The Untaught Way to Write Proposals That Get Read, Respected, and Approved

When I first started freelancing, I thought I had it figured out.

I'd just landed one of my first big projects, and I bought this freelance course on pricing. The bonus? A "$20K Proposal Template."

I remember thinking, This is it. Once I start sending this thing out, I'm going to close bigger projects left and right.

But that's not how it went.

The Template Myth

Designer A: "Wait, so templates don't work? I've been thinking about creating some kind of standardized process..."

Here's the thing: there IS an ideal proposal structure. It's the same framework as any good sales message:

• Why are you here? (The problem they need solved)

• Why are we the ones to do it? (Your unique position/experience)

• What are we going to do? (The solution/process)

• What it's going to do for you (The outcomes/benefits)

• What it's going to cost (Investment/timeline)

That template works. I've used variations of it for years.

But that template is worthless without the prep work that makes it land.

What closes deals isn't the formatting or how pretty your PDF looks. It's trust. It's how well you know the person on the other side of that document—and how much homework you've done before you ever open that template.

Consultant B: "This makes sense - my clients do see me as a partner. But how do I build that trust BEFORE the proposal stage?"

The Real Work Happens Before You Write

Most people think proposals are about writing. They're actually about research and relationship-building.

If you want your proposals to work, you've got to know:

• What they value

• What frustrates them

• What they're worried about

• How their last project went—and what they don't want to repeat

Designer C: "But how do I find this information out? I'm struggling to even get leads in the first place."

Designer D: "I do this on calls already, but how do I systematize this research process?"

Without that intel, your proposal is a shot in the dark. And that's exactly what most RFPs feel like: a blind brief, asking you to make promises with almost no information.

Designer A: "Exactly! This is why I hate cold outreach - I don't know anything about them."

Start Where Trust Is Easiest to Build

Here's the part people don't like to hear: Start local.

Your goal should be that no one in your town, city, or county could say, "I've never heard of them." You should be the obvious choice in your backyard first.

Designer C: "How do I become known locally when I'm just starting out? This feels like a chicken-and-egg problem."

Designer A: "But I'm in a smaller area - are there enough high-value clients locally?"

That way, when a company has to decide between you and someone halfway across the country, it's no contest. Local trust compounds. Build it before you try to go national.

Designer D: "I get referrals locally, but it's unpredictable. How do I make local visibility more systematic?"

Turn Every Opportunity Into Market Research

Most people look at RFPs and see one project. I look at them and see a map.

Example: I found an RFP for a county in Maine. I checked who built their current site, then looked up other sites built by that same company. Half of those sites needed a redesign too.

Designer A: "This is brilliant! But where do I even find RFPs? And how much time should I spend on this research vs. actual client work?"

That one RFP revealed a whole list of opportunities no one else was talking about—and none of those organizations had even issued an RFP yet.

Designer C: "This sounds like a great lead generation strategy, but how do I execute this practically?"

The same principle applies everywhere: business owners are sitting on redesign needs right now. They're unhappy with their site, but they're dreading the process of finding someone they trust.

Designer A: "But what do I say? I've tried cold outreach and it feels so awkward."

Consultant B: "How do I approach these companies without it feeling salesy?"

That's why proactive outreach is one of the lowest-hanging fruits in our industry. A thoughtful message, a simple observation, or even just offering to take something off their plate goes a long way.

Designer D: "How do I identify who needs help without coming across as pushy?"

The Payoff: Proposals Become Confirmations

By the time your proposal hits their inbox, the decision should already feel easy.

Your proposal isn't there to convince them. It's there to confirm what they already feel: that you're the right choice.

Designer A: "But how do I build that trust beforehand? Especially when I don't have a big email list or social following?"

You probably already have a process you run every time you start a project—audits, sitemaps, metadata, content reviews. Start moving pieces of that process upfront. Show that you've already done some homework, and you'll stand out immediately.

Designer D: "I already do this during my design week, but clients don't see it. How do I showcase this work earlier?"

Designer A: "This is exactly what I do! But how do I present this without giving away too much for free?"

Consultant B: "Should I be doing mini-audits before even getting on calls with prospects?"

The more trust you build ahead of time, the easier every "yes" becomes.

This is just a preview of a guide I'm working on called The Untaught Way to Write Proposals That Get Read, Respected, and Approved.

The full guide will walk you through exactly how to become the obvious choice—without obsessing over fancy templates.

All four: "When is this coming out? This addresses exactly what I'm struggling with - the marketing and sales side that feels unpredictable."

Join the waitlist here to be the first to get it.

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.