How Observatory Eliminated Form Headaches for a Growing Agency
We spoke with Peter Lloyd, founder of Observatory, about how switching to Formspree transformed his client workflow and freed him to focus on what he does best: design and frontend development.
From Agency Developer to Solo Entrepreneur
Peter Lloyd has been building websites for nearly a decade. After spending years as a frontend developer at a traditional agency, he took the leap into freelance work seven years ago, eventually founding Observatory, his own web design and development studio.
“Most of the sites I build are marketing sites — not heavy on the backend,” Peter explains. “I focus on design and frontend work, and sometimes I’ll team up with backend developers for more complex projects. But honestly, I prefer to keep things simple and reliable.”
Peter’s client base spans a variety of industries, from professional services to healthcare and wellness businesses. His approach is straightforward: use proven tools like Netlify for hosting and Astro with Storyblok for headless CMS solutions. But when it came to forms, his “simple and reliable” philosophy was being tested.
When Simple Solutions Stop Working
Like many developers, Peter initially turned to his hosting provider’s built-in solution. “I was using Netlify forms at first because it was right there — no extra cost, seemed like the obvious choice,” he recalls.
But what started as a convenient solution quickly became a frustration.
I kept running into problems with spam and bots. Even with Netlify’s captcha and honeypot protection, spam was still getting through to my clients.
The workflow issues were just as problematic.
It wasn’t just the spam—the whole process felt clunky. My clients were getting frustrated, and honestly, so was I.
For a solo agency owner juggling sales, marketing, design, and development, form headaches were the last thing Peter needed. As a one-person operation where Peter had to do everything, he strongly felt that the more he could reliably offload, the better.
The Search for Something Better
When Peter started looking for alternatives, his requirements were clear: “I wanted something easy that would handle all the backend work for me. I didn’t want to think about it — I just wanted it to work.”
That’s when he discovered Formspree.
What I liked immediately was the simplicity. You can just drop it into any form element and know it’s going to work. Clean, straightforward form handling without any complicated setup.
But it wasn’t just the technical simplicity that won Peter over. It was also the fact that he could depend on the product to solve his problems.
Sure, Netlify forms were ‘free,’ but I was willing to spend money to not have to deal with problems. When you’re running a business, your time is worth something.
The plugin ecosystem was another factor.
I could see that Formspree had integrations with tools my clients were already using — Google Sheets, Airtable, things like that. It felt like a more complete solution.
Discovering Reliability He Could Count On
Once Peter made the switch, the difference was immediate. “The ease of use is incredible. I can spin up a form, grab the endpoint, pop it into the action attribute, and I don’t even need to test it — I know it’s going to work.”
This reliability became a cornerstone of Peter’s client relationships.
My clients know what to expect now. When I tell them their contact form is set up, they trust that it’s actually going to deliver their leads.
Peter’s form types vary based on client needs: “Mostly contact forms, but I’ve built work request forms, patient satisfaction surveys for healthcare clients, job application forms, newsletter signups. One yoga studio client uses theirs for retreat bookings. Usually anywhere from 2 to 10 input fields.”
The spam problem that plagued his Netlify setup? “I use Formshield, and some forms have captcha when needed. Honestly, I haven’t really had problems with spam since switching. It just works.”
Observatory's simple lead capture form, powered by Formspree
Streamlining Client Workflows
What Peter didn’t expect was how Formspree would improve his client delivery process. “I love that I can integrate with tools my clients are already comfortable with,” he explains. “Some clients want submissions to go to Airtable, others prefer Google Sheets. I’ve even set up a Mailchimp integration for newsletter signups.”
This flexibility has become a selling point for Observatory.
Clients appreciate that their form data ends up somewhere they can actually use it, not just sitting in another dashboard they have to learn.
Peter particularly values Formspree’s unified interface. “Having one familiar view to see all my forms across different clients makes management so much easier. I can check on everything from one place.”
The Power of Not Thinking About It
For Peter, the ultimate measure of success is simplicity.
It works so well that I don’t even think about it anymore," he says. “That’s exactly what I want from a tool like this.
This set-it-and-forget-it reliability has freed Peter to focus on growth. “I also have a full-time job, so Observatory is my side business right now. But I’m trying to grow it so I can eventually quit and do this full-time.”
Recent success suggests that plan might be working. “I just landed a huge client, which means I’ll probably need even more forms coming up. The fact that I can scale this part of my workflow without thinking about it is huge.”
What’s Next
Peter’s recommendations to other developers considering Formspree are straightforward: “It’s super intuitive, easy to setup, reliable, and feature-rich. I’ve actually recommended it to friends before because it just works really well.”
Looking ahead, Peter sees Formspree as a key part of Observatory’s growth strategy. “As I take on bigger clients and more complex projects, having a form solution I can trust completely is essential. I can focus on the design and development work that actually moves the needle for my business.”
His advice for fellow solo developers and small agencies?
Don’t waste time fighting with tools that should be simple. Sometimes paying for a real solution is worth way more than the ‘free’ option that costs you hours of troubleshooting.
The Bottom Line
For Peter Lloyd and Observatory, Formspree solved a fundamental business problem: how to deliver reliable, professional form functionality without the overhead of backend complexity or constant maintenance.
“I can drop a Formspree endpoint into any form element and know it’s going to work,” Peter concludes. “For a solo agency, that kind of reliability is invaluable. It lets me focus on what I do best while still delivering exactly what my clients need.”
Observatory is a web design and development studio founded by Peter Lloyd, specializing in marketing sites and headless CMS solutions. Peter has been building websites for nearly a decade and focuses on combining thoughtful design with reliable, modern development practices. Learn more at observatory.team.