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Every business starts with an idea and the courage to share it. With Squarespace, entrepreneurs at every stage have turned that first step into lasting success. They’ve launched brands, built loyal audiences, and grown businesses on their own terms.
Below, meet four real founders who brought their vision to life on Squarespace. Their stories show what’s possible when the right tools meet the right mindset, and offer practical takeaways for your own entrepreneurial journey.
Joe Laresca, NOISE
NOISE is a bold, boundary pushing creative agency and venture studio built at the intersection of culture, technology, and entrepreneurship. Founded by Joe Laresca, the business operates like a cultural amplifier, blending marketing, artist management, and production under one roof. Joe launched NOISE right out of college, showing a boldness that extends into the agency’s ethos.
From launching wellness brands during the COVID-19 pandemic to managing musicians and partnering with iconic figures across real estate, media, and entertainment, NOISE thrives on unpredictability and impact. It’s a modern hype machine with an old school heart, driven by relationships, word of mouth, and a vision to shape culture for generations to come.
Squarespace: How has your online presence contributed to your business success?
Joe Laresca: Brand is everything. Not many people know this, but our agency business has been 100% referral. I always find it crazy how people underestimate the power of building genuine relationships and a long-lasting brand. I think one thing we do better than anyone is showing people we care and building long-term relationships. Showing TLC is in our DNA. We’re a bit old school in our communications approach, but I think it’s better that way. All of this takes time, but it pays off in the long run.
SQSP: After a challenging day, week, or month, what keeps you motivated?
JL: It may sound cheesy and cliche, but the vision of what NOISE can become keeps me motivated. We’re not just trying to build another company with a fancy tagline and KPIs. We want to build a brand that inspires people and lasts for generations.
Monet Bush, Earth and Olive
Earth and Olive is a purpose-driven marketing and design agency for wellness brands looking to thrive in a digital world without sacrificing their values or resources. Founded by Monet Bush, the agency fuses data-driven design with accessibility, ensuring that mission-based businesses have the tools they need to grow sustainably.
Earth and Olive doesn’t just design websites or craft campaigns, it builds strategic ecosystems where design meets intention, using analytics, automation, and storytelling to help wellness entrepreneurs survive digital shifts and scale with heart. It’s equal parts science and soul, with a business model rooted in empowerment and impact over hype.
Squarespace: How has your online presence contributed to your business success?
Monet Bush: Our online presence is an extended form of us. We could be selling to someone in Canada while we’re sleeping or getting a subscriber from LA while closing our computer to end the day. The day is never done for an entrepreneur, but it should be. Making systems work for you is how you keep self-care primary. You are one person, but your business automation is your army. Our online presence has worn the hat for business acquisition many times. It will continue to serve if we keep evolving it, even when there is a dedicated business acquisition team member.
SQSP: In every entrepreneurial endeavor, there are unexpected risks and challenges. What was the biggest risk you took?
MB: Starting without seed money was my most significant risk to date. Our services make up our money, and being a business that thrives on remaining accessible, yet still charges our worth, was challenging. It took a trip back to the business model to make sure we make money even while we sleep so we could keep prices accessible. Residual income is the addition to our plan that changed the game.
Jamie and Daniel Pobjoy, MillBuilt
MillBuilt is a sustainable, modular homebuilding company founded by brothers Jamie and Daniel Pobjoy, who traded traditional construction for a cleaner, smarter way to build. Based in Victoria, Australia, MillBuilt designs and fabricates sustainable homes in a factory setting, where they can minimize waste, control quality, and use materials efficiently. Their homes are intentionally smaller, and built with longevity and livability in mind to strike a balance between environmental responsibility and comfort.
With a product-first approach that favors simplicity over constant customization, MillBuilt is redefining homebuilding by offering beautifully crafted, low carbon homes that arrive nearly move-in ready, all supported by a polished online presence that connects modern homeowners to a better way of living.
Squarespace: In every entrepreneurial endeavor, there are unexpected risks and challenges. What was the biggest risk you took?
Daniel Pobjoy: After 15 years in the industry, I feel like I’ve had to go back to the start to pursue a new direction. We’ve gone down a completely different path—instead of building for clients and creating custom homes, we’re basically saying: “Here’s a product. If you like it, then it’s yours. If you don’t, then we’re not the company for you.”
It’s risky as we are severely narrowing our market. But by limiting our range and flexibility we are able to keep quality higher, construction times faster, the carbon footprint lower, and costs down. The thought pattern behind this was that if you know a house design functions incredibly well, then why does there need to be constant experimentation with customization? We’ve had to really back ourselves and stick by our philosophy as we truly believe it is a better way to build.
SQSP: How has your online presence contributed to your business success?
DP: Our online presence has contributed as it showcases our portfolio of products in a succinct and dynamic way. The contact form is an easy way that potential clients can contact the company (we are onsite a lot) and we can then discuss the designs by referring to the website.
Matt and Ish Broadbent, Ocelot Chocolate
Ocelot Chocolate is an ethical craft chocolate company founded by Matt and Ish Broadbent, a husband and wife team who turned a shared love of food and design into a global brand. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Ocelot crafts organic, artisan chocolate in a micro factory, where each bar is wrapped in packaging they design themselves and sealed with compostable film.
What began as a modest farmers market stall has evolved into a sleek ecommerce operation with global reach, but their hands-on approach hasn’t changed. Every element of Ocelot, from its bold, artistic branding to transparent, thoughtful production is designed to create not just a product, but an experience that connects people to the joy, beauty, and ethics behind what they eat.
Squarespace: How has your online presence contributed to your business success?
Matt & Ish: Our business would not be what it is without our website and our online presence. A good, clean, effective website is everything, and more now than ever. We try to approach our online presence from our own personal perspective: As end users, what annoys us or stresses us out when we’re shopping online, what pleases us or encourages brand loyalty, what are our own expectations when we visit a website or a social media platform?
A brand like ours is not only about selling, it's about creating a comfortable, beautiful place that sums up who we are. Then hopefully that imprints on our visitors and they in turn like us, trust us, and ultimately buy from us.
SQSP: How do you see your online presence evolving in the future?
M & I: The world is shifting its buying habits online, so we need to capitalize on that and be ready. We also make a lot more money when we sell through our own store at retail price, so driving more customers to our site and encouraging through sales is going to be a priority.
Getting our customers more involved with our processes is a must-do for us in the future. Everyone loves to see stuff getting made, real life happening, so we’re aiming for lots more visuals and some thoughtful blogging is always something we aspire to.
Success looks different for every founder, but it always starts with showing up and being willing to take a risk. The entrepreneurs featured here are proof that you don’t need a big team or a perfect plan to start building something real. You just need the passion—and a platform that can help you get things done.