No material is in shorter supply than time — and this is especially true for small business owners. You may have started out as a ceramicist selling ceramics, but in time promoted yourself to CEO, CFO, COO, logistics consultant, HR director, TikTok password holder, Facebook marketing expert and head of catering. Running a creative small business isn’t for the faint of heart, especially when the traits that make for a first-rate creative (an intense focus on a single object) are inherently at odds with the traits that make for a first-rate entrepreneur (a peerless ability to put out multiple fires simultaneously, all while still pushing the enterprise forward). Squarespace, an all-in-one website building platform, can give you back the time you need to check that and a dozen other items off of your to-do list.
Estudio Persona \\\ Photo: Pia Riverola
Generally a top-flight website requires one of two things: a ton of time or a ton of cash. Maybe you have the room in your schedule to register your domain, sift through thousands of templates, install dozens of plugins and tweak (and tweak and tweak and tweak) your new website until it’s perfect. On the other hand, maybe you have the budget to hire a top developer, one who understands both the technical aspects of creating a highly optimized website as well as the aesthetic qualities that a creative professional requires.
Squarespace lets you accomplish all of this with a minimum of effort, thanks to its all-inclusive platform. The curated selection of templates provide plenty of style without the bloat — which means your website will be nice and fast, music to the ears of the algorithmic gods at Google. With the purchase of an annual plan, you’ll get your own custom domain name without extra fees for obvious must-haves like privacy registration, SSL security certificates and renewals. And if you already have a domain, you’ll be able to easily transfer it from your current provider.
Moral Turgeman \\\ Photo: Michael Krieger
Squarespace templates are fully customizable, meaning that it’s easy to let a template do most of the work for you, while still retaining all the flexibility necessary to create a site that fully represents your brand and its visual identity. Need a wide array of stylish fonts? Squarespace has them. It’s equally easy to customize the look and feel of your site with set-it-and-forget-it colors and hundreds of stock photos. Use drag-and-drop functionality to easily swap images in and out and figure out quickly what works best.
Hannah Jewett
Setting up an online store can be the most time-consuming — or expensive — aspect of going online. Not with Squarespace. They make all parts of selling online — whether products, services, or appointments — exceptionally easy. Many templates offer a fully customizable online store, with all of the hard work already done, just add your products and you’re good to go. The Scheduling service makes it easier than ever to offer appointments online, with real-time calendar functionality that will save you hours every month in back-and-forth emails with new and existing clients.
Leah Ring \\\ Photo: James Elliot Bailey
Best of all, you’re never alone in your Squarespace journey. For many creatives, Squarespace’s single most valuable quality is the 24-7 availability of its customer advisors. The first step is a collection of award-winning webinars or tutorials. “I love the tutorial videos!” says jewelry designer Hannah Jewett. “Most of my jewelry and 3D modeling skillset is self-taught through YouTube, so I’m a big fan of Squarespace’s knowledge library.” If that doesn’t work, its team of specialists can guide you through any issues encountered along the way. “I’ve used their customer service more than a few times via chat and email, and they’ve been so responsive and clear in walking me through how to resolve my question,” says product and interiors designer Leah Ring. “I find it really comforting to know that if I get stuck trying to edit or design something on my website, I can get it resolved quickly so that I’m able to showcase the work the way I want to.”
A smart, stylish website is a small business’s window to an audience of infinite buyers, fans, and supporters. Squarespace can make creating one the easiest, most economical step in building a business that can change the world — or at least your corner of it.
Chelsea Bravo \\\ Photo: Noah LeRoy
Ready to share your vision or brand with the world? Take the first step today with your very own website with Squarespace. Start your free two week trial (no credit card required!) and use coupon code DESIGNMILK when you’re ready to get 10% off.
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