Dreyah Bohlen on building a Squarespace design business as a new mom
When Dreyah Bohlen saw a project request for KellyClarkson.com on the Squarespace marketplace, she thought it was fake. Now, she manages the website for one of the world's biggest pop stars while balancing life as a new mom and running a thriving web design business.
In this episode of Looks Good From Here, Dreyah shares how she landed a celebrity client, transformed her business model after having a baby, and created sustainable recurring revenue through website maintenance packages. Her journey offers valuable insights for designers navigating business changes while maintaining quality work and strong client relationships.
How Dreyah Bohlen designed Kelly Clarkson's website
The opportunity came through 99designs, Squarespace's hire-an-expert marketplace. When Dreyah saw the project listing for KellyClarkson.com, she was skeptical. "Sometimes things that come through on 99designs, you're like, that's not real," she explains.
Despite her doubts, Dreyah responded to the inquiry and connected with Clarkson’s guitar player, who manages her website. His goal was straightforward: move the site from an agency-managed platform to Squarespace for easier updates to tour dates and content.
After he handled the initial domain transfer and content migration, Dreyah came in to refine the design. "He did a great job," she says. "It was really me going in and refining. I put in some SquareKicker [customizations] so that we could get it looking the way we wanted."
The project involved custom code work, responsive design optimization, and creative solutions like hover effects on Clarkson's album gallery. Dreyah credits fellow Squarespace expert Tuan for helping with specific code implementations that made the site stand out.
What started as a one-time project evolved into an ongoing relationship. When Kelly launched her Las Vegas residency, Dreyah updated the entire website to match the new theme, transforming it from a Christmas album focus to the studio sessions aesthetic.
"I will say the most down to earth, nicest, easiest client I've ever worked with," Dreyah shares about the experience. "It's so awesome."
Lessons learned from working with high-profile clients
The Kelly Clarkson project taught Dreyah an unexpected lesson about authenticity in client relationships. "It has influenced me to be more genuine in everything I do and to be more straightforward with clients," she explains. "No matter the status of a client, they're human too. They just want somebody who's going to listen to them and be there for them when they need something."
This realization helped Dreyah overcome imposter syndrome. "These people fit with me because of my personality, and I'm fitting with them because we just vibe well," she says. "I'm not trying to put on a whole thing just to get a client. It's like if we're not a good fit, we're not a good fit, and that's totally fine."
The experience reinforced the importance of bringing confidence to every project, regardless of the client's profile. Understanding your value and not letting the celebrity of a client override your ability to do excellent work creates better outcomes for everyone involved.
Adapting a web design business for life with a new baby
When Dreyah had her son Leo, her business needed to change dramatically. "It is hard and in any season of being a mom, I admire all the working moms and all the stay-at-home moms," she shares honestly.
The biggest shift was eliminating longer time commitments. "Anything that goes over 30 minutes, it just doesn't work. Leo doesn't allow for it," Dreyah explains. This meant moving away from coaching call sessions and quick turnaround projects that required intensive, focused time blocks.
Instead, Dreyah pivoted to larger website builds that work better with her new schedule. "When you build those full websites, you need maybe 15, 20 minutes just to check in with your client," she says. "Send me a list of the things that you see that you want fixed. That's been working so well."
These changes weren't immediate. "What worked when he was a newborn does not work now," Dreyah notes. "I honestly thought, 'Oh, I'll just get two coaching calls a day while he's napping, 2 hours a day.’ It just did not work."
Building recurring revenue through maintenance packages
One of Dreyah's most successful business adaptations has been creating productized maintenance and SEO packages. Previously, she charged hourly for any maintenance work from returning clients.
"The amount of emails I would get before like, 'Hey, can you go change this?' And then you're just like, 'Do I charge them for that 10-minute thing?'" she recalls. "You don't feel as pressured to just get it done, get them emailed back. You set those boundaries."
Dreyah offers both monthly and annual payment options, with clients saving money on the annual plan. This structure has been remarkably successful. When she presents these packages to new clients, approximately 75% accept either the monthly or yearly option.
The key to presenting these packages is positioning them as phase two. "I usually just say, 'Here's phase one. Let's get your website up and running, and I'm more than happy to show you how to maintain it on your own,'" she explains. "'Down the road, if you do need assistance, here's my website maintenance package.'"
This approach works particularly well with her target market of smaller businesses, making the investment feel less intimidating than bundling everything together upfront.
Setting boundaries and communicating availability
Dreyah has become upfront with new clients about her situation. "I'm very straightforward. Look, I'm a stay-at-home mom," she tells them at the start of projects.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. "The amount of people that are like, 'I admire what you're doing, and if you can't meet, just tell me. It is totally fine,'" she shares. "That has been the most rewarding thing ever."
This transparency attracts the right clients for her current season. Even when client relationships don't work out, the separations have been amicable. "Separating and going our different ways hasn't been as detrimental," Dreyah says. "It's just been so great."
Recent work and design inspiration
Dreyah recently completed a website redesign for a client with a Hallmark Plus show called Home is Where the Heart Is. The project showcases extensive use of SquareKicker tools and before-and-after sliders from Will Myers's plugin.
"This website just turned out so good," she says. "The most fun part of this project is just getting to talk with her and we'd spend hours on Zoom and just getting to know her and then putting that into a website. It was so rewarding when I showed it to her."
The colorful, personality-driven design reflects the client's work as an interior designer and captures the unique energy she brings to her television show.
Connecting with the Squarespace community
For designers looking to connect with the Squarespace community, Dreyah recommends starting with the Squarespace forum. "There's so many great designers in there," she notes.
She also suggests researching designers on Instagram and reaching out directly. "I love getting messages. I love talking to new people and I know for a fact other designers do too," she says.
Dreyah credits designer Jen Maher for teaching her valuable lessons about building community. "She is just a social butterfly, talking to everybody, making everybody feel comfortable," Dreyah explains.
The Squarespace community offers unique support for independent designers. "Working alone and at home sometimes just gets a little boring," Dreyah notes. "Having that open conversation with people in our community and venting about it, talking about it, sharing our stories is just so important."
Finding balance and recharging
Outside of web design work, Dreyah finds inspiration and stress relief through running and spending time outdoors. "I get so much inspiration from being outside and going on a walk," she shares.
She's also involved in a family project managing a local home decor and furnishing store, handling the website, marketing, and day-to-day operations. "Just being in that type of setting, it's kind of been an outlet too," she says.
Dreyah's journey demonstrates that successful web design businesses can adapt to major life changes while maintaining quality work and strong client relationships. By productizing services, setting clear boundaries, and staying authentic with clients, you can create a sustainable business model that works for your current season of life.
Ready to build a more flexible Squarespace design business? Start by evaluating which services you can productize and how you can create recurring revenue streams that work with your schedule.
Website: https://www.dreyahbohlen.com/
Instagram: @dreyahbohlendesigner
Listen to the full episode. This conversation is from the Looks Good From Here podcast, where we dive past the shiny Instagram version of the internet to have real conversations with designers building real businesses.
