5 More Things I Love About Squarespace

One of the greatest decisions I’ve made for my business was to change my website platform to Squarespace.  Before I switched, I had two different websites- one for my shop/e-commerce, and one for my blog.  I had links to both sites on each platform, but having to maintain two domains and web spaces was cumbersome and unprofessional.  I decided it would be better and more efficient to switch to a platform that checked all boxes off for what I needed:

• E-commerce

• Blog

• Landing pages

• Easy to customize with professional templates

• Hidden pages

I decided to go with Squarespace after researching a few different platforms, and have gotten so much more out of it than I could have imagined!  I wrote a blog post a while back on my opinion of Squarespace after using it for 9 months (that post is here), so I felt it was time to talk a little more about more features that I love that they have added over the years.

1 / Integrates with companies that offer dropshipping

I sell digital and physical products on my website, and for the physical products they are all  handled through a dropshipping company.  Squarespace integrates with my dropshipper, so I can easily create my products through their platform and sync the data to my Squarespace site.  The fulfillment, shipping notification, etc. happens automatically, so I do not need to be involved in the sales or shipping process.  Squarespace integrates with several dropshipping companies, so if you sell products this way and are maintaining two different domains as a result, I highly recommend looking into how you can save money with one domain and website and still sell your products through dropshipping!

2/ They have an app

One of the recent things that Squarespace has added as a feature is an app. I always say that tools that have an app are so helpful to use when you want to be productive and since Squarespace has an app, I can do more things on the go. I love that I can easily do the following through the app:

• Work on a blog post

• Make changes to content and products/descriptions

• Update links for my social media landing page easily

• View my analytics

• Comment to blog comments

It’s great that I don’t have to be tied to the computer to get things done on my website!

3/ Email Marketing

Although I don’t use this feature, Squarespace now has email marketing built into their platform. If you don’t currently have an email marketing provider, with a Squarespace website you can easily start email marketing with their easy to create email templates. This is great if you sell products because your customers can be added to your email list automatically on Squarespace, and also if you create opt-in forms, you can easily link the subscribers from those forms into your Squarespace email list.

4/ Acuity Scheduling Integration

If you provide services that involve scheduling appointments, Squarespace is great to use because they acquired Acuity Scheduling. I was already an Acuity Scheduling customer before they were acquired by Squarespace. I use Acuity Scheduling for scheduling consultation calls, so now that they are a part of Squarespace, it makes it even easier to integrate the two. I’m all about simplicity, and using tools that are built into an app or program because it makes processes flow much smoother.

5/ More content blocks

Over the years of using Squarespace, they have continued to add more content block options which makes your website even more customizable and intuitive to your visitors. Some of the new options are the following:

• Member Sign-Up

• Donation

• Scheduling

Here is a list of all content blocks that are available:

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The summary of this? I still am happy with my decision to switch to Squarespace, and I’m loving the new features and options that they continue to add to the platform. What website service provider do you use and are you thinking about switching? Let me know in the comments!

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How to Use Trello to Plan Your Next Vacation

If you’ve followed me or have been a reader of my blog for a while...really even in the past 3-6 months...you know that I love to use Trello to plan out...my life ha!  Something that I love to plan in Trello outside of my business content are vacations.  Now that the world is starting to open back up again, the travel bug is ready to come out of many people! I’ll be heading out for a summer family vacation soon and wanted to share ways that I use Trello to get organized and plan out my vacations.

To start, I generally use 2-3 boards, but that’s only because I like to keep certain pieces of planning separated.  You can use any combination of these board ideas, but I will explain what I do:

Board 1: Trip Research

I have a board that I put content on from my research of restaurants, coffee shops, things to do in the area, hotels, rental car prices, and more.  I organize all of the things I find from my research in the appropriate list for the item.  I like to keep this all in one separate board because it’s essentially a brain dump.  I don’t intend to visit every place on this board, but I do like to have a list to choose from when creating my actual list for vacation to-dos.

Board 2: Prep Week

My prep week board contains all of my to-dos for the 7 days leading up to the day we leave for vacation as well as a packing list. I have a packing list for myself which contains cards such as tech items, personal care items, and miscellaneous items.  I also have a list for my daughter's items that need to be packed containing her toys/entertainment items, vitamins, snacks, etc.

After the packing lists comes the 7 lists dedicated to each day for the week.  On the day of the week lists, I include the things that I need to do each day to prepare such as pack clothes, do my hair and nails, download movies to devices, shop for road snacks, clean the house, etc.  I give myself one week to do #allthethings so I don’t stress myself out and try to do everything at the last minute.  I also like to space things out so I don’t forget anything, and since I’m packing for two people it’s a lot more to remember.  By the way...is it just me or is it annoying that my husband can pack for a week long trip in one evening? LOL

Here is an example of one of the checklists in the packing list:

Board 3: Vacation Week

The third board that I plan is dedicated to the week that we will be on vacation.  This board also contains lists for the days of the week and the restaurants, things to do, places to see, etc. I also have a list that contains travel information such as lodging information, flight schedules, rental car info, etc.  I like to keep all of these items together in one board because the actual information and events that we will be doing are all in one place. Also, since Trello has an App, I can easily access my information on the go (even with no connection!).

Depending on the type of vacation that I’m going on I may not plan out the things to do in as much detail.  If it’s a relaxing getaway to unwind, I don’t use this kind of board because I like to be a little more free flowing.  If it’s a family vacation where we will be going to a new city and WANT to do everything, yes, I am planning each day out.  There have been too many vacations where I have not planned things out or done extensive research of the local restaurants and things to do, and have found myself ordering pizza for dinner that I could have gotten at home.  To avoid this, and to check out the local cuisine and more, the plans are needed.

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As I mentioned, if you like the idea of planning out your vacation, you can use any combination of the boards I use for inspiration.  I use the first two always, and third if I'm visiting somewhere new and want to really explore the area. Try this out the next time you are vacation planning- it will make things so much easier to manage and navigate!

How do you normally prepare for vacation? Let me know in the comments!