GrowthPoint HubSpot Theme

A bold, colorful, & clean HubSpot theme for the entrepreneur that's ready to grow on HubSpot. Featuring ample white space, organic lines, & 25 customizable templates built with 35 hand-crafted modules

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Inspiration

I've built well over 100 websites on HubSpot in the last 10+ years and have seen the technology improve and grow. When I started my own HubSpot Partner Firm in 2015, I was just a self-employed contractor trying to help clients and build a business. I've seen the disparity between the free options and the true custom builds out there and I wanted to create our own "middle-ground" option for the clients I've met along the way that got lost between those two areas.

I have built templates and modules for the HubSpot Marketplace in the past few years, but the technology was always lacking to truly create a seamless package for the non-developer with a limited budget on HubSpot. Now, with the latest update to Themes, the dream of building a self-contained web design option for the marketer or entrepreneur to build their own brand without a developer became very real.

What it does

GrowthPoint features 25 Templates and 35 Custom Modules to give the user everything they need in HubSpot CMS to design and build a site that matches their brand. NO CODING IS REQUIRED.

How we built it

We built this theme from the ground up, starting with UX and Design discussions, as well as high-fidelity mock-ups, all prior to development. It was then built out and tested for quality assurance internally by two different certified HubSpot CMS Developers, as well as certified HubSpot Marketing Hub Manager (non-developer) for ease-of-use and feedback. After that, we ran it through HubSpot's proprietary validation system both locally on CLI, as well as in their Marketplace Submission process, which the theme passed with no issues. Finally, we received additional user feedback and recommendations from HubSpot developers that specialize in their Marketplace and implemented those changes, then resubmitted it for final approval.

Challenges we ran into

One of the issues with themes in the HubSpot Marketplace today is that they tend to be less colorful, more generic, and/or overpriced for what you get. We wanted to provide an excellent value at an affordable price that also didn't look like every other theme. That said, making organic lines editable without development, as well as modules, created many issues where we constantly had to debate and resolve form over function. Getting this right in a way that the user could have a lot of flexibility without actually breaking the theme was a constant challenge we overcame, time and time again.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

In the spirit of doing a HubSpot Theme that does not look like everyone else, we made choices that really help GrowthPoint stand out. For instance:

  1. Having curved lines that match the theme's accent color and are fully customizable through CSS, not image slices.
  2. We chose to add a special design feature to puts random shapes as a visual design accent behind featured images in several modules. We provided 6 different options out of the box, as well as an option for the user to upload their own shape or accent.
  3. We made a pop-up video module a core asset that can be used on any template - something HubSpot does not provide out of the box.
  4. A Resources page that is NOT a hacked HubSpot blog, but a robust module that can be customized by the user to feed in the latest posts from specific topics on their HubSpot blog via RSS, as well as the option to create a completely manual list of curated resources with full control of the content.
  5. Most users don't know that a HubSpot Theme can be mixed and matched with different modules to create unique layouts and templates beyond what comes with it. So we chose to highlight this by offering a starting point template called "Blank slate" that calls this out and encourages the user to be creative!

What we learned

We learned a lot about HubSpot Theme development for the Marketplace in terms of the documentation available vs. what might actually be possible. More than that, we learned more and more about the critical choices that a developer needs to make for the non-coder in delivering a package that delights the user and brings maximum value for the package and price.

What's next for GrowthPoint HubSpot Theme

We plan to release a FREE version of this theme for non-profits and B-corps, as well as build out a more robust professional offering that provides an even more custom website with GrowthPoint as the backbone.

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Updates

posted an update —

GrowthPoint is currently going through the submission process to the HubSpot Marketplace. As we make minor tweaks and improvements, we should not that the original submissions had 34 custom modules, but that is now 35 included in the theme and growing. We'll keep you posted when it's all approved!

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