Do you only work with Squarespace websites?

For website builds and redesigns, yes. Squarespace is the platform I specialise in and where I can guarantee the result — beautiful, easy to manage, and powerful enough for ecommerce, bookings and memberships. If you are currently on Wix, WordPress or GoDaddy, migration is included. For ongoing digital partnerships, I work with businesses on any platform.

Are you the editor of High Flying Design Magazine?

I am. High Flying Design is an online magazine for female founders — real stories, real thinking, and real women worth knowing about. Ranked #8 in FeedSpot's Top 50 Women's Magazines 2025 and 2026. If you found your way here through the magazine, welcome. The web design and digital partnership work sit alongside it. Same thinking, different application.

What did you do before web design?

More than people expect. Before going freelance I spent four years at ThoughtLDR, a specialist thought leadership agency, working my way from PR and communications executive to assistant director. I worked across enterprise accounts including Mercedes-Benz, Monotype and Jitterbit — running LinkedIn programmes, writing for C-suite founders, and building positioning strategies that help businesses become known for something. That background is why working with me feels different to hiring a web designer. I think about your whole digital presence, not just the page in front of me.

Do you offer consultancy without doing the build?

Yes. If you have your own designer or developer but want strategic input on structure, messaging, user experience or project direction, I can work as a consultant. This suits larger businesses, brands, councils and non-profits who have internal teams but want an experienced strategic eye on the work.

Do you work with businesses outside Essex?

Yes — I am based in Chelmsford, Essex but work with clients across the UK and internationally. Everything is managed online.

Hi, I’m Shannon.

I rebuild Squarespace websites for founders in beauty, wellness and lifestyle who are better than their current website suggests.

Some come for the website and leave with exactly that. Others stay for years because once someone understands your business that well, you don't let them go.

“Shannon doesn’t just do websites. She thinks commercially." Graham, Over the Edge

prev. assistant director of marketing & operations at thoughtldr

Pop me a message on WhatsApp →

Your website is the foundation. Everything else is amplification.

Social media, press, email, paid ads: none of it works as hard as it should without a strong online home behind it. So that's always where we start.

01. website Design & Development

You already know what good looks like. You've seen websites that make you stop scrolling, that feel immediately trustworthy, that make you want to buy before you've even read the copy properly. You want that for your business.

But most founders reach a point where the website quietly stops being true. You've grown, repositioned, expanded what you offer or started going after bigger opportunities. The site hasn't kept up. So it's showing people who you were, not who you are. And whether that costs you a client, a collaboration, or just your own confidence sending someone there, you feel it.

Sometimes the problem is more practical. Bookings still happening over the phone. A platform nobody on the team can actually edit. Payments that don't happen automatically. The website isn't just underselling you, it's slowing you down.

I design and develop websites for founders that are ready to show up properly. We start with strategy, not aesthetics: understanding your clients, your goals, and exactly what your website needs to do for your business. From there I recommend the right platform for your long-term needs, build something that works beautifully on every device, and make sure the functionality is genuinely useful. When we're done, you can manage it yourself without anything breaking.

Imagine opening your website and feeling genuinely proud of what you see. That's where we're headed.

"Oh my God Shannon, this is so much better than I thought it was going to be. I love it so much. It's like my dream website. I can't even believe it's mine, it's so beautiful. You've literally thought of everything. I'm so, so happy. I feel so proud of it. Thank you, it's amazing."

— Alex, The Studio by Alex

The Hair Hut - Luxury Hair Salon Web Design (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

02. Ongoing Digital Partnership

You know the content needs writing. You know the newsletter should be going out. You know there's a smarter way to approach all of it. But by the time you get to it, the week is gone.

And it's not just the doing. It's the thinking. The planning ahead. Knowing what to prioritise, how to position things, what the next six months should actually look like for your digital presence. That's a whole job on its own.

That's where the Partnership comes in.

I work with a small number of founders on an ongoing retained basis as their embedded digital lead. What that looks like in practice: for one client it means a full marcomms plan built months in advance, blog posts written, edited and published on schedule, a newsletter that goes out every month without her having to brief anyone, and SEO content planned around the moments that matter most in her business calendar. For another it means writing and sending the monthly newsletter, handling press opportunities as they come in, and making sure the website keeps pace with where the business is going. For another, it's blog planning for the year, editing every post, and getting everything live so she never has to chase it.

Always, it means having someone who holds the bigger picture so you don't have to.

This is not a social media management service. It's something more rare: a strategic partner who understands your business deeply enough that you never have to over-explain anything. Someone who just gets it, and shows up every month to make things happen.

When this works well, and it does, you'll wonder how you managed it all on your own.

Book a discovery call →

"I've been working with Shannon for over 6 years now, and I honestly couldn't imagine my business without her. She's designed multiple websites for me over the years, and has always maintained, updated, and evolved them as my business has changed and grown. She's on a completely different level when it comes to what she does. Not only does she create beautiful, high-end websites, but she also thinks about the function of your business, helping you become more systemised, automated, and streamlined behind the scenes. What I love most is how well she understands my vision. I never have to over-explain things, she just gets it, and somehow brings it to life even better than I imagined. Working with Shannon has genuinely been one of the best investments I've made in my business. If you're looking for someone who combines design, strategy, and a real understanding of how a business should run, she's the one."

— Fay Harris, Socialuxe UK

"It's been amazing working with Shannon. Since launch, the site has helped reposition our brand. We're attracting more advertisers through the website itself, strengthening our partnerships, and building our email list properly. It's given us the foundations to explore expansion beyond Essex into neighbouring counties. She's helped refine our positioning, improve how we communicate with advertisers, and build a platform that genuinely supports growth. I'm genuinely proud to share the site everywhere."
— Graham, Over The Edge Magazine
"I have worked with Shannon now for over 6 years right from my initial website design to my brand new website and rebrand. Shannon is incredible at what she does, so insightful and able to offer insight as to what can help create a strong website and brand to bring in more customers. Over the years her services for me have included blog support, newsletters and so much more for my business. Shannon understands my business and the way to market and position my business to give me the strongest chance of success. She is so lovely and a real pleasure to work with, always offering suggestions for my business I hadn't even thought of. I truly love my new website and can't recommend Shannon highly enough for this service or any other support you need in your business."
— Barbara Ayisi
“Shannon has added SO much value to my business! I'm absolutely over the moon with my website, Shannon couldn't have been more helpful, kind, passionate and professional!

If you are thinking of getting a website made or edited Shannon, GO FOR IT! It will be one of the best decisions and investments you make for your business. Thank you Shannon for your amazing expertise and knowledge you really are the best!”
— Mollie, The Hair Hut
"Shannon helped me develop a more functional website and got it appearing on search engines. My client base has grown thanks to the work she's done for my skin clinic in Colchester, SkinRenewal. And when I had the idea for a second business, 40+ Skin Bootcamp, she helped me bring it to life too. I couldn't have done it without her."
— Carla, SkinRenewal & 40+ Skin Bootcamp

Ready to show up the way your business deserves?

You've done the hard part. You've built something real. Let's make sure the world can see it properly. Message me on WhatsApp or email hello@highflyingdesign.com.

Shannon Kate Murray

A Squarespace web designer for founders in beauty, wellness and lifestyle who have outgrown their current website. Before founding High Flying Design, she was Assistant Director of Marketing and Operations at ThoughtLDR, a global thought leadership agency. She also founded and edits High Flying Design Magazine, an online publication for female founders.

Follow Shannon on Instagram @xshannonkate. Feed preview for you to enjoy below. Prefer LinkedIn? You can find her there, too.