From Freelancer to Agency Owner
Ihor’s Upwork story began more than eight years ago. At that time, freelancing was far less competitive: there were no paid job submissions, no profile promotions, and talented specialists could quickly gain traction. He recalls how a single 40-hour-per-week project allowed him to quit his full-time job after only three months of freelancing.
I was working full time in a completely different niche, and I just wanted extra income at night. Very soon, I got a project with 40 hours per week, and after three months I quit my job to focus only on freelancing.
This personal success led to the formation of IGT.Digital, where Ihor scaled his solo practice into a small team of three to four people, eventually creating an agency profile on Upwork.
Lead Generation System
For years, Ihor relied almost entirely on Upwork as his primary source of clients, with occasional referrals supplementing the pipeline. His system was simple but effective:
- A teammate applied for jobs late at night, aligning with North American posting times.
- Each job post was pre-qualified: the team checked client ratings, budgets, and hiring history before submitting proposals.
- Responses were passed to a salesperson, who handled communication until contracts were signed.
At its peak, this system brought in so many invitations that the agency sometimes stopped bidding altogether.
Challenges & Bottlenecks
However, the model began to falter as Upwork grew more competitive:
- Time Zone Gap: By the time Ihor’s team applied in the morning, jobs already had 10+ proposals.
- Increased Competition: Paid bidding and promoted profiles made it harder to stand out.
- Operational Stress: Managing night-shift applications added complexity and fatigue.
- Stalled Growth: For nearly two years, the agency had no new Upwork contracts, surviving on referrals and existing clients.
We had this time gap between the job being posted and our team applying. By then, there were already numerous applications, and our chances were much lower. I even considered hiring someone just to work night shifts.
Searching for a Better Way
When Ihor decided to restart client acquisition, he debated two paths:
- Hiring staff to manage night-time bidding.
- Automating applications to bypass time zone problems entirely.
Hiring proved problematic. The Ukrainian job market was disrupted by war; many skilled professionals had relocated to more expensive countries with higher salary expectations. Worse, scam “job offices” promised unrealistic pay and complicated recruitment.
Why GigRadar Was the Best Choice
GigRadar emerged as the smarter option. It offered:
- Instant applications without time zone limits.
- Automation that replaced manual staff oversight.
- Cost efficiency comparable to hiring but with greater reliability.
- Credibility from peers and Ukrainian roots that Ihor already trusted.
I realized it would take one or two months to hire the right person, train them, and still pay around $500 per month. With GigRadar, I could just pay, set it up, and go. It solved the time zone issue right away.
Ihor saw it as a worthwhile investment compared to delays and inefficiency.
How the Process Changed
With GigRadar, IGT.Digital’s lead generation became more strategic and data-driven:
- Proposals are submitted immediately after jobs are posted.
- Dashboards provide detailed metrics on reply rates and proposal performance.
- Custom scanners allow Ihor to filter out irrelevant jobs with negative keywords.
- He experiments with cover letter formats, testing short vs. long pitches to match different client preferences.
As a marketer, I look for metrics. With GigRadar dashboards, I can test which type of cover letter converts better depending on the job description. It’s not just automation, it gives me tools to optimize.
Early Results
- Proposals: ~80 sent in the first month.
- Contracts: 1 contract in the first month with GigRadar, considering Ihor was partly focused on another project during the same period.
- Insights gained: Clear understanding of how automation can replace manual bidding and create room for testing strategies.
Ihor sees GigRadar as a long-term play and a way to scale consistently without adding headcount or sacrificing sleep.
Conclusion
Despite being only in the second month of use, Ihor sees GigRadar as a game-changer for agencies like his. The platform solves the biggest barrier, time zones, and introduces a structured, data-driven approach to bidding.
GigRadar is not a magic button. You still need to do profile optimization. But it removes the heavy lifting of manual bidding and lets you focus on improving your strategy instead of wasting time.
For IGT.Digital, the journey with GigRadar is already starting well. The real test will be in the coming months, but the foundation for faster, smarter growth on Upwork is already in place.
Ready to Scale Your Agency on Upwork?
Don’t let time zones and competition block your growth.
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