Elwyn Davies joins Christy Price for a quick interview in her Creator Spotlight series

If you’ve ever spent your Friday evening salvaging a client’s tricky header image, only to be serenaded by my questionable rendition of Oasis at the local karaoke, you know running a web design business isn’t all slick templates and Instagram wins. This month, I sat down with the remarkable Christy Price, Austin’s own web whisperer and brain behind countless Squarespace resources, for a proper chat. We covered everything from launching a web design business in the wilds of Texas to squeezing real passive income out of Squarespace (and, yes, even dodgy karaoke song choices).

So, pull up a chair. Whether you’re knee-deep in plugin code or still wondering why your ‘About’ section refuses to centre-align, this deep dive into Christy’s approach will help you discover how to make your own web projects work with more intelligence and less strain.

Why This Matters

Modern web design isn’t just nice banners and mobile views. If you’re balancing client demands, day-to-day admin, and keeping up with yet another Squarespace version, you’ll know that time and money have a habit of leaking out of the cracks. Christy, with her 15 years of web experience, believes most solo web designers and small agencies leave mountains of value on the table simply by not seeing the wider potential of platforms like Squarespace.

Let’s be honest, most of us gravitate to tools that get us through another payment cycle. But as Christy told me, “Every client conversation is an opportunity. If you turn up open-eyed and ready to soak up the details, you’ll spot the gaps where templates or plugins could earn for years, not just this month.” The problem? Very few folks know how to listen for those clues or transform them into tangible resources, meaning you slog away at the same billable work instead of building something that pays out while you sleep.

If you’re frustrated by limited project budgets or wish your business didn’t grind to a halt every time you take a holiday, Christy’s approach could be the shift you need.

Common Pitfalls

Here’s the scene: You’ve discovered Squarespace, admired its clean layouts, clicked together a handful of client sites, and decided this is the key to your creative and financial freedom.

The problem is, a lot of designers and developers get ‘stuck on the surface’. They see Squarespace as a box of blocks: drag, drop, launch, invoice, repeat. But the real value comes from looking below the surface. Why is that client desperate for a more flexible blog layout? Why does every third project call for fancier booking widgets or e-commerce tweaks not currently in the box? These patterns are gold dust.

Yet, the typical cycle? Build site, hand over logins, on to the next. You might grumble that “Squarespace won’t let me do X”, but the job’s done and the thread is lost. Meanwhile, the chance to create a specialty plugin, time-saving template, or branded add-on floats away, and so does the passive income.

If you’ve ever found yourself jumping into the next build without pausing to figure out what actually slows you (and your clients) down, you’re missing the magic turning point where web designing becomes business-building.

Step-by-Step Fix

Ready to shift your web design career from feast-and-famine to something more sustainable? Copying Christy’s approach, here’s exactly how you can make Squarespace work harder for you, not the other way around.

Step 1: Treat Every Client Project as a Field Study

Instead of rushing through the discovery call to get to the fun design bits, treat each conversation like a mini field trip into somebody else’s business world. Christy puts it best: “I’ve worked with nearly 3,000 clients. There’s always more to learn about how people actually use the web.”

Don’t just note the list of ‘must haves’. Ask what frustrations they’ve had with previous sites. Did their last menu throw customers off? What crucial function did their old site lack? Where are they wasting the most time? You’re not just collecting requirements; you’re gathering future product ideas.

Step 2: Play Detective with Squarespace Shortcomings

Every platform has pain points. Your secret weapon is to spot them early and think like a problem-solver, not just a site-builder. “Is there a feature you keep wishing existed on Squarespace?” Christy asks. “Odds are, others need it too.”

Maybe you notice the new 7.1 version suddenly makes blog categorisation a puzzle for non-techie shop owners. Or perhaps ecommerce clients keep asking for a checkout process that matches their branding. Keep a running list, and skip the urge to just apologise for the platform’s limits.

Step 3: Small-Scale Experiments First

You don’t have to build the next mega-template overnight. Christy started by customising snippets for her own clients, then bundled the best ideas for sale when she saw repeat interest. “Test your ideas in the wild. See if they survive real-world use by actual, grumpy website owners,” she jokes.

Start by tweaking an open-source Squarespace template, building a lightweight plugin, or documenting the process into a tidy little PDF or video. Offer it to an existing client in exchange for feedback (or even, if you’re feeling generous, a coffee).

Step 4: Systematise and Launch

When you know your tweak works and you’ve seen genuine client gratitude (or even a fistful of testimonials), it’s time to set up a routine and share your work. Christy bundles her solutions into courses, template packs, and sometimes detailed walkthroughs on her website.

Map out the process step by step: documentation, screenshots, demo videos, and clear marketing copy. Give it a catchy, no-nonsense name ("Booking Block Booster" sounds better than "Booking Block Extended v1.0"). Set up a landing page on your own site or sell via the Pixelhaze Academy, like Christy.

Step 5: Teach, Don’t Hoard

Your knowledge is more valuable when shared. Christy, now an in-demand educator, teaches others how to spot, solve, and sell their own Squarespace solutions. Her “Make Money with your Blog” course helps many multiply their impact and income.

Don’t keep your insights locked away in your Evernote. Blog about your template, record a quick tutorial, or even pitch a webinar to the Pixelhaze community. The more people you help, the larger your audience, and the greater your earning potential.

What Most People Miss

Here’s the clincher: it isn’t about being the cleverest coder or the most dazzling designer. The crucial edge, according to Christy, is curiosity. She never assumes she’s finished learning, and she always listens harder than she speaks in client calls. “If you soak up what people are really asking for, and notice the small annoyances they gloss over, you’ll spot micro-opportunities everywhere,” she says.

Most folks think they need to invent the next world-beating app. The truth? Nearly all her successful templates, add-ons, and courses sprang from basic client gripes, the sort almost everyone else shrugs off.

Takeaway: become deeply interested in your clients’ day-to-day headaches and learn to ask ‘why?’ a little more often. Curiosity doesn’t fill your nights with admin or your portfolio with pointless bells and whistles; it fills your bank account through repeatable, real-world solutions.

The Bigger Picture

When you step off the treadmill of one-off builds, your business starts to breathe. Instead of firefighting client issues or dreading the next feature request, you become known as the expert who just gets it—the sort of designer who listens, adapts, and creates nifty workarounds that everyone else wishes they’d thought of.

Within a year, this switch can transform your income from frantic feast and famine to steady, compound growth. You’ll have products ticking away in the background, building an audience, boosting your credibility, and even opening doors to speaking, coaching, or course creation (if you fancy unleashing your inner Christy).

Best of all, you get your time back. The more your templates, plugins, and resources answer real needs, the less you have to hustle for each new client.

Or, as Christy herself puts it: “The first night I saw a Stripe notification pop up while I was at dinner, it changed my mindset forever. I realised I could help people and build income, even when I wasn’t at my desk. That’s the freedom I want for all my students.”

Wrap-Up

If there’s one lesson from Christy Price’s story, it’s that web design is only the start. Listening well, solving common headaches, and teaching others how to do the same isn’t just good business, it can lead to real, lasting impact (and, if you’re lucky, a few stress-free weekends).

Need more step-by-step advice, practical courses, or proof that karaoke nights are a valid networking strategy? Join our community of sharp, supportive, and occasionally offbeat web professionals.

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