2024 Year End Review - Built to Sell?
Photo by https://www.audreythizy.com
Standing in my home office last December, staring at the Boopos business valuation on my screen, I felt the weight of a decade's work distilled into a single number. This wasn't just another end-of-year reflection – it was the moment I seriously considered letting go of what I'd spent ten years building. The business had given me everything I'd dreamed of: the freedom to homeschool my children, the space to explore creative passions, and the platform to impact thousands of Squarespace entrepreneurs. But sometimes the hardest part of growth is knowing when to let someone else take the lead.
As I trace the path that led me here, through four distinct eras of entrepreneurship, each chapter reveals its own lesson about freedom, creativity, and impact.
2014–2024: A Decade in Review
My Squarespace journey started with getting listed in the Squarespace directory (now the Marketplace)You know that moment when everything shifts? Suddenly, I went from hustling for clients through my network to getting daily leads through Squarespace. It felt like validation, but it also exposed how much I still had to learn. Clients wanted customizations I couldn't deliver and optimizations I hadn't mastered. The gap between what was possible and what I could prove was painful – but it sparked something crucial.
That pain point led me into my second era. Instead of remaining dependent on client work, I decided to build something I could grow and optimize over time. I turned my struggle with Squarespace template customization into expertise, and that's how this site was born. But after years of coding and customization work, burnout hit hard. Coding wasn’t the skill I wanted to develop. I needed a marketable product.
The third era started with a $500 project that I collaborated with another developer on. Long story short, we turned that one project into over a 1M in licensed revenue (Imagine doing that with a random guy you met on upwork.).
The fourth era started September 2018. Digital product revenue looked like it could eclipse client work if I became my only client. So I did. Since then I’ve been running endless experiments and side projects to stress test what it takes find an audience and start over, again and again.
Built to Sell?
By December 2023, I felt the fourth era winding down. The business had accomplished everything I dreamed of—it gave me the freedom to homeschool my children, explore creative passions, and build something meaningful. But growth to the next level felt out of reach without significant changes. I started to wonder: Was it time to let someone else take the lead?
I listed the business with Boopos, preparing a prospectus and undergoing due diligence. If the right buyer came along, I’d know I’d built something valuable. If not, the process itself would ensure SQSPThemes was a sellable, self-sustaining asset.
The first step? Taking myself out of the business.
Boopos Valuation Jan 2024
Stepping Back: Letting Go of the Support Inbox
After tracking my time, I realized I was only spending about 15–20 minutes a week on customer support. On paper, it seemed insignificant but in reality, it was a constant load.
If you’ve ever handled tech support, especially as part of a two-person team, you know the minefield it can be. Every support ticket has the potential to go from “easy fix” to “rabbit hole” in seconds. Even when it’s not bad, there’s a constant low-level stress of What’s waiting for me in the inbox today? By hiring someone to take over support completely, I gave myself permission to step away without the guilt.
At the same time, I began putting together a complete operations manual with daily, weekly, and monthly SOPs. The goal was simple: make it easy for anyone to step in, pick up the reins, and keep things running smoothly. There’s still a bit of work to do here but I’m excited about building an amazing support experience in 2025.
The Numbers
Site Traffic
Not much to say here really other than we held the line with 1% yr/yr growth with ~50% of traffic coming from Search.
What will the impact of AI be? More on this later.
Revenue Breakdown
You can see a visual of our top revenue sources here. Templates only account for a small piece of the pie.
34 Podcast Episodes (Listen in Here)
Very raw and unpolished all year. Lot’s of heartfilled episodes.
The most popular was: Building Accessible Squarespace Sites with Andrea Shirey
I’m looking for sponsors for the next season so I can spend more time producing, marketing and distributing the show.
89 Emails Sent
There wasn’t much method to this madness. I recently hosted a webinar with Kit on creating an email flywheel - I’ll be building mine with more intention in 2025.
Average open rate - 61%
Average click rate - 6.5%
If these numbers seem high it’s because I do a lot of segmenting.
Now for the fun stuff.
AI Squarespace Template Matchmaker
In May, I set out to create an AI powered search tool to find the perfect Squarespace template. With over 300 templates in circulation and countless niches the current Google search experience wasn’t enough and your favorite AI tool doesn’t have a thorough understanding of the template market.
So, I built the AI-powered Squarespace Template Matchmaker.
he Matchmaker goes beyond categories to create an intuitive search experience where users can describe exactly what they need—and find it
Using AI, this tool delivers tailored recommendations based on highly specific user prompts. Want a template with full video backgrounds for a modern therapist? Done. Searching for something minimalist but bold enough for an online merch store? No problem.
Building a Passive Income Community
In June, I launched the SQSP Affiliate Mastermind—a Facebook group designed for Squarespace affiliates to share strategies, tips, and success stories for generating passive income on the platform. I discovered that many people in our community were already participating in affiliate programs but felt isolated or unsure how to maximize their earnings. So, I created a space where we could connect and collaborate.
Inside the Digital Alchemy Lab
In July, I officially launched my coaching program, stepping fully into a role I’d been preparing for over the past decade. It wasn’t just about sharing strategies; it was about helping others uncover their hidden value and guiding them to create the freedom they’ve been striving for.
Through the program, I have the privilege of working with talented freelancers and creatives at different stages of their journeys. The results this year went beyond numbers. Clients described the experience as “flipping the switch from overwhelmed to optimist” and “unlocking clarity faster than I ever thought possible.” It showed me that the systems and mindset shifts I’ve built over the years weren’t just for me—they were replicable, scalable, and transformative for others too.
If you’re ready to work with me 1:1 to turn your freelance business into a scalable digital product business, book a call here.
Bulk Upload Blog Posts
By the end of summer, I solved a pain point I’d been grappling with for years: the tedious process of uploading blog posts to Squarespace one by one. It’s the kind of repetitive task that drains time and energy - so I built a solution.
The Bulk Upload Tool lets users upload blog posts to Squarespace directly from a Google Sheet or CSV file. Within days of introducing it, I heard from dozens of users who were ready to test it out, excited by the possibilities.
It also represents the power of identifying friction points and turning them into scalable solutions. It’s the kind of thinking I teach in the Digital Alchemy Lab, where we focus on uncovering hidden value and transforming it into tools and systems that work for you.
Mini-SEO Case Study
As part of experimenting with the Bulk Upload Tool, I ran a little SEO test: uploading 1,000 AI-generated articles in bulk to see what would happen. The idea was simple - use AI to generate a broad base of content, then let the data guide where to focus next. As specific articles started gaining traction, I’d revisit them with what I call Organic Intelligence - updating, refining, and optimizing those pieces to maximize their value.
The early results? Promising.
Circle Day: Sharing the Content Flywheel
In September, I had the honor of speaking at Squarespace Circle Day, an event that brought together some of the brightest minds in the Squarespace community. My talk, Managing Multiple Content Flywheels, was centered on staying true to your passions and interest in a way where others can benefit.
Here’s a few excerpts from the talk:
"My secret to sustainability is to create content that is inherently fulfilling for you, the creator. Because as a creator, you have to be tapped into your creative source."
“My core strategy is if I can figure out how to align myself with what I'm interested in, what I'm curious about, and share those discoveries with you, then I can keep going. We all know that we need content to keep our market and engines going, but really inside of that engine is us - what we care about, what we're passionate about, the things that really drive us, empower us.”
From Corporate Dropout to Digital Alchemist
In November, I reached a deeply personal milestone: publishing The Corporate Dropout: A Memoir on Faith, Freedom and Entrepreneurship (also available on Amazon).
Writing this memoir challenged me to face my own vulnerabilities and insecurities as an entrepreneur, but it also gave me a chance to honor the lessons that brought me here. More than anything, it reminded me of the deeper purpose behind it all: helping others uncover the freedom, creativity, and impact they’ve been searching for.
It brought be back around full-circle to the Squarespace website I started with:
TheCorporateDropout.co is a call to action for anyone ready to redefine their path.
In many ways, this milestone feels like a capstone for one chapter of my life and the prologue to something even greater.
Final Thoughts: 2025 and Beyond
2024 was a huge turning point into the role I’ve been preparing for all along: a speaker, mentor, and guide.
As I look to 2025, I’m more focused than ever on sharing what I’ve learned, helping others create their own success stories, and continuing to experiment and innovate.
Here’s to the next chapter 🙏🏽.
