Inside $10k+ Web Design Leads: What You’ll Actually Find

I just analyzed my latest RFP database, and honestly? Even I was surprised by what we've uncovered.

104 qualified opportunities. $6-8 million in total project budgets.

But here's what really matters for your business...

Where the Money Actually Is

The Sweet Spot: $25K-$50K Projects (36% of opportunities)

These are serious organizations with real budgets:

• Kentucky FFA Foundation: $30K-$45K website redesign

• Anne Arundel Economic Development: $60K-$140K municipal site

• Midwest Transplant Network: $45K-$65K full redesign

• Austin Community College: $200K-$400K (yes, you read that right)

Budget Breakdown:

• Under $10K: 10% (perfect for building relationships)

• $10K-$25K: 21% (solid recurring work)

• $25K-$50K: 36% (the goldmine)

• $50K-$100K: 18% (premium positioning)

• $100K+: 14% (enterprise opportunities)

Who's Actually Hiring

Government & Municipal (25%) Cities, counties, economic development authorities. These pay well, pay on time, and often become repeat clients. Think City of Ventura ($120K-$150K) or Battery Park City Authority ($80K-$120K).

Nonprofits & Associations (30%) Foundations, advocacy groups, professional associations. They value long-term relationships and often refer other nonprofits. Recent example: ArtsConnection NYC ($100K for website overhaul).

Education (20%) Universities, colleges, school districts. Technical requirements but excellent for building credibility. Like Ocean County College's $50K-$100K performing arts center site.

Healthcare & Arts Organizations (25%) Specialized sectors with unique needs and decent budgets. Midwest Transplant Network and NAMI Chicago are recent examples.

What They're Actually Asking For

Website Redesigns (40%) Complete overhauls of existing sites. These organizations know what they want—they just need someone who can execute professionally.

New Site Builds (25%) Ground-up development projects. Often the highest budgets because there's more scope for discovery and strategy work.

Municipal/Government Sites (15%) High-compliance projects requiring ADA accessibility, security standards, and often CMS training. Premium pricing justified by specialized requirements.

Platform-Specific Work (10%) Squarespace, WordPress, Drupal migrations and customizations. Great for specialists.

Ongoing Support & Maintenance (10%) Monthly retainer opportunities. Enterprise Community Partners offers $8K-$12K/month for ongoing support.

The Geographic Goldmine

United States (53%) Heavy concentration in California, New York, Texas, Illinois. Municipal contracts especially strong on West Coast.

Canada (18%) Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta leading. Often less competition than US markets.

Remote/International (5%) Global organizations open to remote teams. Higher budgets, fewer geographic restrictions.

Real Project Examples (From This Month)

City of San Buenaventura, CA

• Budget: $120K-$150K

• Scope: Complete municipal website redesign

• Requirements: Enhanced accessibility, responsive design, community input integration

• This is what a premium municipal contract looks like

Alexandria Economic Development Partnership

• Budget: Up to $250K

• Scope: Messaging framework, website redesign, marketing collateral

• Timeline: Phased approach with video production

• Multi-phase projects = ongoing revenue

Enterprise Community Partners

• Budget: $8K-$12K monthly + $200K-$250K redesign

• Scope: Ongoing support with future full redesign

• The holy grail: monthly retainer + project work

Vote16USA

• Budget: $7,500

• Scope: National hub + state/city microsites

• Deadline: Quick turnaround (Oct 1 launch)

• Smaller budget but network potential

How to Actually Use This Data

So how do you actually use this data? If you’re looking for revenue right now, pick 5 to 7 projects that fit your budget and skillset, and go deep on those. You don’t need to apply to everything—winning RFPs is about precision, not volume.

For your pipeline over the next month or two, look at organizations that aren’t ready yet but probably will be soon (especially gov agencies—they tend to follow annual refresh cycles).

And if you’re thinking longer-term, use these budgets to position yourself. Saying something like “Most orgs budget $45K–$65K for this kind of scope” shifts how clients see you. One more thing: if you’re developing your services, notice the patterns. Things like ADA compliance, CMS training, and ongoing support show up in over 80% of these RFPs. That’s not random—that’s demand.

The Bottom Line

Conservative math: 5% win rate on 104 opportunities = 5 projects won Average project value: $45K Potential revenue from this single source: $225K

The list pays for itself with one mid-range project.

But here's the real value: this isn't just a lead list. It's market intelligence that reshapes how you price, position, and pursue web design work.

Most freelancers are competing on Upwork for $2K websites. These organizations are budgeting $25K-$50K for the same work.

The difference? They know where to find the real opportunities.

Want access to fresh opportunities like these every month? Subscribe to $10K Web Design Leads and stop competing on price.

What Most Designers Don’t Know About Squarespace Enterprise (But Should)

Beautiful templates? Check.
Easy drag-and-drop editor? Check.
Perfect for small business sites? Sure.

But here’s what almost nobody tells you:
Squarespace has an enterprise platform—and it’s a complete game-changer for clients with bigger needs.

And odds are, you have clients who could (and should) be using it.

This isn’t just a fancier billing plan. This is Squarespace with multi-site management, granular permissions, SSO, enterprise-level security, and scalable systems built for teams, departments, and high-stakes workflows.

If you work with larger organizations, municipalities, schools, or growing brands—this is your primer.

1) Most Designers Still Think Squarespace Is “Just” for Small Sites

That assumption is costing you money.

Yes, Squarespace is fantastic for solopreneurs and small businesses. But that same simplicity and elegance scales. With Squarespace Enterprise, organizations can:

• Manage multiple sites from a single dashboard

• Control who can edit what (down to pages or sections)

• Launch trial sites that never expire

• Use Single Sign-On (SSO) with Google, Okta, Microsoft, etc.

• Get private onboarding, SEO guidance, design consulting, and a dedicated account manager

This is infrastructure. It’s built for the clients who “outgrew” basic website builders—without dragging them into plugin chaos and server maintenance.

2) Granular Permissions = Less Chaos, More Control

If you’ve ever delivered a site for a school district, city government, or national nonprofit, you know the pain:

• Every department wants its own space

• Everyone wants a login

• No one wants anything to break

With Enterprise, you set role-based access per site (and tightly scoped areas), so Comms can publish news, HR can manage job posts, Facilities can update alerts—without touching design or global settings.
Result: content moves faster, brand stays intact.

Quick mental picture: Snow emergency hits. Comms toggles an alert banner site-wide in seconds—no “hey, can you jump in real quick?” text to you at 7:12 a.m.

3) SSO: Secure Content Without Custom Development

Staff intranet pages. Partner portals. Members-only downloads.
With SSO-protected sites and pages, your client uses the identity system they already trust—no brittle plugin stack, no custom auth build.
Result: friction down, security up.

4) Enterprise = Consistency at Scale

Franchise with 30 locations? University with 18 departments? Nonprofit with recurring campaigns?

• Reuse design blueprints

• Clone starter templates instantly

• Govern everything from one account

You’re not “building another site.” You’re deploying a system—fast, consistent, on brand.

5) Real Support for Real Teams

When it’s mission-critical, waiting in a general support queue won’t cut it. Enterprise includes:

• A dedicated account manager

• Private training for client teams

• Design audits and SEO help

Your clients don’t just get a website—they get a repeatable way to launch initiatives without calling you for every tiny change.

6) Who This Is Perfect For

Not every client needs Enterprise. But these do:

• Agencies managing 5+ Squarespace sites

• Nonprofits with multiple programs or chapters

• Municipalities & school districts with accessibility, governance, and compliance needs

• Multi-brand or multi-location companies rolling out product or campaign sites

• Any team that’s hit the ceiling of a basic plan and needs security, speed, and control

7) The Two-Minute Fit Test

If a client checks 3+ of these, bring up Enterprise:

• Multiple editors need access with guardrails

• Department-specific areas or lots of microsites

• Staff/partner content that should live behind SSO

• Strict brand consistency requirements

• Low tolerance for server, plugin, or update headaches

• Pressure to launch campaigns fast without dev in the loop

8) “But Our RFP Says WordPress/Drupal…”

Cool. Talk operating model, not logos:

• Governance: role-based publishing without risk

• Speed: campaign sites in days, not sprints

• Reliability: security and uptime handled by the platform

• Total cost: less maintenance, fewer emergencies, more shipping

When decision-makers hear “fewer points of failure” and “faster to market,” they listen.

9) You Might Be Sitting on an Opportunity

The next time a client asks for a redesign—or says “managing our sites is a mess”—don’t auto-default to WordPress. Don’t assume Squarespace is off the table.

Educate them. Show what Squarespace Enterprise makes possible. Be the first person to put it on their radar. That’s how you move from “web designer” to strategic partner.

Final Thought

There’s a version of Squarespace most people never see. Once you do, you start seeing possibilities everywhere.

If you want to:

• Work with bigger clients

• Pitch more ambitious projects

• Build scalable systems that pay better and last longer

…stop treating Squarespace like “just a website builder.”
Squarespace Enterprise might be the most powerful tool your studio isn’t using yet.

Freelancer, Solopreneur, Founder, Entrepreneur — What’s the Difference?

(and why it matters if you want real freedom)

When I started freelancing, I thought all these titles were just marketing spin.

Freelancer. Solopreneur. Founder. Entrepreneur. Sure, they sounded different — but I assumed it all boiled down to the same thing: "I work for myself."

What I didn't see then is that each identity comes with its own patterns — and those patterns determine how you price, who you work with, the kind of opportunities you even notice, and how much freedom you actually have.

If you want to get off the client roller coaster, you first have to figure out where you are right now, and where you actually want to go.

The Freedom Spectrum

Think of it like a spectrum: Freelancer → Solopreneur → Founder → Entrepreneur. On the far left, you have the least leverage and the most dependency on your personal labor. On the far right, you have the most leverage and the least dependency on your time.

Your goal doesn't have to be "max leverage, no labor" — but you do need to know where you are and what each step toward the right would mean for your freedom.

Stage 1: Freelancer — Selling Time and Skills

Here you think "I do work for clients," and your freedom level is low because if you're not working, you're not earning.

Freelancers typically price based on effort like hours, days, or deliverables. They experience feast and famine cycles, say yes to whatever comes along, and find themselves being reactive instead of proactive. Freelancing can be great for getting paid quickly, but if you stay here without a plan, you're essentially an employee with multiple bosses and all the instability that comes with it.

The freedom check: How long could you step away before your income stopped?

Stage 2: Solopreneur — Owning the Business, Wearing All the Hats

Your mindset shifts to "I'm a business owner," and your freedom level becomes medium because you control more, but you're still the engine driving everything.

Here you move from "I work for clients" to "I run my own business." You start thinking about marketing, sales, and client experience, not just delivering the work. The big shift is taking a consultative approach where you see yourself as a business owner helping another business owner achieve an outcome.

Solopreneurs set processes instead of working ad hoc, build recognizable offers, and start choosing projects instead of accepting whatever shows up. The freedom check becomes: If you took a month off, would your business survive without a scramble when you got back?

Stage 3: Founder — Building Something Bigger Than Yourself

Now you think "I'm building an asset," and your freedom level is high because your income isn't fully tied to your labor.

A founder creates something that can operate without their constant involvement — a product, a platform, a team-run service. This is where you move from client work as the business to client work as one part of the business.

Founders develop documented systems, create assets that produce revenue without their daily labor, and build teams or partnerships where others own parts of the process. Your freedom check becomes: If you disappeared for 90 days, would revenue keep coming in?

Stage 4: Entrepreneur — Playing the Long Game

Your mindset becomes "I build value and turn it into more value," though your freedom level is variable depending on your focus and discipline.

An entrepreneur spots and captures opportunities, sometimes in their current business, sometimes in new ones. They think in terms of multiplying assets, not just operating them. This could mean starting, acquiring, selling, or investing in businesses.

Entrepreneurs focus on strategic partnerships and acquisitions, spread risk across multiple streams, and operate from vision rather than just daily needs. The ultimate freedom check: Do your assets generate more income than your living expenses?

How to Move Along the Spectrum

Most people don't jump straight from Freelancer to Entrepreneur. The common path involves moving from Freelancer to Solopreneur by shifting from "hired help" to consultative partner, setting up processes and choosing projects intentionally. Then you progress from Solopreneur to Founder by packaging what works into assets, hiring selectively, and reducing the need for you in every delivery. Finally, you move from Founder to Entrepreneur by decoupling income from operations and spotting scalable opportunities beyond your core business.

Why This Matters for Freedom

Freedom isn't just "working for yourself." Freedom is having assets that generate more income than your expenses, and the further you move along this spectrum, the more that becomes possible.

The biggest mistake is staying in one stage without realizing it's a stage.

Your Next Step

If you want to start stepping into bigger opportunities — the kind that require you to think and operate like a business owner, not just a service provider — you need to be in rooms where those opportunities live.

That’s why I curate the $10K Project List — weekly leads for high-value creative projects.
It’s the easiest way to start positioning yourself as a partner to other business owners, not just a pair of hands.

Get on the list →