My lightbulb moment - Harnessing website builders for small businesses
Twenty years into my journey as a web designer, I can't help but reflect on the growth and evolution that have marked this incredible ride.
It took twelve years of relentless pursuit to find that final missing puzzle piece for delivering an effective, agency-style solution for small businesses. It was not an overnight 'Eureka' moment but rather a slow unveiling that came with experience and resilience.
Then in 2014, on a traditional 'fly and flop' holiday in Cyprus, I stumbled upon Squarespace, a website-building platform. Even with a cursory exploration over a couple of hours, I realized Squarespace was more than just another platform. It could fill a significant gap, offering a cost-effective and straightforward way for solopreneurs and small business owners to establish a strong online presence. Moreover, it seemed like an ideal tool for freelancers and small web design agencies to streamline their operations. Little did I know then that this discovery would become a pivotal point in my career. In this article, I will share the journey that led me to this realization and how it has transformed my approach to web design.
I've spent countless hours refining the process eight years since that pivotal revelation. Today, I want to share the cornerstone of my methodology and how we're continually striving to reduce the cost and delivery times in our ever-expanding studio. It's a peek into service-based industries where your time is money.
To turn a profit in a service-based industry, you have two or three main options: increasing your hourly rate, cleverly bundling your services into irresistible offers, or expanding the size of your team. But let's start by exploring how you can optimize your earnings from your website deliveries.
Find the Fastest, Budget-friendly Vehicle
Imagine being a newbie car owner. While a Ferrari might be the dream car, it's likely out of reach at the beginning. Similarly, in web design, having your own development team cranking out websites regularly may be the equivalent of owning a Ferrari. But maintaining this 'Ferrari' requires fuel in the form of consistent marketing and sales to keep leads flowing. Therefore, we need a more realistic, budget-friendly 'vehicle'.
For me, that vehicle was Squarespace, although any quality website builder would suffice. There are two main reasons why website builders can increase your earnings when working with small businesses:
Clients Don't Care About the Platform: It may sound controversial, but having walked this path a thousand times, I've learned that clients usually don't care about the platform you use to build their websites. They genuinely care about how quickly and efficiently you can deliver the result. You're their problem solver, either helping them provide more information to their audience, enabling them to reach a wider audience, or helping them sell more.
Website Builders Are Fast and Efficient: They allow you to create quality websites rapidly. A traditional agency with a team of 15-20 staff can deliver a brochure website anywhere between £3,000 to £15,000. However, by using website builders combined with pre-existing templates, we can create quality websites starting from £600, a price point accessible to small businesses and SMEs.
“During a traditional ‘fly and flop’ holiday in Cyprus back in 2014, I chanced upon Squarespace, a website building platform. After just a couple of hours of exploration, I saw its enormous potential. It wasn’t just another platform - it was a cost-effective, simple solution that could empower solopreneurs and small business owners to establish a robust online presence. It also appeared to be an excellent tool for freelancers and small web design agencies seeking to streamline their processes. At the time, I had no idea this discovery would mark a significant turning point in my career. In this article, I’ll take you through my journey - from that initial realization to how it has entirely transformed my approach to web design.”
The key to maximizing profitability is the modular approach. We offer additional packs like training workshops, content transfer, creation packs, and even branding workshops as extra bolt-ons. This way, our projects are scalable, and each service is profitable.
We've also created a series of real-world templates that cater to small businesses with limited marketing budgets. Combined with a flexible web platform like Squarespace, we can complete website projects in as little as four hours.
In conclusion, finding your 'aha' moment in this industry isn't about reinventing the wheel. It's about leveraging and tailoring the available tools to your clients' needs. It's about realizing that you don't need a Ferrari to win the race; sometimes, a reliable, fast vehicle that suits your budget can take you to the finish line just as effectively.
Take Your Moonshot - Build a web design agency with Squarespace
Are you looking to take your web design skills to the next level? Join our intensive six-week Moonshot Course, where we cover everything from selling Squarespace as a platform to delivering websites on time and within budget. It's a comprehensive course built on 20 years of web design experience to turn you into a seasoned pro in delivering Squarespace websites.
