Why One Entrepreneur Chose To Build His Agency on Upwork

John Saunders had an idea — several ideas, in fact. At the time, he was working as a solo freelancer on web design and development projects. But he had plans for bigger, more wide-reaching work, too, from an inclusive illustration library to games and interactive content.

To make all of these dreams a reality, Saunders was going to need a team.

The challenge

When Saunders first tried to hire a team, he found the process convoluted and difficult. He knew there was a wide world of highly skilled talent out there — but finding and hiring the right individuals became a complicated affair. Existing solutions that Saunders tried just left the process more convoluted than before.

Until he found Upwork.

The solution

When Saunders first logged on to Upwork, he found a big pool of talent he could easily hire — including Jay and Patricia, two professionals who’ve been an essential part of Saunders’ success.

“Jay is my right-hand man at my branding and design agency, 5Four Digital,” said Saunders. “He’s been instrumental in helping us grow and optimize. And Patricia was hired to do data entry for us, but was so efficient and hardworking I asked if there was anything else she wanted to do. She’s continued to grow her skills, and today she manages our quality assurance. Nothing goes live without her looking at it, and she’s really helped us mitigate issues.”

As Saunders’ agency — and his other creative ventures, including Black Illustrations® — have continued to grow, he’s returned to Upwork to expand his team.

”The process is easy on Upwork,” said Saunders. “The talent pool is amazing. I love how profiles are structured, and it’s really easy to find freelancers or invite people to apply to the jobs I post.”

The results

Today, Saunders’ agency has more than 25 professionals engaged through the Upwork platform, including designers, data specialists, and branding experts.

“Being able to leverage a remote team has been so beneficial for us,” said Saunders. “It’s so easy to organize and structure deals with our potential prospects and clients.”

Saunders continues to use Upwork to look for experienced professionals with specific skills and the right mindset.

“If someone comes in and they’re ready to work, they’re hungry and excited, then I’m more than happy to provide them with the education and any tools they might need to grow and excel with us,“ said Saunders.

Right now, the future for 5Four Digital involves finding additional freelancers who can help Saunders continue to leverage AI in ways that are valuable to the agency’s clients. And while the skills Saunders needs to source may change over time, he knows he can find what he needs on Upwork.

“We’re in this for the long haul,” said Saunders. “We’re scaling our efforts through Upwork — it’s our biggest superpower.”