// OUR STORY
A Letter From Our Founder:
Why We're Evolving — And Why Now
From Gerardo Lona Rios, Founder & CEO of Breakthrough Advancement LLC
If you've worked with us, followed our journey, or simply stumbled across this letter — thank you for being here. I want to take a few minutes to talk to you directly. Breakthrough Advancement is evolving. We have a new logo, a new tagline, a renewed sense of purpose, and some exciting new tools and offerings coming your way over the next several weeks. I want to explain why — not with a press release, but the way I'd tell it to a friend.
Where It Started
Breakthrough Advancement launched in 2020, but the real beginning was late 2019. I was still working for another Zoho Partner, quietly sketching ideas on nights and weekends — thinking: there has to be a better way.
I loved the craft of building systems. But I could feel the environment around me shifting — away from helping people and toward squeezing revenue out of every corner. Long-term projects sat half-finished. We were chasing new deals while existing clients waited. And I was running production — putting in more hours and effort than anyone — while my opinions on where things were headed hardly seemed to matter.
I felt unappreciated, undervalued, and stuck. Then people around me started saying things. Peers who had left would ask, 'Why are you still there?' Clients mentioned they preferred talking to me directly. Someone once said: 'He's lucky to have you.'
One day, those echoes finally clicked. I could do this on my own. I went to school for this. I should be able to.
The Leap
When I left, I was almost certain I would fail within three months. I had roughly that much in savings, a mortgage that didn't care about my dreams, and a very real fear that I might lose my house and everything I'd worked for.
A lot of new things were starting at the same time: a relationship with the woman who is now my wife — one of the first people to say, 'You should build this your way' — a brand-new business with no safety net, and a global pandemic that turned everything upside down.
I started alone. No co-founder, no back office, no team. Just a laptop, Zoho, and a lot of anxious late nights. On paper, I should have been ready. I'd graduated from the University of Arizona's Eller College with a degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, and I'd worked inside a Zoho Partner long enough to know how things were done. In reality, I felt anything but prepared.
The People Who Kept the Lights On
What ultimately kept the business going wasn't a perfect business plan — it was people.
A few clients heard I was leaving and reached out to say, 'If you're starting something, we want to work with you.' They believed in me before I fully believed in myself. Former colleagues stayed in touch and, over time, some chose to join me — many of them are still core members of the team today.
The Lessons Learned
I made mistakes. I gave opportunities to people who weren't ready or aligned. I had client relationships where miscommunication or billing issues left painful gaps — financially and emotionally. A few clients disappeared without explanation, leaving unfinished work behind. Those moments hurt.
But with hindsight, each one taught me something I couldn't have learned any other way: how to set clearer expectations, how to protect the team, how to say no earlier, and how to build a business that's sustainable, not just busy.
The Hard Seasons
Looking back, nearly six years after launching, I can see the pattern more clearly. It has been a journey — long, uneven, and often harder than I expected. There were moments where I seriously questioned whether I'd made the right choice. In those seasons, I had to come back to the original question: Why did I start this company at all?
The answer was never 'to maximize billable hours' or 'to chase growth for its own sake.' My journey was only survivable because I had people who walked with me — clients who took a chance, peers who stood beside me, and mentors and loved ones who nudged me forward when I was stuck. That became the template for how we try to work with our own clients.
The Question That Changed Everything
Even until recently, I’d say it had been a struggle figuring out our direction. We had let ourselves stay so focused on a certain way of doing things that we got stuck thinking it was the only way. We were delivering good work for clients — but we weren’t being strategic about who we were becoming as a company.
Through an Alignable networking event, I met a business consultant who became a trusted friend. Over several months, she kept asking me the same question:
“Are you having fun?”
At first, I didn’t have a good answer. Then I realized: I used to love what I did — but lately I hadn’t been enjoying it as much. I was too busy worrying about this or that, trying to meet everyone else’s expectations, and I hadn’t stopped to think about what I actually wanted.
That question unlocked something. I finally got excited about my company again. I could see a way forward.
Why a New Mark?
The original logo was two forces meeting — bold overlapping triangles, one black, one orange, pointing forward. Like two perspectives colliding into a breakthrough moment. I loved what it stood for.
But people weren’t reading it that way. The mark was abstract and required explanation. In a world where you have seconds to make an impression, that’s a problem.
The new logo is a forward-moving vector — a trajectory symbol, like a flight path — sitting inside a layered hexagonal navigation ring. More precise, more readable at any size. The ring says: we’re not just pointing you forward, we’re helping you navigate.
And the new tagline finally says what we’ve always done, directly: ADVANCE YOUR BUSINESS. UPGRADE YOUR SYSTEMS.
Notice what didn’t change: the colors. Same orange, same red, same energy. The mission is the same — we just got clearer about how we show it.
Why This Matters Now — and What's Coming
Now, we're not just thinking about the services we offer. We're building our own solutions to address the areas where we see clients struggling most. Under all the workflows and dashboards, what we're really trying to build is guidance — the kind I needed when I felt underprepared, overwhelmed, and alone. I don't see your CRM as a 'project' any more than I see my own story as a one-time event. It's a journey — with real risks and very real rewards. Our job is to be the partner who makes that journey easier.
Over the next 5 weeks, you'll hear about some significant additions — new tools, new programs, new ways to work with us, and transparent pricing updates. Each week's announcement is designed to stand on its own. No overwhelm. Just clear, honest information.
A Personal Note
My daughter is two years old. She's walking, running, climbing, talking — almost in two languages — and all she wants is time to play with daddy. I want that time back.
I'm building something that's meant to last — for my team, my clients, and my family. That's the clearest motivation I've ever had.
When she's old enough, I want her to see what I was building when I wasn't with her. I want her to know that chasing your dreams — even when the road is uncertain — is always worth it. As a proud father, I have an example to set.
A Personal Note
If you've been part of this journey — as a client, a collaborator, a referral source, or simply someone who's followed along — thank you. Your trust is not something I take lightly.
I'm more excited about Breakthrough Advancement right now than I've been in years. And I hope, after reading this, you are too.
This is only Mile 1 of a much longer journey. Let's keep building together.
— Gerardo Lona Rios
Founder & CEO, Breakthrough Advancement LLC
consultations@breakthroughadvancement.com | 520-214-6992
