Karolina Uvarkina on her E-Commerce Email Marketing Agency

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

My name is Karolina, and I’m a co-founder of Enflow Digital - an e-commerce email marketing agency. We are proud to be recognized as one of Omnisend’s top 3 agency partners worldwide, maintaining a perfect 5-star review record from our clients (having helped raise them $30mln+ so far!).

Who are your customers?

Around 95% of our clients are in e-commerce, spanning industries like wellness, skincare, pet care, jewelry, and sports. We also work with service providers like trainers and coaches, and occasionally SaaS clients, but our main jam is e-commerce.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I started my career in corporate, working as a tax consultant for a Big4 company. While it was considered as super prestigious among my peers (and fun fact: I was the youngest employee in the company's Ukrainian branch), I really felt that I was following someone's else dream path, but not mine. I quitted the Big4 even though my environment and even some family members called me a fool to initially pivot to a freelance career as a digital marketer (I actually have a degree in marketing that has been my passion from the very beginning). So, from the first $5 on Upwork to launching a best-in-class email marketing agency in 4 years - that's been a journey!

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Upon reflecting, I can definitely admit that deep down, I'd been always dreaming about that. I tried launching my first business in the university, when I was 17 y.o. or so. Ordered a bunch of travel organizers from China and tried selling them on Instagram (back in times it even didn't have DMs haha!!). Was writing some travel notes from my experience and even worked with influencers before knowing that influencer marketing exists :) Had to wrap up the project because my environment wanted me to get "a real job", and at that time, I really lacked confidence in almost anything I was trying to do. Nevertheless, I'm really grateful for my corporate experience - it truly gave me a solid foundations to keep on going now!

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

I'd been limiting myself & our agency growth for too long by simply not knowing (or to be absolutely frank, not wanting!) how to properly delegate. I had a fear that others won’t do the job as well as I can + was really overseeing what can be delegated because I was literally swamped with all things operation. After working on my mindset and learning to trust my employees more, I finally have more time for strategic brainstorming. Not to mention it’s incredibly rewarding to see my team members grow as they tackle more complex tasks!

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

I still can't believe we're among top 4 Omnisend agency partners WORLDWIDE!

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

Definitely exploring more lifecycle marketing opportunities for our clients such as Retention.com and Sonar from Triple Whale, so more to come on that front. At the same time, I'm definitely all about qualitative not quantitive growth. I don't see us hiring 10 more designers and becoming a factory of open-and-delete emails. Instead, I see us further expanding the ecommerce expertise, growing more email marketing rockstars internally and keeping up to the high standards our clients are expecting from us.

What is your top productivity tip? 

Very demure, very mindful: 1) going to bed no later than 11 PM, 2) meticulously tracking all work-related tasks in ClickUp (and ensuring the team does the same), and 3) when you work, you work [see: deep focus]. No Instagram scrolling, no replying to random personal messages. Ideally, you stick to one task at a time — whether it’s proofreading, checking monthly client reports, or responding to emails.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

By investing in quality time off! It was fine to work from 5 a.m. to midnight in my early 20s. But as I approach 30... not so much 🤪. Add sleep deprivation from taking care of a baby at night.

I haven’t felt this refreshed and full of ideas since my first vacation in five years. Even short weekend getaways do the trick. Bragging about working on Saturdays stopped when I got a second full-time 24/7 job — being a mom. Overworking drains me too much, and that impacts everything.

Low-energy leader = business disaster.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?*

I wish I had invested more in community engagement from the start. Honestly, there were times when I didn’t log into the platform for months. And we all know it’s not about being too busy — it’s about setting the wrong priorities.

Are you a Mamaprenista? If so, please share your best advice for simultaneously managing a business and a family:

Yes, I actually got pregnant around the same time we launched the agency, so it felt like raising two babies at once! Now Milana is already a toddler, and I couldn't be more grateful for the decision to take the risk and become an entrepreneur. It’s given me the freedom to stay close to my baby and not miss out on those small yet incredibly important moments —like her first steps, first words, or even preparing a three-course baby menu every day, haha! People often talk about the financial freedom that comes with owning a business, but the freedom to be there for your child is truly priceless.

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

I can't imagine our operations without ClickUp now. In the beginning, when we didn’t have many clients and had no employees, it was manageable to keep things in Notion or even Notes app. But as we grew, it became clear just how important well-defined & structured processes are.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Assess the risks, but don’t let those who doubt your success determine your path.

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