What Do You Own, What Do You Rent?
Understand your digital ownership, dependencies and options before making technology decisions.
What Do You Own, What Do You Rent?
Most businesses know what they pay each month.
Far fewer know what they actually own.
Your website, domain name, email, booking systems and software subscriptions all play a role in your business. Some are assets you own. Some are services you rent. Some create dependency on a supplier or platform.
OwnScore helps make that clear.
TWO WAYS TO USE OWNSCORE
OwnScore is the framework. Reviews help you learn. The Own It Audit applies the framework to your business.
Option 01:
OwnScore Reviews
Independent reviews of websites, software and business platforms.
I review popular tools through the lens of:
– Ownership
– Control
– Dependency
– Resilience
The aim is to help you understand the trade-offs before making decisions.
– Free educational content
– YouTube reviews
– Platform comparisons
– Suggested reviews welcome
Option 02:
Own It Audit
A personal review of your own business setup.
Understand what you own, where you depend on suppliers, and any risks worth knowing about.
– Website ownership
– Domain ownership
– Hosting access
– Software dependencies
– Practical recommendations
Why I Created OwnScore
I’ve spoken to many business owners who thought they owned their website, only to discover things weren’t as straightforward as they expected. Sometimes they didn’t control the hosting, sometimes the domain wasn’t in their name, and sometimes key systems were tied to a supplier or platform.
OwnScore was created to provide clarity. It helps you understand what you own, what you control, where you depend on others, and what that means for your business. The goal isn’t to tell you what to buy. It’s to help you make informed decisions with confidence.and whether your current setup gives you the flexibility you need.
The Four Parts of the Score
Ownership
Do you actually own the assets your business relies on?
Control
Can you access, manage and move those assets if needed?
Dependency
What happens if a supplier changes pricing, removes features or closes?
Resilience
How easily can your business adapt if something changes?
OwnScore Reviews – See the Framework in Action
Below shows how the OwnScore framework can be applied to real platforms and business tools.
These reviews are educational content and do not represent recommendations.
Every business has different requirements.
OwnScore for SquareSpace
The first example looks at Squarespace Core, a popular all-in-one website platform. It offers convenience, security and simplicity, but also creates a level of dependency on the platform itself. This resulted in an OwnScore of 65/100.
OwnScore for Calendly
The second example reviews Calendly Standard. Calendly is a scheduling tool rather than a core business asset. While it relies on a subscription, it generally supports systems you already own rather than replacing them. This resulted in an OwnScore of 78/100.
OwnScore for WordPress
The third example looks at an ownership-first WordPress website where the business owns the domain, controls the hosting and can move suppliers if needed. This model provides a higher degree of flexibility and long-term control, resulting in an OwnScore of 92/100.
Suggest a Review – Let me know what you’d like reviewed next
Interested in understanding your own setup?