CRM for Agencies & Freelancers

How ClientJoy Grew to 16,000 Users with Strategic Content Marketing

February 28th, 2025

Founded By

Yash Shah

Monthly Revenue

$225K

Founders

Employees

28 (est.)

Monthly Traffic

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2014

Customer

B2B & B2C

Revenue Per Visitor

$Inf

Founded By
Yash Shah: Monthly Revenue
$225K: Founders
3

Employees
28 (est.): Monthly Traffic
0: Profitable
Yes

Year Started
2014: Customer
B2B & B2C: Revenue Per Visitor
$Inf

Who is Yash Shah?

Yash Shah, co-founder and CEO of ClientJoy, is originally from India and has a background in engineering. Before starting ClientJoy, he co-founded an IT agency with his friends, including Anupama Panchal, who later became his wife and is a co-founder of the company.

What problem does CRM for Agencies & Freelancers solve?

ClientJoy solves the chaotic juggling of multiple tools for agencies and freelancers by providing a single platform for managing clients, projects, and payments smoothly, reducing stress and saving time.

How did Yash come up with the idea for CRM for Agencies & Freelancers?

Yash Shah and his co-founders identified a significant pain point from their personal experience running a 55-person IT agency. They found the collaboration between agencies and clients was inefficient, with the agency heavily reliant on multiple disconnected tools for managing sales, projects, and client communications. The realization came from their firsthand struggle with managing client communications over several platforms, causing delays and administrative burden.

The team decided to tackle this problem by talking to other agencies. They conducted conversations with around 200 people across 33 companies in various agency sectors to validate that this was a widespread issue. The consistent feedback confirmed the problem they experienced was common, and it was through these discussions that they refined their idea to create a CRM specifically tailored for agencies and freelancers.

Facing challenges typical of new products, like figuring out customer needs without a clear picture of their users, they learned the importance of building for a real market need rather than assuming what clients wanted. Their initial product iteration received critical feedback, which they used to make informed improvements. This iterative approach taught them that negative feedback, albeit tough, indicated a vested interest in their solution, driving them to refine and better the product continually.

How did Yash Shah build the initial version of CRM for Agencies & Freelancers?

Yash Shah and his team began building ClientJoy in 2019, utilizing their prior experience in developing SaaS products for clients. They embarked on a six-month journey to create the first version, relying on in-house engineers and designers. The initial prototype faced significant criticism, revealing shortcomings in features and design, which highlighted the clear distinction between developing a product for a client versus the mass market. These initial challenges underscored the importance of extensive user research and adaptation, as the founding team had to quickly adjust from receiving prescriptive client-driven requirements to interpreting and meeting the diverse needs of a broader customer base. Despite the tumultuous early feedback, the team turned the criticism into motivation, recognizing that user engagement, albeit negative, was preferable to indifference, and thus iterated rapidly on their product based on this input.

What was the growth strategy for CRM for Agencies & Freelancers and how did they scale?

SEO

ClientJoy focused heavily on SEO-driven content marketing to grow its user base. They created content that addressed the pain points of their target audience—agencies and freelancers—thereby improving their search engine visibility. This strategic emphasis on producing content that resonated with their audience helped in capturing organic traffic. By identifying and targeting specific keywords that potential customers were searching for, ClientJoy was able to draw in a steady stream of new users through search engines.

Why it worked: The SEO strategy was effective because it attracted customers who were already searching for solutions to manage client relationships better. By ensuring that their website and content addressed these specific needs, ClientJoy positioned itself as a viable and attractive solution.

Targeted Advertising

ClientJoy used targeted advertising on platforms like Instagram, aiming to connect with their ideal customer segments. This strategy allowed them to precisely reach agencies and freelancers, especially in regions like the US and Canada, which were identified as key markets.

Why it worked: Targeted ads helped them reach their niche audience effectively. By focusing their advertising efforts on platforms like Instagram, where their target customers are active, ClientJoy was able to drive meaningful engagement and conversions.

Inbound Marketing & Lead Magnets

ClientJoy utilized inbound marketing techniques, creating valuable content specifically tailored to agency growth rather than just promoting their product. This approach included lead magnets—compelling offers that encouraged visitors to provide their contact information, effectively turning web traffic into leads.

Why it worked: By providing genuinely helpful content and resources, ClientJoy built trust and established authority in the agency space. This fostered positive engagement and nurtured leads, effectively guiding potential customers down the conversion funnel.

Partnerships and Competitor Funnels

They explored competitor funnels to understand and capture potential customers looking for alternative solutions. By mapping out competitor offerings and customer journeys, ClientJoy identified gaps and positioned themselves as a differentiated solution for agencies.

Why it worked: Partnering with other brands and analyzing competitor funnels allowed them to tap into an already interested audience. By offering a unique proposition, ClientJoy could steer potential customers their way, especially those who were dissatisfied with existing solutions.

What's the pricing strategy for CRM for Agencies & Freelancers?

ClientJoy offers a tiered pricing model starting at $19 per month for individual users, scaling to $99 per month for larger teams, with a free trial available.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building CRM for Agencies & Freelancers?

Embrace Feedback: ClientJoy learned the hard way from early criticisms of their MVP. They realized the importance of listening to customer feedback to improve the product and meet actual needs.
Build a Strong Team: Initially, convincing talented individuals to join the startup was difficult. They learned that attracting and retaining great team members is crucial for business success.
Adapt and Evolve: Through continuous learning and adapting their strategies, they shifted from building products for clients to crafting solutions that addressed the broader market's needs.
Balance Vision with Action: They understood that having a mission is important, but attaching timelines ensures focus and drive, turning visions into actionable goals.
Execute Over Ideate: ClientJoy emphasized that ideas are plentiful; it's the execution and building on those ideas that truly drive success.

CRM for Agencies & Freelancers Acquisition: How much did CRM for Agencies & Freelancers sell for and what was the acquisition price?

ClientJoy was acquired in April 2024 by Momentum Ventures for an undisclosed eight-figure sum, after growing to 16,000 customers through targeted inbound marketing and strategic growth initiatives.

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