Business Profile: My Way Access
Name: Dermot Devlin
Business: My Way Access
E: info@mywayaccess.com
T: 028 8224 9494
Twitter: @mywayaccess
Can you describe your business?
I offer a service for people with disabilities to share their views on where is and isn’t accessible for them to visit. This was set up to take the anxiety and stress out of planning time away somewhere new. Instead of taking weeks to plan a day or weekend, a lot of this information will be made available on My Way Access.
It also provides a voice to people who have different kinds of disabilities, as I use the platform I have been given to raise my topics with the blog I have. Covering the worries of Welfare Reform, Tax Credit Cuts, right through to how society looks upon us who have a disability.
Why did you start your own business?
The idea was born from my own frustrations of going to new towns and cities that I would not be familiar with and not getting into premises that stated on their own website were accessible. Rather than sulk about these incidents, I felt that I could redirect my energies and do something positive about it.
What are the best things about running your own business?
The best thing for me is getting the feedback from people who use my website and interact with me on the various social media platforms. It showed me that the work I am doing is making a difference and makes other lives easier. For me, there is no better reward than to know you’ve made a difference to someone.
What are the main challenges facing the business?
The main challenge for myself personally is getting out and about to meet people to develop and grow the content on the website. As I am not a driver, I have to very selective whom I meet and geographical considerations are a big factor in those decisions.
What advice would you give to someone starting a business?
Get out there and talk to as many people as can. Learn from their experiences; where they went right and equally where they went wrong. Anyone is business are always happy to share the knowledge to people coming up. Look out for market trends coming up and see if there is any potential space for you to utilize with your business.
Can you describe your experience of running a business in three or less words?
Challenging, tiring, rewarding
