web design and dev, SEO, GEO, Rive. Direct & for agencies.
Iβm sorry, but are we about to witness a WordPress vs. Framer marketing war like McDonaldβs vs. Burger King? π₯Έ We work with WordPress too and genuinely love it, but damnβ¦ they really flexed with this one ahaha
Recently, I came across a post by an amazing creator whose content I genuinely enjoy reading. She was breaking down different marketplaces for selling Framer templates and sharing her experience trying to grow a template business across multiple platforms.
What caught my attention the most was what she wrote about UI8.
After doing some research, I realized that itβs generally considered quite difficult to get accepted there. UI8 has very high quality standards for both creators and the products they publish. They manually review every creator and decide whether they meet their criteria.
After reading all of that, I decided to apply that same night.
Ironically, the fact that they have a relatively small number of creators and focus on premium products and a high-spending audience made me want to get in even more.
In my application, I shared who we are, mentioned that we're officially recognized as Framer Experts and Rive Experts, and attached our Estela template.
A few hours later, I got the email.
We were accepted. π
Now I'm finishing the documentation for Estela so I can submit it as our first product. The template itself still has to go through manual review, but I think the hardest part is already behind us.
Today, for the first time, we blocked a client.
From day one, we stayed professional and respectful. The website was approved at every milestone. We even gave a discount because the clientβs budget was limited.
Every requested revision was completed.
Our policy includes one month of maintenance after delivery to fix any issues. Three months later, the client came back with new requests, and we still completed them for free. Today, months later, they returned again asking for more changes. We quoted less than half of our normal hourly rate simply because they were a returning client.
The response we received was enough.
Looking back, the client had been rude throughout the entire project. We kept telling ourselves it was probably just a language barrier. It wasnβt.
Hereβs what we learned:
Never let a client speak to you with disrespect.
The cost of working with the wrong client is far higher than the money they pay you. It drains your energy, your confidence, and your love for the work.
At the time, we were new to the platform where this project came from. We accepted it because we wanted the experience and the completed order on our profile.
Six months later, one message reminded me that some projects simply arenβt worth taking.
Not every client deserves access to your time.
Sometimes the most professional thing you can do is say no β or, if necessary, block them and move on.
Have you ever had to fire a client? Or did you keep trying to make it work longer than you should have?
Gonna start dropping work we get obsessed with here.
This one's first. I literally just scroll it back and forth and can't stop β it's so smooth. The transitions are chef's kiss.
@Catalystco this is so clean guys! π₯
The website that got me accepted as a Framer Expert within an hour of applying. π₯Έ
@Contra c:
Probably the most dramatic 404 page we've ever designed.Built for a waterfront real estate template in Framer. π₯Έ
SOOOOOO PROUD
We just launched our first template on the Marketplace, and I think it's pretty awesome. π
Estela is live β¨
A modern Framer template for real estate, directories, catalogs, and startups.
CMS-ready, fully responsive, and easy to customize.
Let me know what you think
