Breeez, the affiliate company of Adtrak, is a multi-discipline digital marketing agency that specializes in assisting small businesses gain quality leads through performance-driven websites. Guided by the principles of simplicity, visibility, and performance, the agency excels at boosting a company’s online business presence via targeted online marketing campaigns.
Problem
Recognizing the demand for their services in the U.S., a few shareholders of Adtrak collaborated to open an American company that could match their UK achievements. As such, Breeez, Inc. was established in 2018. However, the intricacies of setting up a new business entity in a foreign country were compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. This stalled the launch of the U.S. company and stifled new client acquisition.
MI’s Solution
At the end of 2021, Breeez wanted to refocus on its U.S. efforts. MI offered its International Business Incubator (IBI) program as a solution. By handling the complexities of Breeez’s back-office operations (including complimenting their already automated processes), MI’s assistance allowed the Managing Director the space to concentrate on establishing a foothold in the competitive U.S. market. As a result, the company quickly landed important contracts.
Deep Dive
How it Started
Several years ago, Adtrak, a digital marketing agency in the UK, was approached by a U.S. customer who wasn’t ranking as high on Google as a UK company with the same name. It turns out, Adtrak was doing the digital marketing for that company and the U.S. client wanted in on the secret sauce! Adtrak soon added additional U.S. clients, which led to the realization that there was a promising avenue for growth in the United States.
Thus, Breeez, Inc. was formed in 2018, originally intending to set up shop in San Diego. However, plans were temporarily shelved after a few visits due to the economic shutdown caused by the global pandemic. In the meantime, U.S. customers continued to be serviced by Adtrak as opposed to switching over to Breeez. This was less than ideal for the UK-based company mainly due to the time difference–they wanted the ability to make corrections and service their clients during U.S. business hours.
Fast forward to November 2021, the company was ready to move forward with a new focus on Charlotte, NC. By that point, their client base had grown to 24 U.S. customers, with no signs of slowing down. The Managing Director wanted Breeez fully operational by July 1st, 2022. This established a six-month deadline from the moment they entered the IBI program.
Beginning of 2022
Although the entity had been legally formed in 2018, little had been accomplished in terms of building a functioning company. MI immediately got to work and filed for the EIN, filed with the state of North Carolina, and leveraged its professional network to ensure that Breeez was given 360-degree support to service anything a new business would have to navigate.
With the clock ticking, MI worked with individual professionals, acting as a consultant and project manager to ensure work was completed in a timely manner. For example, on the legal side, MI worked with Breeez’s new U.S. legal team to produce the company bylaws and shareholder agreements. Their contracts and service terms and conditions were also checked for compliance with U.S. standards and laws.
MI tapped into its network of service providers and introduced Breeez to a trusted CPA. MI also advised them on the best insurance carrier and plan selection for the new entity. As a digital service company, special attention was paid to cyber insurance and analyzing the risk of credit card transactions from a U.S. compliance standpoint, e.g., how they would store their client’s confidential information and whether it was appropriate to use a third-party application to do so.
A Focus On Automation
Adtrak operates as a well-oiled machine; their use of Salesforce and connected APIs and software allowed for a highly automated workflow. Everything is recorded from the moment a contract is signed, noting who gets assigned a specific task, and how and when the client is billed. Breeez needed to swiftly replicate this automation here in the U.S. The success of this synchronization was paramount, not only for the company’s initial launch but also for the flawless transition of 24 clients from Adtrak to Breeez.
During the initial six months, MI worked hand-in-hand with the Adtrak team to not only create a parallel setup, but to allow seamless integration with the U.S.-based financial software and the U.S. banking platforms. This included opening and linking the U.S. bank accounts, working with a payment processing platform, and assisting with testing to ensure smooth operations between all parties before the first real invoices went out. MI respected all the processes and procedures Adtrak had in place, while ensuring U.S. compliance for Breeez.
While Breeez’s high level of automation optimizes workflows in the long term, it’s not without its risks. Recently, its automation was put to the test when programming updates disrupted crucial connections. The link between the bank and a third-party application was severed, despite assurances of compatibility between the service providers. This underscores that even in the realm of heightened automation, a certain degree of human oversight remains indispensable. When automated connections glitch, the need for swift human intervention is essential.
Most importantly, these challenges haven’t disrupted Breeez’s operations in any noticeable manner. Why? Because MI stepped in, taking the reins manually while simultaneously navigating through the platform complications. Our proactive approach involved persistently filing cases with various service providers, advocating on Breeez’s behalf to iron out the issue.
Building the Team
Breeez still needs people to carry out their digital marketing services–building websites, content marketing, and managing social media. As such, they wanted to start with a few key UK employees and then expand by hiring locally in the U.S. To get started, MI introduced the Managing Director to a local immigration attorney with a proven track record and helped them navigate through the process of applying for an E-2 work visa in the United States. This encompassed gathering documents from shareholders, applicants, and the corporation, as well as writing the business plan. While the business plan was originally intended for immigration purposes, it served as a study of the business landscape Breeez would be entering, and helped the company understand their true cost of doing business in the U.S.
MI has continued this effort past the first round of visa approvals, guiding the Managing Director on selecting employees for potential transfers from the UK to Breeez. Careful considerations must be made because, as non-investors, their E-2 visas call for specialized roles. The candidates must be screened to ensure that their educational degrees and professional work experience fit the visa requirements.
In fact, MI has assisted in shaping Breeez’s workforce strategy as a whole. Adapting Adtrak’s job descriptions for the U.S. market, MI has consulted and assisted with the recruitment process for hiring the first U.S.-based staff. Breeez expects a growth projection of 30+ employees in just a few years, requiring swift hiring. MI is setting them up for long-term workforce management success; in partnership with Breeez’s legal team, a blanket U.S.-compliant employment contract was developed to suit their needs. And once the first U.S. employee was hired, MI drafted an employee handbook that was up to U.S. standards.
An Office of Their Own
MI’s commitment to Breeez’s success has continued post-setup. The company moved into a newly renovated office space in early 2024. MI’s team helped to manage the process. This cool new space, in a trendy part of town, will help attract and retain talent as Breeez continues to grow.
Key Learnings
Breeez’s journey illuminates the indispensable role of human oversight within highly automated processes. Beyond mechanized workflows, MI injected human acumen into Breeez’s operations, offering both strategic direction and operational continuity. MI’s partnership in this venture truly showcases not only the value of expert guidance in tandem with automation, but also our ability to soften a business’ landing into the U.S. market–even with a company as highly sophisticated as Breeez.