Kerstin Martin
Circle: Tell us about your business and mission.
Kerstin: As a Squarespace and business educator, I help new and established small business owners build beautiful and effective websites, eCourses, and online businesses with Squarespace. I am also the creator of the Eule Planner which I designed specifically for online entrepreneurs.
My mission is to help create a world where people, especially those who have been impacted by economic downturns and big life changes, find renewed hope and learn how to dream about, build and launch an online business that will give them independence, flexibility and a sustainable income source.
C: How did you start using Squarespace for your business?
K: I am an accidental entrepreneur. Web design has always been my creative outlet and when I started blogging in 2005 one thing you could always count on was me redesigning my website! After a few years in the Wordpress zone I discovered Squarespace in 2008 and never looked back! In 2014 a friend asked me to design a new website for her business and it was a huge success. At the time we had just relocated from the UK to the US and the plan was for me to find a new job. But then another friend reached out and asked me to do her website as well and suddenly I thought: instead of looking for a job why don’t I start my own business as a Squarespace web designer? I was in my early 50s at the time and that was the best a-ha moment I ever had!
C: Why do you work with Squarespace over some other website building platforms?
K: Having used several website and blogging platforms for a few years, I was so excited when I discovered Squarespace in 2008. There are many reasons why I prefer it:
No one does modern and stylish design as well as Squarespace.
The user-friendly and intuitive website builder makes designing easy and fun.
Squarespace’s awesome Customer Support team is available to help you 24/7.
With Squarespace, I never have to worry about harmful plugins that break or slow down my website. If there are technical issues in the backend, I know that Squarespace will take care of it.
My clients and students love Squarespace for all the same reasons: they have full control over their website, it’s easy to maintain themselves and the support is great.
“If you want to become a professional web designer, joining Circle will be one of the best things you can do for your business.”
C: What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a designer or entrepreneur?
K: If you want to become a professional web designer, joining Circle will be one of the best things you can do for your business. It’s a wonderful community where professional designers and developers generously support each other and where you also have a direct line to Squarespace. The knowledge base in Circle is extensive and the ask-me-anything sessions and webinars with members are super informative and helpful. Circle is where ‘community over competition’ truly means something.
C: What’s your favorite Circle perk, and why?
K: Not one favorite, I love them all:
20% Squarespace discount
6-month trial for new sites
The ability to export/import 7.0 style settings
The opportunity to participate in beta testing
Access to Squarespace experts
“Circle is where ‘community over competition’ truly means something.”
C: What were you doing before working/designing with Squarespace?
K: Many things! Originally from Germany (still with the accent!), I moved around a lot in my life and have lived in four countries. As a result, I am a bit of a Jill-Of-All-Trades and have worked, among others, as a flight attendant, airline systems specialist, IT project manager, corporate sales manager, director of a dating website, hotel manager, college secretary and registrar of an international school. I’ve always loved working with people and using technology to streamline and improve processes, those are the red threads that weave themselves consistently throughout my professional career. Looking back at the variety of jobs I’ve had, I also realize that I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart!
C: What do your family and friends think of the business you’ve built?
K: My mom was the first ‘digital girl’ in our family and a successful Amazon bookstore owner for ten years so she totally got it and was very excited for me! My husband has also been very supportive and proud of me from day one. As for the rest of my family and most of my friends, none of them live in this online world the way I do--many don’t even do social media. So it took a while for them to understand that I had a ‘proper’ business working ‘on the internet.’ Everyone is very supportive though and even a little impressed at what I’ve done.
C: What does work-life balance look like for you?
K: The lines between ‘work’ and ‘life’ are blurry for me because I love what I do so it often doesn’t feel like work. I don’t have a super set routine, either, but that’s exactly why I adore working in the online space because it gives me that flexibility. It is not unheard of that I’ll work on a weekend and then take a day or two off during the week. Or decide spontaneously on a Tuesday to drive up to Vancouver, Canada, and go for a bike ride around Stanley Park and then work in a cafe for a few hours. Working with a partner like Squarespace has made this lifestyle possible!
“It is no understatement to say that Squarespace changed my life and helped me follow my true passion! I will always be grateful for that and encourage everyone to never give up and to keep listening to your heart.”
C: What work are you most proud of?
K: While I love my one-on-one clients and am very proud of each of the 80+ websites I’ve built, I feel very passionate about having a broader impact with my online courses and helping lots of people build beautiful websites, eCourses and businesses. The positive feedback I get every week is humbling, and knowing that my courses are changing people’s lives fills me with a lot of joy and pride.
C: How does Squarespace help you stand out in your field?
K: When I first started out as a Squarespace designer I still had to explain to people what Squarespace was! Which I actually loved because it made my services stand out in a field that was dominated by other platforms. Squarespace has grown leaps and bounds since then and established itself as a market leader with an edge when it comes to design, innovation and customer support. Having a partner like that helps a lot as we navigate a very crowded field.
C: Is there anything else you want to share?
K: It is no understatement to say that Squarespace changed my life and helped me follow my true passion! I will always be grateful for that and encourage everyone to never give up and to keep listening to your heart.
Special thanks to Kerstin Martin for sharing her story. To learn more about Kerstin, visit her website.
