Upwork's client tier structure had a gap — the free plan wasn't enough, and Enterprise was too much. Business Plus was built to bridge it: a self-serve mid-tier product designed from the ground up for SMB clients who needed premium access without a dedicated rep.
—Net-new product with no existing user mental model — content strategy had to define, differentiate, and activate simultaneously
—Simplified a dashboard built on Enterprise infrastructure through progressive disclosure across onboarding, empty, active, and upsell states
—Unified three fragmented upgrade and downgrade flows into one standardized pattern, approved through design systems and adopted platform-wide
—Built the Uma Recruiter content system — a multi-state AI recruiting flow that increased fill rates 2.5% over human recruiters
—Designed the full upgrade nudge system: landing page, in-product modals, and entitlement triggers that drove 6–85% conversion lifts
Business Plus launched in spring 2025, grew 49% QoQ in clients, and ultimately replaced Enterprise as Upwork's primary SMB offering.