If you’re looking for a simple, clean, easy to maintain Squarespace website for your farm or food business and you want to work with a designer who understands your industry and will spend the time learning about your business’s individual needs, then yes, my services are for you.

My services could also be right for you if you run a small business that’s not a farm or food business. While I do specialize in that industry, I do love working with all kinds of small businesses so please get in touch!

If you’re looking to have a website built on a different platform such as Wix or Wordpress, then no, my web design services are not right for you.

I have spent the majority of my adult life working in food and agriculture including 14 seasons at two organic farms in Vermont. I have worked in the fields, in the greenhouses, managed the administrative side of a large CSA program, and worked for nearly a decade as a farmstand and marketing manager. While I have not owned my own farm, I have been an integral part of these two farming operations and I can honestly say that I understand the challenges you face. And what that means is that I will respect your time, listen to your individual needs, and offer suggestions that will, as much as possible, simplify your life rather than create more office work for you.

• I limit the number of projects that I take on at any given time, so that I’m really able to give each project the attention it deserves.

• I’ll help you gain confidence with your website and any new things you decide to try out (email marketing? blogging? a recipe index on your site?)

• I’ll make sure we have as much fun as possible. Working with a designer doesn’t have to be a big stress. I take my work seriously, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be low-key and lighthearted.

• I’ll support you throughout the graphic design and web design process so you feel comfortable asking questions and approaching me with concerns. I’m here to help you solve problems, talk through ideas, and figure out what will best serve you and your customers.

• I won’t try to upsell you on products or services or try to get you to do things that don’t feel reasonable to you. I’ll make suggestions, but you know your business and your capabilities better than anyone, and the last thing I want is for you to end up more stressed or overwhelmed than you were before.

If we’re already working together on a website or graphic design project I may be able to help you with other marketing projects as well. I have helped clients learn to write more engaging newsletters, collect high quality customer testimonials, set up Point of Sale systems and CSA management software, set up retail spaces, and more. Just ask!

Absolutely. I love to work with small businesses of all kinds. While I do specialize in the food and farming industry, I love taking on other projects as well. Let’s talk and see if it’s a good fit!

Depending on the project, I charge either by the project or at an hourly rate.

• By the project: You will pay a deposit prior to the project start date and the remainder of the agreed upon cost will be billed to you at the end of the project and will be due 15 days later.

• By the hour: You will be billed monthly for services and all invoices will be due 15 days after receipt.

If you hire me to build a new Squarespace website, you will need to pay for your annual or monthly Squarespace subscription as well as for your domain name. Other possible costs associated with your website will depend on your individual needs and could include services such as:

• Professional email address using your domain

• Transaction fees for your online store

• Subscription fees for any third-party online store or CSA management service such as Local Line, Barn2Door, or Farmigo

• Email marketing service subscription fee (either through squarespace or a different email marketing service such as Mailchimp)

• Fees associated with writing a privacy policy and/terms of use for your site. Some people choose to pay a lawyer to help write these documents, other people choose to buy a template online.

• Squarespace scheduling subscription fee (uncommon)

• Squarespace member areas subscription fee (uncommon)

If you hire me to design packaging, labels, flyers, or any other print materials, you will need to pay any printing and shipping costs associated with these items.

Squarespace is a website builder and hosting service. It uses a drag-and-drop interface which makes editing and upkeep very easy and manageable, even for people who are busy running a business.

I like Squarespace because it’s user friendly. It’s a good platform for people people who want a simple, classy, easy to maintain site.

This is important to me because if I design a site for you, I want you to feel confident doing regular site maintenance on your own (if you choose to) without fear that you will “ruin” the whole site design.

Another reason why I recommend it is because they have simple yet comprehensive support guides as well as very helpful and responsive live chat customer support.