BEYOND WEBSITES: EXPANDING BGI INTO IT SUPPORT

BreakGround Innovations has always been about more than simply putting a website online.

The bigger idea behind BGI is helping businesses build and improve the digital side of how they operate.

Sometimes that means a website.

Sometimes it's an e-commerce store.

Sometimes it's branding, automation, software, digital systems, or figuring out how different pieces of technology can work together.

But lately I've been thinking more about what happens after those systems are in place.

Because technology doesn't stop needing attention once it's built.

People still need support.

Computers have problems. Employees get locked out of accounts. Software stops working the way it's supposed to. New employees need access to systems. Passwords need to be reset. Microsoft 365 needs support. Devices need to be configured. Applications need troubleshooting.

And when something goes wrong in the middle of a workday, somebody has to figure it out.

That has me looking at another direction for BreakGround Innovations:

IT support.

More specifically, I'm currently working through what could become BGI Helpdesk Services—a remote IT support and managed helpdesk solution for businesses that need dependable technical support without necessarily building an entire IT department of their own.

WHY IT MAKES SENSE FOR BGI

At first glance, website development and IT support might seem like two completely different businesses.

I don't really see it that way.

They're different services, but they're connected by the same thing:

Businesses depend on technology.

A company might come to BGI because it needs a better website or e-commerce operation today.

As that company grows, it might start hiring employees, adding software, using Microsoft 365, managing more user accounts, introducing new devices, or dealing with technical problems that weren't there when the business was smaller.

Eventually somebody has to answer a simple question:

Who do we contact when something stops working?

Building technology is one side of the equation.

Supporting the people who depend on it is another.

That's where I see an opportunity for BGI to eventually do more.

NOT EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS AN INTERNAL IT DEPARTMENT

Larger organizations can have entire IT departments.

They may have helpdesk technicians, system administrators, network engineers, cybersecurity teams, managers, and specialists responsible for different parts of the technology environment.

A smaller business may not have that luxury.

Hiring an entire internal IT team can become expensive quickly.

But being too small for an internal IT department doesn't mean a business stops having IT problems.

The problems still happen.

The employee who can't access an account still needs help.

The computer that isn't working properly still has to be addressed.

The new hire still needs to get set up.

The software issue still needs to be investigated.

The support ticket still needs an answer.

That's one of the gaps I'm interested in exploring with BGI Helpdesk Services.

Instead of a business immediately having to build its own support operation from scratch, BGI could potentially provide access to remote technical support through a managed service structure.

WHAT BGI HELPDESK SERVICES COULD LOOK LIKE

The exact service structure is still being worked out, and I want to be clear about that.

This isn't me announcing a finished service and pretending every detail has already been decided.

I'm building the foundation.

The current vision is a remote helpdesk service that could support businesses with common day-to-day technology issues and provide employees with an organized way to get technical assistance.

Depending on the final structure and the resources available through BGI's technical partners, support could potentially include:

• Remote desktop troubleshooting
• User and account support
• Password and access assistance
• Microsoft 365 support
• Software and application troubleshooting
• Device support
• New-user setup and onboarding assistance
• Ticket-based technical support
• General technical guidance for employees
• Issue escalation when more advanced expertise is required
• Ongoing remote helpdesk support

Over time, there could also be opportunities to connect helpdesk support with other IT services and technologies.

But I'm not interested in putting twenty services on a webpage just because they sound good.

I want to know how they're going to be delivered first.

I DON'T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MYSELF

This is probably one of the biggest changes in how I think about building businesses today compared with years ago.

There was a time when I thought starting a business meant I needed to personally know how to do almost everything the business offered.

I don't look at it that way anymore.

That doesn't mean you can sell something you know absolutely nothing about and just hope somebody else figures it out.

You still need to understand what you're offering.

You need to understand what the client expects.

You need systems.

You need quality control.

You need communication.

And most importantly, you need people you can trust to actually deliver.

But I don't need to personally be the web developer, software engineer, helpdesk technician, cybersecurity specialist, designer, project manager, salesperson, receptionist, and every other position required to grow BreakGround Innovations.

That's not realistic.

My role is increasingly becoming about putting the right pieces together.

BUILDING THE RIGHT PARTNER NETWORK

That's one of the things I'm actively working on right now.

I'm talking with developers, technical teams, technology companies, service providers, and other potential partners to figure out who could become part of BGI's delivery network.

Some relationships may make sense.

Others won't.

And that's fine.

One team may be strong in website and e-commerce development.

Another may specialize in custom software.

Another may be better suited for mobile applications or AI.

Another company may have the infrastructure and technical staff needed to support a managed helpdesk operation.

I don't necessarily need one company to do everything.

I'd rather build relationships with people who are good at what they do and know who I can go to when a particular type of project or client need comes through the door.

That also means asking more questions before calling somebody a partner.

How do they communicate?

How do they price their work?

How do they handle confidentiality?

Who owns the work when a project is finished?

Will they respect BGI's relationship with the client?

Can they work behind the scenes when necessary?

What happens when something goes wrong?

What happens after launch?

Can I trust them with a client I've worked to bring into BGI?

Those questions matter just as much as technical ability.

The cheapest provider isn't automatically the best partner.

I'm trying to build a network I can actually depend on.

BGI REMAINS PART OF THE RELATIONSHIP

Working with outside resources doesn't mean I want BreakGround Innovations to simply hand a customer off to another company and disappear.

That's not the model I'm building.

The idea is for BGI to remain responsible for the overall relationship and experience.

A client comes to BreakGround Innovations with a need.

We understand what they're trying to accomplish.

We determine what kind of solution makes sense.

We coordinate the appropriate resources.

And we remain involved in making sure the solution is delivered properly.

The specialists behind a project may change depending on what needs to be done.

The relationship with BGI doesn't.

That's an important distinction for me.

BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE BEFORE THE CLIENT NEEDS IT

It's easy to say you offer something.

It's harder to actually be ready when somebody says yes.

That's why I've been spending time working on things people may never see from the outside.

Development resources.

Potential technology partners.

Customer service.

Call procedures.

Business email.

Client communication.

Support processes.

Project delivery.

The systems behind the company.

I'm currently putting professional live customer service in place for BGI so there can be a real person answering the phone and handling calls professionally.

I'm strengthening the development side and having conversations with potential technical partners that could help BGI handle different types of projects.

Now I'm exploring the infrastructure needed to add remote IT support and managed helpdesk services to that operation.

Things may be slow starting out while I work on bringing clients in.

I'm okay with that.

I'd rather have more of the machine built before I start trying to put a lot of business through it.

MY OWN INTEREST IN IT

There's another reason this direction makes sense to me.

I've been spending more time learning information technology myself.

IT support, computer systems, troubleshooting, cybersecurity, and the technology businesses depend on have become areas I want to understand better.

I'm continuing to strengthen my technical knowledge while also thinking about how that knowledge could eventually connect with what I'm building through BGI.

I'm not going to present myself as someone who has spent twenty years working professionally in IT.

I haven't.

I'm still learning.

But I don't see being in the learning stage as a reason to stay away from the industry.

I see it as a reason to keep learning while putting experienced people and resources around the business where they're needed.

The more I learn about IT, the more I realize how much technology is operating behind businesses every day without most people thinking about it.

Until something stops working.

Then suddenly it becomes everybody's problem.

That's part of what makes the helpdesk side of BGI interesting to me.

FROM ONE-TIME PROJECTS TO ONGOING SUPPORT

There's also a business reason this direction makes sense.

A website project eventually ends.

An e-commerce store eventually launches.

A software project eventually reaches a point where the initial development work is complete.

Support is different.

Technology support can create an ongoing relationship.

If a business trusts BGI to help support its employees and technology environment, we're no longer only talking about completing one project.

We're talking about becoming part of how that business operates.

That's a different level of responsibility.

And it's something I wouldn't want BGI to take on until the infrastructure behind it is ready.

Long term, though, I think that kind of relationship could become important.

I don't want BreakGround Innovations to only be the company someone contacts when they need a new website.

I want BGI to become a company businesses can continue turning to as their digital and technology needs change.

BUILD AND SUPPORT

If this comes together the way I envision it, BGI could eventually operate across two connected sides of business technology.

One side helps businesses build.

Websites.

E-commerce.

Software.

Automation.

Digital systems.

Branding and digital experiences.

The other side helps businesses support the technology and people behind those operations.

IT support.

Helpdesk services.

User assistance.

Technology troubleshooting.

Ongoing technical support.

Those two sides don't have to compete with each other.

They can strengthen each other.

A company that trusts BGI to build something may eventually trust us to support other parts of its technology.

A company that first comes to BGI for IT support may eventually need a new website, automation, software, e-commerce solution, or another digital system.

That's when BGI starts becoming more than a company somebody contacts for a single project.

It starts becoming a longer-term technology resource.

THERE'S STILL A LOT TO FIGURE OUT

I don't know exactly what the final version of BGI Helpdesk Services will look like yet.

I'm still evaluating potential partners.

I'm still looking at different service structures.

I'm still thinking through pricing.

I'm still determining what support should be included, what should be optional, how tickets should be handled, how escalation should work, and what types of businesses the service should initially target.

The company I'm talking to today might not be the company I ultimately work with.

There could eventually be more than one partner involved.

The service itself may change as I learn more.

That's part of the process.

And that's why I'm documenting it now.

Adam Dudley Works isn't supposed to only show the finished version of everything.

Part of the point is documenting what happens between the idea and whatever that idea eventually becomes.

WHERE THINGS STAND TODAY

Right now, BGI Helpdesk Services is still in the planning stage.

No big launch announcement.

No pretending everything is finished.

I'm putting pieces in place.

I'm having conversations.

I'm comparing potential partners.

I'm thinking about how the service would actually work for a client.

And I'm looking at how it fits into the larger direction of BreakGround Innovations.

Businesses aren't becoming less dependent on technology.

They're becoming more dependent on it.

And the more technology becomes part of everyday business, the more important it becomes to have somebody there when that technology doesn't work the way it's supposed to.

BGI already has a place on the building side of that equation.

Now I'm exploring what it would take for us to be there on the support side too.

That's where things stand today.

And if it works, you'll be able to come back to this article later and see where that next part of BGI started.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam Dudley is an entrepreneur, creator, and Founder & Managing Director of BreakGround Innovations based in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Through Adam Dudley Works, he documents the businesses, creative projects, technologies, ideas, lessons, and long-term initiatives he's building and exploring along the way.

This post is part of an ongoing archive—ideas, progress, and perspective captured as they happen.

More entries ahead.

DISCLAIMER

BGI Helpdesk Services is currently in the planning and development stage and is not being presented in this article as a currently available or finalized service.

Services, features, pricing, service levels, technical capabilities, partner relationships, delivery methods, timelines, and other details discussed in this article are concepts under consideration and may change as the service is developed.

References to potential partnerships or outside technical resources do not represent a finalized agreement with any particular company unless explicitly stated otherwise.

This article is intended to document the development and thinking behind BreakGround Innovations and should not be interpreted as a guarantee that any proposed service, feature, partnership, or business plan will launch or operate exactly as described.