One Year Later: How the 2024 Squarespace Circle Day Conference Reshaped My Work
Last year, I was invited to join the Squarespace Circle Day Conference in New York — not just as a participant, but as a brand consultant, working with entrepreneurs to bridge their brand goals with aligned action – in between conference speakers. It was an energizing experience to sit across from founders, listen to where they were stuck, and walk them through how strategy, storytelling, and design come together to move a brand forward.
And while I was there to serve, I also walked away with frameworks that reshaped how I run projects, how I position Die Free Studios, and how I lead as a founder. Looking back now, those takeaways have transformed both my client work and the trajectory of my business.
Framework #1: The Studio Base
(Foundation)Stop repeating, start templating.
Working with founders at Circle Day reminded me how much time and energy gets lost in repeated processes. The same is true in web design. That’s why I created what we now call our Base Framework — a starting-point Squarespace template that houses our most-used code, CSS, and editorial-style layouts.
It’s not a client-facing design, but an internal foundation. By implementing it, we cut 6–8 hours off every project start and freed up energy for the custom creative direction that makes each client’s site unique.
Framework #2: The Momentum Method
(Timelines & Profitability)Time is money — but it’s also momentum.
At the conference, I heard the same story from entrepreneurs again and again: projects dragging on for months, leaving both sides drained. I recognized myself in that. For years, I resisted structure in the name of creativity — but it was costing profitability and momentum.
So I designed the Four-Week Build, a process that takes every client website from strategy to launch in four-to-five weeks. The result:
Clients launch energized, not exhausted.
I can take on multiple projects per quarter without burnout.
Profitability increased because capacity became predictable.
Boundaries around time don’t stifle creativity — they protect it.
Framework #3: The Two-Channel Rule
(Marketing Discipline)Two channels, nine months, no distractions.
In my brand therapy sessions at Circle Day, I guided founders to narrow their focus. Instead of spreading energy across five platforms, choose two marketing channels and commit for nine months: one long-term (email, networking) and one short-term (TikTok, Instagram).
I call this the Focused Funnel. This approach balances depth with reach, builds consistency, and gives entrepreneurs the chance to master their platforms instead of dabbling everywhere.
Leadership Principles I’m Living By
The experience also sharpened how I show up as a founder. These aren’t just lessons — they’ve become guiding principles in my leadership:
Think Bigger, Move Faster
Big goals shrink small problems. Expanding the vision for Die Free Studios made decisions around websites, hiring, and capacity far clearer.Proximity is Power
Being in rooms with power players elevates everything. I’m more intentional than ever about surrounding myself with peers who inspire, challenge, and expand what’s possible.Movement = Momentum
Travel isn’t a luxury; it’s fuel. Short trips, new environments, and annual conferences like Circle Day keep me fresh, energized, and creatively sharp.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Being invited into Circle Day as a consultant confirmed something I already knew: the best growth happens in community. One year later, the frameworks I developed there — the Base Framework, the Four-Week Build, and the Focused Funnel — have made Die Free Studios more efficient, more profitable, and more strategically aligned.
And as a founder, I’ve doubled down on bigger goals, intentional proximity, and consistent movement — because those are the conditions where growth thrives.
These are the same principles I bring into my consulting and strategy work with founders today. Because clarity, focus, and momentum aren’t optional — they’re the difference between staying stuck and scaling with authority.
