improve our search rankings, and give our business the best chance of being noticed by potential customers.
"In doing so, we started to test out social networking platforms, like Twitter, Linkedin and the results have been excellent."
The couple's Business Link adviser Sandra Hobson-Tate said: "Elizabeth has shown that with time and determination, it is possible to complete your own effective online marketing, and not have to pay vast sums of money for search engine optimisation.
"Her sheer hard work is already beginning to pay dividends, and I wish the business continued success as it develops and grows.
"I look forward to working with Elizabeth and George in the future, and helping them to explore further ways of exploiting opportunities and unlocking the vast potential that exists in Atelier Maison."
http://www.nea2f.co.uk/case-studies/durham-couple-launch-their-business-online
Innovation comes in all shapes and sizes, whether it's making small change sthat can giveyou that competitive edge or developing new products or technologies that could really unlock the potential of your business.Taking a step back and looking at what improvements can be made across all areasofyour business could make a real difference to your bottom line.
Durham business-woman Elizabeth Clouston launched a successful online based linen and home furnishings company last year and now has customers from right around the world, after adopting an innovative-marketing strategy that has really made her business stand out from the crowd.
She said: "Like most new businesses,we did not have an infinite pot of money to invest in marketing, but we knew that it would play a crucial role in getting our company off to the best possible start.
"After meeting with our Business Link adviser,who has helped at every stage of the business' growth, we started to explore search engine optimisation and began looking forways to improve our search rankings, and give our business the best chanceof being noticed by potential customers. In doing so, we started to test out social networkingplatforms, like Twitter, Linkedin and online forums and discussion boards to help improve our SEO."
Elizabeth uses social networking sites and online discussion boards to reach customers in a highly targeted, cost and time-effective way. And she now has customers from as far afield as Australia and Germany.
She continued: "Thinking outside of the box about your marketing is very important. The internet is a really powerful tool, and can help you get your products or services in front of customers you could never normally reach through traditional marketing or word of mouth. And better still, it is free. By investing only time and effort, you can engage directly with potential customersa nd market your business in a credible way that delivers tangible results."
Businesses that want to explore how to become more innovative and improve their performance can access support by calling BusinessLink on 0845 6009006 or by visiting www.real-innovators.com
We are able to offer you high resolution pictures, products and samples for photo shoots etc. When contacting us, please indicate which products you are interested in.
Atelier Maison has recently been featured in:
Ideal Home Country Homes & Interiors
Living Etc
Living North
25 Beautiful Kitchens
House to Home
We are also authors of various articles, copies of which can be seen below:
Business ethics and ethical trading.
Global ethical trading and fairtrade responsibilites
Why is global ethical trading even more important today? Yes it is true that as Society becomes more mechanized, a Global heritage maybe becoming lost to future generations. Globally manyartisans are struggling simply to survive. With increasing pressure on Western business to become better trading partners, in terms of ethical trading and fairtrade responsibilites there has never been a more important time to herald change.Many craftspeople around the World live in very remote communities, and have often diversified from farming. They are utilizing traditional skills which have been handed down from generation to generation. These skills include hand embroidery, needlework, metalwork, woodwork, carving and weaving.
Sadly many artisans around the World have suffered severe hardships. We often hear about the strife in Africa, but did you realize for example many manyartisans living in Cambodia and Vietnam died during the terrible times of the Khmer Rouge. The traditional handicrafts of these countries all but died out. Such traditional skills as hand embroidering, weaving, carving etc, were hand down from generation to generation.
Happily now, people are beginning to rebuild their lives, to return to normality and begin trading again. All of this of course takes time, and is not easy.Artisans living in often rural communities have diversified from farming as they return to ancient handicrafts to supplement incomes for families.
Worldwide there are many fabulous traditional crafts to discover, and Atelier Maison has successfully brought some of these skills to Britain, whilst trading fairly and responsibily with foreign partners. Such crafts as - handmade cashmere blankets from Nepal; hand woven bedspreads from India, with the most exotic of hand embroidery; sublime embroidery from Vietnam - a Country famous for this type of work; beautiful hand carving from Indonesia; wonderful tribal craft from Africa - well the list is practically endless!
It is so important that the West continues to support and encourage the uptake of these ancient crafts - otherwise they may be lost. But even more importantly we must begin to trade more ethically, and ensure that no artisan is exploited in any way. This means working towards exemplar business trading, not just offering a fair wage for work they produce, but making sure that working conditions are acceptable, that people are protected and respected.
Business leaders need to be committed to being more socially aware and responsible, and more environmentally aware, and to act with integrity in all business dealings with such craftspeople. It's not easy as we've found out - it takes committment, an ongoing committment to take measures that ensure partners are not exploited.
We live in an ever changing World, and we all have a duty of care to nurture those economies who need us most. With Western economies struggling recently, we need to ensure we don't divert our attention away from exemplar business practices and ethos.
It's so easy to forget 'the little man' - but we do so at our peril!
Did you know we were granted Expert Author status? It is true that as Society becomes more mechanized, a Global heritage maybe becoming lost to future generations. Globally many artisans are struggling simply to survive. Many craftspeople around the World live in very remote communities, and have often diversified from farming. They are utilizing traditional skills which have been handed down from generation to generation. These skills include needlework, metalwork, woodwork, and weaving. Sadly many artisans around the World have suffered severe hardships. We often hear about the strife in Africa, but did you realize for example many many artisans living in Cambodia and Vietnam died during the terrible times of the Khmer Rouge. The traditional handicrafts of these countries all but died out. Happily now, people are beginning to rebuild their lives, to return to normality and begin trading again. All of this of course takes time, and is not easy. Worldwide there are many fabulous traditional crafts to discover - handmade cashmere blankets from Nepal; hand woven bedspreads from India, with the most exotic of hand embroidery; sublime embroidery from Vietnam - a Country famous for this type of work; beautiful hand carving from Indonesia; wonderful tribal craft from Africa - well the list is practically endless! It is so important that the West continues to support and encourage the uptake of these ancient crafts - otherwise they may be lost. But even more importantly we must begin to trade more ethically, and ensure that no artisan is exploited in any way. This means working towards exemplar business trading, not just offering a fair wage for work they produce, but making sure that working conditions are acceptable, that people are protected and respected. Business leaders need to be committed to being more socially aware and responsible, and more environmentally aware, and to act with integrity in all business dealings with such craftspeople. We live in an ever changing World, and we all have a duty of care to nurture those economies who need us most.
