When a new company is founded, small business owners and entrepreneurs are faced with a daunting task: they have to do it all themselves. Sure, there are software solutions, and eventually enough money rolls in to hire a staff, but when things begin, most of the load is carried by the business owner.

Those who own a business can learn something from Squarespace, a company that has a website building platform suited for startups, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

With a straightforward product, dead simple pricing, an attention to aesthetic detail, and great customer service, Squarespace gets it. Small business owners looking to grow can take a hint.

We sat down with Matt Haggerty, Marketing Director at Squarespace, to chat about the recipe for success.

1. A Straightforward Product

Squarespace’s product is simple_—_they offer a website building platform to small business owners- and it works.

'Our website building platform provides small businesses with everything they need to create an amazing web presence_—_no coding experience necessary,” Matt said.

Squarespace has great features like an ecommerce option, cool templates, and a developer mode, but the product itself is simple and easy to use.

2. Dead Simple Pricing

Customers get annoyed when they don’t know what they’re paying for, so it’s important for companies to offer dead simple pricing. Wouldn't you be irritated if you didn't know what you were paying for?

Up-charging and adding on features or services without a user’s consent is not only irritating, but it’s ethically wrong. If you want to keep customers around, be straightforward with pricing. Offer simple packages, and don’t charge without letting customers know.

'We offer dead simple pricing...Squarespace charges no additional fees beyond our payment processor’s transaction fee,' said Matt.

3. Attention to Aesthetics

If you think image isn’t important, you’re living in a different age. Today’s businesses have beautiful websites, tollfree numbers, and copywriting fit for a king. Squarespace’s website is beautiful (it better be, considering the product!), and the company is committed to great aesthetics, even for those who can’t code.

We place a huge amount of importance in creating something that looks beautiful, clean, and minimal, so that your work and brand can really stand out, and creating your website can be a fun, creative experience instead of a stressful one.

4. Great Customer Service

The difference between a good and great company may lie in its customer service and support. If you can’t provide customers and users with the help they need, they’re likely to get frustrated with the company, or turn somewhere else.

Like Grasshopper, Squarespace offers 24/7 customer support. During Hurricane Sandy, the staff carried buckets of fuel up flights of stairs to keep services running. Talk about customer care!

There is much to consider when running a small business, and it’s difficult to know where priorities lie. Look to Squarespace as an example_—_their straightforward, do-it-yourself attitude is a perfect fit for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

What do you think is important in providing services? Are you deterred by complicated pricing and ugly websites? What differentiates a company to you?

Matt Haggerty is Squarespace's Marketing Director. He was kind enough to chat with us about how Squarespace provides web services to their customers. Matt is part of the Business Operations team.

This article was written by Emma Siemasko.