Growing a DevOps Agency and Creating Economic Opportunities for Brazilian Professionals

DevOps and cloud engineer Thiago Maior has more than 20 years of technical experience; he started his career as a back-end developer for companies based in Brazil. He immediately loved working with software and has always been motivated to solve problems and improve his technical skills.  

Thiago earned several promotions in traditional positions, but reached a point about 10 years into his career when he had limited room for growth. He realized that he’d have to take on a manager or director role to increase his earnings potential, which would mean spending less time on technical work.

“When you become a manager or a director, you have to let go of the whole experience of doing exactly what you like to do,” reflected Thiago. “You’re going to get to a point where you’re just leading people, rather than making an impact from a technical aspect.”

Thiago started exploring other opportunities to grow in his career while continuing to focus on evolving his technical skills.

Thiago in Italy, December 2019

Experiencing early success on Upwork

Thiago first heard about Upwork when one of his friends mentioned it on social media. Thiago had been focusing on DevOps and cloud engineering for a few years prior to seeing the post, and created a profile on Upwork that highlighted his technical experience and service offerings.

As an independent professional on Upwork, Thiago helps small- and medium-sized businesses deploy software solutions into the cloud and create secure, scalable environments to ensure their software products work without any issues or security problems.

“I knew there was a huge potential for work in DevOps and cloud engineering,” explained Thiago. “I created my Upwork profile without any set expectations and started sending a few proposals. Then, something really big happened. I had an interview through Upwork with a large consulting firm based in the U.S. and they hired me on the spot. At that point, everything changed.”

Launching an agency on Upwork

In addition to his early success with the consulting firm, Thiago continued to send proposals for DevOps and cloud engineering projects that aligned with his skills and experience. By earning positive reviews on his Upwork profile, Thiago started receiving more invitations to interview for projects through the Upwork marketplace.

“One day, everything blew up and I started to have 10 to 15 interviews per week,” shared Thiago. “At the same time, I realized that my peers were struggling to work in Brazil, which was why I asked them to work with me.”

Shortly after Thiago began partnering with other professionals in Brazil, he noticed the option to start an agency on Upwork and launched his agency, EZOps Cloud. He partnered with a recruitment specialist to help engage skilled technical talent for the agency. Since its launch, the Top Rated Plus agency has grown to include more than 50 professionals and the team has completed more than 500 jobs, with earnings totaling more than $5 million.

“There's no better way to find clients and especially good clients. We’ve focused on investing in Upwork for so long and our experience has been amazing. Not only for me, but now for the more than 50 people working with us. It’s been an amazing ride and Upwork changed everything for sure.”

Creating opportunities for other professionals in Brazil

As Thiago continues to build his agency, he prioritizes engaging professionals based in Brazil. This approach offers Brazilian professionals opportunities they may not have otherwise had access to in the local market.

“The team keeps getting better and continues to understand exactly what the client wants and all aspects of doing this kind of work,” shared Thiago. “My focus is to find Brazilians because I'm trying to find other Thiagos in Brazil,” shared Thiago. “I'm eager to find people who also want to work remotely, increase their earnings, and improve technically.”

According to Thiago, the Upwork platform gives individuals the chance to grow professionally from a technical and communication standpoint. Working on diverse projects for U.S.-based clients also increases self-esteem, confidence, and earning potential for Brazil-based professionals, making their lives better.  

Thiago and his wife, Thaís, at an EZOps Cloud celebration,  November 2021

Advice to aspiring freelancers

Given his experience and success growing a business on Upwork, Thiago offered words of wisdom for aspiring freelancers, “Creating an Upwork profile is an investment in your whole life.” He emphasized the importance of creating an engaging profile, effectively communicating with clients, and asking for reviews.

Thiago believes one of the top keys to success on Upwork is writing compelling proposals. “I use the RSS feed on Upwork to find the best-fit projects and send customized proposals for each project,” explained Thiago. He has a process in place for writing proposals based on what has worked in the past and also makes sure to be honest and transparent about his skills and experience.

Thiago also encouraged freelancers to stay determined, build relationships with clients, and trust that many opportunities are available on Upwork, especially in the technical space.

How businesses benefit from engaging freelance talent

Based on a decade of building long-term relationships with clients, Thiago has seen the firsthand benefits businesses experience when engaging independent talent on Upwork.
“Upwork offers something that you can't find anywhere,” said Thiago. “Clients tell me they grow dependent on Upwork because the alternative is hiring an external, full-service agency.”

“Sometimes, clients want small projects and most companies don't want to sell you that. Through Upwork, you can complete similar projects at a fraction of the price and often at a higher quality. Another benefit is that it doesn’t matter where the freelancer is located. They can help from around the world. Removing the limitation of hiring in a specific location changes everything.”

From a DevOps and cloud engineering perspective, Thiago also pointed out how critical the problems that he and his agency solve are for clients.

“Clients often approach our team with a problem, such as their app not working or spending too much money on cloud computing, and these problems have a significant impact on the business,” explained Thiago. “Such problems even have the potential to make a business go under. Before approaching our agency, clients often look for other options only for the solutions to be more expensive, or they simply can’t find anyone skilled enough to solve the problem.”

Thiago continued, “We have a process to identify solutions to critical problems and help ensure clients’ environments are stable and secure. We’ve even reached a point with some clients when they no longer need to work with us because we’ve made their environment so stable.”

Continuing to develop technical skills and positively impact clients

Thiago now has more than 10 years of experience on Upwork, has completed more than 200 jobs, and is an Expert-Vetted professional. Growing a business on Upwork has enabled Thiago to increase his earnings while continuing to focus on his passions—working on technical projects and collaborating with clients.

“In addition to leading a team of more than 50 people, I'm still highly technical,” said Thiago. “I still participate in interviews, talk to clients, and directly discuss solutions. Upwork’s structure means our agency doesn’t need a big management team and I have the flexibility to continue focusing on technical projects.”  

His success on Upwork has also helped Thiago support his growing family. In 2022, he moved to the United States and some of his clients wrote reference letters as part of the green card approval process. He also recently had a child and before discovering Upwork, he never imagined he’d have the opportunity to raise a child in the United States.

Thiago at the Statue of Liberty, August 2017
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Thiago is eager to continue delivering quality work for clients, build positive relationships, and grow his client base. He exclaimed, “To this day, receiving a message from Upwork with an offer is an amazing feeling. That’s what I like the most about Upwork for sure.”

If you’re interested in engaging Thiago or his agency, EZOps Cloud, for a DevOps or cloud engineering project, check out his profile, book a consultation, or invite him to interview for one of your projects.