Brace Digital Turns 10

A decade of building, supporting and growing Umbraco websites

This week marks a significant milestone for us at Brace Digital: 10 years since the company was founded in December 2015.

What started as a small, focused decision between two developers has grown into a specialist digital agency working with some fantastic organisations across the UK. Reaching this anniversary has given us a chance to pause, reflect, and say a sincere thank you to the people who’ve made the journey possible..

How it all began

Brace Digital’s story actually starts well before 2015.

Both founders, Ben McKean and Rick Lynch, first worked together back in 2008, collaborating across a couple of companies. Our last role together was at a digital agency where we were introduced to Umbraco CMS — a platform that would go on to shape the entire direction of Brace Digital.

After that role, our paths briefly diverged. Rick and then Ben moved into the contracting world, gaining broader experience across different teams, industries and project types. Alongside our day jobs, we were separately approached to help out as freelancers — often working evenings and weekends — on a growing number of digital projects.

Before long, we realised something important:
we worked best together.

Those freelance projects became shared projects, and shared projects quickly became something more formal. To bring structure to what we were already doing, we registered a company at Companies House. Brace Digital was born.

A key factor from the very beginning — and one that still underpins the business today — has been the mutual trust between us. We trust each other’s judgement, experience and integrity, which has allowed us to make clear decisions, support each other through challenges, and grow the business in a considered and sustainable way.

Taking the leap

At the time, Rick’s contract came to an end, making the priority very clear: secure enough work to stay busy and keep the momentum going. Within a few months, Ben’s contract also wrapped up — and by that point, we’d built enough work to support us both full-time.

It was a calculated risk, but one grounded in experience and demand.

From the outset, we made a deliberate decision about the type of agency we wanted to be.

A clear focus: Umbraco, support and long-term value

Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, we chose to work almost exclusively with Umbraco CMS, with a strong emphasis on support, maintenance and long-term partnerships.

By that point, we’d spent years working with Umbraco and had seen first-hand where clients were often let down: poor handovers, fragile builds, lack of proactive support, and agencies disappearing once a site went live.

We believed we could do better.

Our goal was simple:

• Build Umbraco websites properly

• Support them consistently and transparently

• Help clients get long-term value from their platforms

Working this way allowed us to grow steadily and sustainably, without over-stretching or compromising on quality.

What we believe in

As the business has grown, our values have remained constant and continue to guide how we work with clients and partners.

We support & delight

Support isn’t an afterthought for us — it’s core to what we do. We aim to be proactive, responsive and genuinely helpful, not just when things go wrong, but as part of an ongoing partnership.

Only the best will do

We take pride in our work and don’t cut corners. Whether it’s code quality, performance, accessibility or documentation, we aim to deliver solutions we’re proud to put our name to.

Honesty is the best policy

We’re open and transparent with our clients. If something isn’t the right approach, we’ll say so. Clear advice and honest conversations lead to better outcomes for everyone.

These values naturally shape our tone of voice too. We keep things simple, we stay human, and we aim to be expert and informed — without unnecessary jargon or complexity.

Growing the team

In the early years, Ben and Rick were the sole developers, supported by a small number of trusted partners when needed. As the client base grew and projects became more ambitious, the team naturally expanded.

Over time, Brace Digital has grown to include additional developers and collaborators, while still retaining the close-knit, specialist approach that defined the company from day one.

10 years on

Over the last decade, Brace Digital has gone from strength to strength:

• Growing the team

• Expanding the scale and complexity of projects

• Working with public sector organisations, charities, and commercial clients

• Continuing to hit — and break — turnover targets

While the business has grown, our focus hasn’t changed. We still care deeply about doing things properly, supporting clients long-term, and specialising deeply rather than broadly.

Thank you

None of this would have been possible without the trust and support of our clients, and the ongoing collaboration with our trusted partners.

To everyone who has worked with us, supported us, recommended us, or trusted us with their website over the last 10 years: thank you.

We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built — and we’re excited about what the next decade of Brace Digital will bring.

Here’s to the next 10 years.

—
Ben & Rick
Founders, Brace Digital