3 Lessons from Squarespace Circle Day 2023
Have you ever had that moment where you're just working along and suddenly, someone shares a tip or insight that completely changes the game? That's how I felt at this year’s Squarespace Circle Day for web designers. This event was a goldmine of knowledge across a powerful community, and I'm excited to share my top three takeaways from the day.
Learn from the Experts
Someone else knows something that will make your work life easier. So watch the talks and catch the recordings for anything you missed live. (Stay tuned for the upcoming links to these talks! For now, you can watch the recordings here.) For example, Kristine Neil shared a hack that she uses to make e-commerce projects easier - there were literally echoes of WOW throughout the audience.
Curious about creating Squarespace templates to sell? Check out Template Sellers Tell All with some great advice about how to create, sell, and support templates. Want to know more about how other people handle the client process? Check out Alyssa Phillips’ Client Wrangling workshop or my Client Offboarding workshop (grab my free checklist here). Intrigued about working with a particular group of clients? Connie Holen talked about Niche Down, Level Up.
I could go on and on, but these are amazing resources that are totally free and I guarantee you will have at least one AHA moment. I know I did.
The Power of Pivoting
I think we’ve all had moments in our businesses where we realized that something we’ve been doing just isn't working. And it can be really hard to let something go when we've invested a ton of time and energy. But sometimes you just have to recognize when it's better to accept the sunk cost and move forward in a different direction.
Anthony Casalena, the founder of Squarespace, shared about how Squarespace 7.1 came about. I’d always wondered why the newest version of Squarespace was called 7.1 instead of 8. Turns out, when we thought the platform was “quiet” they were actually working on Squarespace 8 behind the scenes. And it just didn’t work out, so they pivoted and created 7.1 instead. And now they are a publicly traded company, so it was clearly the right move. That’s a testament to adaptability, even on a large scale.
The Magic of Showing Up
And lastly, just show up. I get it, it can be a hassle. And scary! Maybe you don’t really know anyone yet, maybe you feel self-conscious about something (hello, Invisalign for me this year), or maybe you don’t know what to wear (also me). And it can be expensive with plane tickets, hotels, and meals out.
Maybe one or more of those is a dealbreaker for you. But I’d challenge you to look closely and see if there’s a way you can make it happen. Because it’s magic! There’s something amazing about meeting your peers in person. People who GET IT - people with the same challenges and triumphs as you.
And you may make friends for life. I met Will Myers last year and now we have a podcast! The beautiful thing about Squarespace Circle is that it is mostly made up of people who view you as their community instead of their competition, which leads to an amazing sharing of ideas. (Plus there’s good swag.)
Hot tip: There are also usually some off-book get-togethers, so if you follow other designers on Instagram (here’s mine) or subscribe to their newsletters (mine), you can get an invite to those and widen your “circle” even more.
Will you be there for Circle Day 2024?
Squarespace Circle Day isn't just an event; it's an investment in your growth as a web designer. The insights from experts, the lessons from Squarespace's journey, and the power of building in-person connections make it an experience that's truly worth it. I plan to be there and I hope you do too!
