FROM AN IDEA TO AN OPERATION: BUILDING BREAKGROUND INNOVATIONS

Long before BreakGround Innovations, I was just trying to figure out what was possible.

In 2008, I started my first job working part-time as a dishwasher in dining at the University of Virginia. Around that same time, I was researching different ways to make money from home and looking into business opportunities.

One of my first real attempts at entrepreneurship came through catalog sales.

These weren't little pamphlets. They were thick, full-size product catalogs—the kind that reminded me of those big Christmas catalogs from stores like Sears and Toys “R” Us that used to come in the mail years ago. The ones packed with page after page of toys, electronics, clothes, games and all kinds of other stuff. As a kid, you could sit there flipping through them, looking at everything you wanted for Christmas.

The catalogs I carried had that same kind of feel. They were big, nice, professionally put together and packed with products people could actually see themselves buying.

I carried the catalogs and my order forms around in a messenger bag, and some of the people I worked with became my first customers.

At that point, I hadn't even been introduced to e-commerce yet. I wasn't thinking about online stores, digital payments, remote teams or any of the technology I work around today.

I WAS STILL FIGURING THINGS OUT.

I didn't have much money behind me or some detailed business plan. I had catalogs, order forms, a messenger bag and an interest in seeing whether I could build something of my own.

So I worked with what I had.

THE VISION GOT BIGGER

Over the years, the tools changed and the vision became clearer.

Eventually, I was introduced to e-commerce, websites and a completely different way of doing business online.

A big part of what eventually led me into the digital services I'm involved with today actually started from the other side of the table:

I WAS THE CUSTOMER.

I started hiring freelancers online through what is now Upwork, back when the platform operated under its old name. I wasn't running a digital agency at the time. I was hiring people because I needed different things done for my own ideas and projects.

Over time, I worked with freelancers across different areas and started building relationships with people who had skills I didn't necessarily have myself.

That experience showed me something.

I DIDN'T HAVE TO PERSONALLY KNOW HOW TO DO EVERYTHING IN ORDER TO BUILD SOMETHING.

I could understand what I wanted to accomplish, find the right people with the right skills, bring those pieces together and manage the bigger direction.

Eventually, an idea started forming.

Instead of only hiring people for my own projects, what if I built a business around those relationships and that same model?

That's when the idea of creating my own agency and offering different digital services started taking shape.

The vision eventually became bigger than a traditional agency. I wanted to build something that wasn't limited by where I was physically located—a business capable of operating remotely, working with clients and professionals across different markets, and growing as the right people, systems and resources were put around it.

That thinking is a big part of what eventually became BreakGround Innovations.

BUILDING BREAKGROUND INNOVATIONS

Today, BreakGround Innovations is a remote digital solutions company based in Charlottesville, Virginia.

BGI works with businesses, entrepreneurs, brands and organizations across areas including websites, e-commerce, branding and creative support, software and digital systems, workflow automation and digital strategy.

But I've learned that offering services is only one part of building a company.

You also need the operation behind them.

That means putting systems in place for how clients communicate with the business, how projects are coordinated, how payments are handled, and how the right professionals and resources can be brought into a project when they're needed.

That's the stage of BGI I'm focused on now:

STRENGTHENING THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE SERVICES.

The technology has changed dramatically since I first started experimenting with business, but one of the biggest advantages of building today is that the people involved don't necessarily have to be in the same building—or even the same city.

BGI can be based in Charlottesville while working with clients, professionals and resources in different places.

That's the kind of company I want to continue building.

BUILDING FOR WHAT COMES NEXT

There's still a lot I want to build.

BGI is continuing to strengthen its current digital services while also laying the groundwork for future directions, including a planned expansion into remote IT and Helpdesk Services.

I'm not interested in putting everything on the website before the infrastructure exists to support it.

I'd rather build the pieces first.

The systems.

The relationships.

The resources.

And then grow from there.

BGI is still growing, and I'm still figuring some things out—just on a much different level than I was back in 2008.

When I look back, that's probably one of the things that hasn't changed.

You don't always need to know exactly where an idea will lead before you start.

Sometimes you start with what you have, learn along the way and keep building from there.

BACK THEN, THE OPERATION FIT INSIDE A MESSENGER BAG.

TODAY, I'M BUILDING BREAKGROUND INNOVATIONS FOR SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER.

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

BreakGround Innovations is an evolving business. Certain services, capabilities and expansion plans discussed in this article are still being developed or evaluated.

References to future IT and Helpdesk Services reflect current plans and should not be interpreted as an announcement of service availability. Offerings and operational details may change as BGI continues to develop.

ADAM DUDLEY WORKS
IDEAS. SYSTEMS. STORIES. LEGACY.