How Kerstin Martin Built a Calm, Sustainable Business with Squarespace
Location: Washington
Started using Squarespace: 2008
Title: Online Business Educator
Kerstin Martin is a Squarespace expert, course creator, and the founder of Calm Business®, a platform-independent brand rooted in ease and sustainability. The Platinum Circle Partner and Community Leader built her web design business after relocating to the United States, becoming a go-to name in the Squarespace community and teaching thousands of students along the way.
Today, she uses her years of experience to help solopreneurs create businesses that support their energy and values without sacrificing success. In this interview, Kerstin shares her journey, her decision to leave client work behind, and her advice for anyone navigating the overwhelm of running a creative business.
What originally drew you to web design, and how did you get your start in the industry?
I am a late-bloomer entrepreneur. I started blogging in 2005, and web design quickly became my creative outlet—you could always rely on me to redesign my blog!
After a few years in the WordPress zone, I discovered Squarespace in 2008 and fell in love with its aesthetics and ease of use. Then, in 2014, a friend asked me to design a new website for her business, which was a huge success. We had just relocated from the United Kingdom to the United States, and encouraged by this experience, I decided to start my own business as a Squarespace web designer instead of looking for a job. I was in my early 50s at the time, and that was the best decision I ever made!What made Squarespace your platform of choice for web design, and what keeps you using it?
There are many reasons why after more than 18 years, I still love Squarespace:
The modern and stylish templates
The user-friendly and intuitive website builder
The wonderful Circle community and the friends I've made there
The awesome 24/7 customer support
However, what I appreciate more than anything these days is how Squarespace has evolved into an amazing all-in-one platform for solopreneurs. I use it for:
My website
My courses
My digital and physical products
Email marketing
Analytics
Having everything in one well-designed place makes managing my solo business so much easier and enjoyable!
How has your business evolved over the last few years?
About 18 months into working as a Squarespace designer, I launched my first online course on building a website. I had become known as a Squarespace expert, and people often asked me how to do things in Squarespace, so I thought, “Why not teach it, too?” I was no stranger to teaching, as I had run many technical and customer service workshops during my corporate career. I loved it!
For three years, I continued designing websites for clients, launched an analog planner for entrepreneurs, created more Squarespace courses, and grew my business to six figures. Eventually, it became too much for one person, and because I did not want to expand into an agency, I decided to stop offering 1:1 services and focus full-time on my courses. All in all, I taught Squarespace for eight years, including in-person classes at our local community college. In 2025, I decided to pivot to platform-independent business and marketing courses.
What inspired your transition to Calm Business®?
I love Squarespace, but teaching it through my self-paced courses became increasingly challenging. Squarespace had adopted an iterative design approach, which meant more frequent platform changes that required updates to my video tutorials. As a result, my work became quite reactive, and I did not enjoy that.
At the same time, the Calm Business® movement was taking off. It started in 2021 when I launched the “Calm Business Review,” a free 50-page workbook. This quickly evolved into a philosophy and way of doing business that resonated with many entrepreneurs who were tired of the grind and craving a calmer, more sustainable approach. So, in 2025, I decided to take everything I have learned over the last 10 years about running and growing an online business and offer platform-independent Calm Business® courses for creative solopreneurs.
And just for the record, I still love and use Squarespace! I did look into Kajabi and Podia, which are excellent platforms for course creators. However, Squarespace has a superior website builder, is more intuitive to use, and allows me to create visually beautiful courses. I want my students to have the best experience possible, and that still means Squarespace for me.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is overwhelmed by running a web design business?
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I reach for the data: where and how am I spending my time?
Try this: track every activity in your business and personal life for one week. Then, take a half day, grab your journal, and go somewhere quiet or inspiring, like a park or a coffee shop. Do some soul-searching around these questions:
Do I spend more time in or on my business?
Do I need to hire help, either for client work or admin?
Can I streamline and simplify my tech stack?
Can I charge more and work with fewer clients?
Am I honoring my energetic profile and need for rest?
And remember: you are not alone! Reach out for help in the Circle community, which is full of experienced designers who have likely been where you are today. We are a friendly bunch who love supporting each other.
How do you make the most of Circle membership?
As a Community Leader, I value our monthly meetings with the Squarespace team and fellow designers. I also stay up-to-date by reading the weekly Release Notes, and frequently check the Circle Forum for product updates, feature requests, and community posts.
Key takeaways
The following are key insights from Kerstin’s interview:
Being a “late bloomer” in web design can be a strength; your past experience applies to the work you do today
Teaching can naturally grow from client work, especially as you become known for your expertise
When burnout strikes, look at the data and simplify
There are many ways to build a six-figure web design business, and not every approach looks the same
This article was originally published on September 21, 2021. It has since been updated.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers and web design agencies. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
