Kerstin Martin on being a Squarespace Educator and transitioning to Calm Business Educator
Monthly Expansion Designer Series Interview
Q. Let’s start at the beginning - how did you start as a Squarespace Web Designer? Why did you choose Squarespace?
I am an accidental entrepreneur. What started as a weight loss blog in 2005 quickly evolved into a creative passion for web design; I was forever tinkering with my website and loved it! I discovered Squarespace in 2008 and immediately fell in love with its beautiful and intuitive design.
So when a friend, many years later, asked me to build a new Squarespace website for her business I jumped right in. My husband and I had just relocated from England to the US and the plan was for me to find a new job. But then we launched my friend’s website and it was a huge success, so I decided to become a Squarespace web designer instead! I was in my early 50s at the time and that was the best professional decision I ever made.
Q. What did that first year as a Web Designer teach you? What were the struggles, challenges, and wins you experienced in the first year?
I learned a lot!
Having a dedicated office space can make the transition easier. For the first year I used my savings to rent a little off site office in the historic district of our town. That was such a good decision! Not only did it make the transition from my corporate job to being self-employed easier - I still felt ‘professional’ because I had an office to go to - it also put me in the middle of an established community of shops, restaurants, hotels and other small businesses. Many became my web design clients and after one year I had established myself as the local go-to Squarespace designer.
It is ok to say no to a potential client. I had a situation where a potential client’s energy and way of doing things was not well aligned with my own values and business processes. When I rejected the opportunity I missed out on a lucrative retainer but it would have come at the cost of my integrity and, likely, sanity. Looking back, that was absolutely the right decision as it freed me up for the right kind of clients. If it doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t!
Your business benefits from all you’ve learned before. In my case, the skills I developed during my corporate career helped me do a lot of things myself, like setting up my LLC and managing my finances and administrative processes. I also drew a lot on my experience in sales, customer service and corporate management, which helped me understand my clients better and translate their needs into a professional website. Never underestimate the value of the experience you already have, even if it comes from a completely different industry.
You don't need to know everything to get started. All of my skills are self-taught, including web design and coding. When I started my business I had been dabbling with Wordpress and Squarespace for years but there was a lot I didn't know. I am so grateful that I didn't let that deter me from the path I had embarked upon. I kept learning and put all I had into every website I built. With each client my design abilities improved, and I also gained valuable business and life skills along the way.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. From Facebook groups to the Squarespace Circle there are many places where you can ask questions and get help and feedback. We all learn from each other and becoming part of the Squarespace community was one of the best things I did for my business.
Q. How did you attract your clients over the years as a web designer?
There are many ways in which we can attract clients, my top five are:
Word of mouth from designing high quality websites and giving my clients a top notch experience.
Building good relationships with my clients, peers and within the Squarespace community.
Excellent SEO from blogging, high quality inbound links and good SEO habits.
Becoming known as the expert, in my case for Squarespace and SEO.
Publishing my available slots on my website. I designed max 2 websites per month and when I started adding my availability to my sales page, clients didn’t want to miss out and that’s how I began building a waitlist!
Q. What were your non-negotiables as a web designer to set boundaries and stay in your worth?
Between publishing my design packages on my website and having a well established workflow I was always able to communicate my prices, operations and boundaries clearly. I made sure clients understood the value of deadlines as well as their own role in the design process, for instance the importance of submitting content on time.
One year I had a couple of very demanding clients and I remember feeling quite overwhelmed by them. A friend suggested that I write down a ‘boundaries manifesto’ so that I had a better understanding of what I needed. This allowed me to better communicate my boundaries to my clients and it helped a lot!
Q. Your real, raw, and transparent blog post “Is the Hustle Worth It?” It's very relatable and I have felt exactly what you did when you read the Facebook post (This post is about being triggered by a marketing tactic). As this tactic is used (more often than I would like to see), what would you tell an impressionable web designer who is feeling somewhat behind by seeing posts like this?
My very best advice is to put on what I call ‘business blinders’, ignore the noise, and keep focusing on your own path. In practicality this can mean unsubscribing from hustler newsletters, unfollowing those who make us feel bad about ourselves on social media, and simply taking a deep breath, acknowledging the feeling, and refocusing on your own business.
Q. You have on average 20k monthly website views, how did you achieve this as a Web Designer and what made you focus on blogging/SEO?
To be honest, I never consciously worked on my SEO when I first started out. I have always been a blogger so that part transitioned quite naturally to my business. Other than that I just focused on my clients and doing a good job. After about a year I noticed that more and more clients said they found me on Google. (Side tip: add a mandatory question to your contact form that asks “how did you hear about me?” –> excellent source of marketing information). That’s when I took a closer look at my SEO and realized that I was on page one on Google!
Blogging was definitely a big contributor and I always recommend it for boosting your SEO. But I will also say this: you don’t need to blog to become a successful web designer. If blogging is not your thing then don’t worry about it. As a web designer you typically need 15-25 clients a year and there are many other ways to find them, for instance through relationship building, networking events, and establishing a good reputation.
Q. You have now transitioned from a Squarespace Web Designer to a Squarespace & Calm Business Educator. What sparked this transition?
About 18 months into my web design business I took the Inside Story course by Susannah Conway and it inspired me to launch my own online course! At the time I didn’t even have a mailing list to promote it to, but I have always loved teaching and ran many workshops during my corporate career, so I was definitely curious to try this out. My first course taught web design and my first students all came from Susannah’s class. I realized that I had a real knack for teaching online and over the next three years I added more courses, started my newsletter, became a Squarespace Authorized Trainer and built a reputation as an expert in all things Squarespace and online business. All while still doing 1:1 web design.
After three years of doing both client projects and courses I reached the limit of what I could do as one person. I knew that I either had to expand and hire help, or let something go. I am a one-person business by design, I never wanted to run an agency or manage staff - so I decided to let go of 1:1 client work and focus fully on my courses going forward.
Q. How did it feel transitioning from Web Designer to Educator?
It felt exciting but also risky because my courses, at that point, did not make as much money as my web design projects. So I gave myself 12 months to try it out and if it all failed I would go back to web design. That was in 2019 and, needless to say, it all worked out beautifully and I have had consistent six-figure years ever since.
Q. What is a Calm Business and what does it look like?
As an empath and neurodivergent HSP I am not a fan of the toxic and manipulative hustle culture, I prefer a more positive and heart-centered way of doing things. For me this has always meant running a calm business that is well organized, lean in structure, and focused on organic growth and gentle marketing.
The actual Calm Business movement began in 2021 when I started sharing my own end-of-year process in the free Calm Business Review. It quickly evolved into a way of doing business that resonates with many entrepreneurs who are not only tired of hustle culture, but also looking for better ways to manage and grow their businesses. At its core the Calm Business movement is a kind and effective approach to building profitable online businesses with integrity and heart.
Q. What advice would you share with a web designer feeling overwhelmed in their business and being introduced to the term “Calm Business” today?
Firstly, I would give you a big hug! Running an online business is not for the faint of heart. Many of us entrepreneurs start out because of a creative passion and a desire to have more freedom and flexibility in our lives, not because we enjoy sales funnels, number crunching or making executive decisions. Things can feel overwhelming fast because managing an actual business requires so much more than just providing a service. Add to this the noise of hustle culture with its promises of secrets and quick results, and it is no surprise that so many entrepreneurs get discouraged and even burned out.
The good news is that with the right knowledge, skills and tools you can confidently, and calmly, manage all aspects of your web design business and help it (and you!) thrive.
Start with a review of your business: where can you streamline your tech, where do you need to learn more skills, what can you outsource, who can you ask for advice, what stresses you the most and what do you need to gain back a sense of control? My free Calm Business Review will help you with this.
A Calm Business is also about relationships, so have a look around your industry: are there people who you could, for instance, form a mastermind with? Are there groups you could join where you can ask questions when you feel stuck, or need some feedback?
Sometimes we need to go through the chaos to get to the calm. With experience and growing expertise, and a commitment to excellence, things will get better and easier.
Such an inspiring interview Kerstin! I love the tip on knowing your craft and becoming an expert in that field/platform/topic so that you can be known as the go-to designer!