Blue Badge Finder

As a child Gary McFarlane was told by doctors he would never walk. Today, at 37, he is doing a lot more than walking.

 

In fact he’s running his own company, offering a web-based mapping product that is being snapped up by customers and has even excited the interest of Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft.

So how did this disabled performing arts student with only limited business experience take a simple idea and turn it into such a hot property?

Gary’s journey to success began back in 2004 on the day his Ford Focus was towed away. A simple parking error cost him £280. But it also set him thinking about the challenges of being a disabled motorist.

Gary has reduced mobility which means he has to think ahead whenever he uses his car. Before he sets out it helps to know if there is suitable parking at the other end. It’s also useful to know how long a walk he faces when he arrives.

But where can you find this kind of information?

Gary’s research showed it wasn’t easily available and that map makers were ignoring the needs of disabled drivers.

"This was mainly due to a lack of awareness of how many disabled people there are in Britain”, says Gary.

Figures published by DRC – the Disability Rights Commission - show that people with disability in the UK have a combined disposable income of over £80 billion a year. As such they represent a significant, but largely untapped market.

With this in mind Gary set out to build a business case and develop products that would be accessible to the disabled and non-disabled alike. He decided to start by creating an online service that would address the lack of information for motorists which he had identified.

With little more than a basic concept he approached the Accelerator. “I explained my idea to them and they loved it,” he says. “Then they asked me to do an application for their incubation programme and I presented my case in front of a panel.”

Up to speed with the Accelerator

Gary’s idea was accepted and so began a relationship which has transformed his career. His company, Blue Badge Finder, was taken under the wing of the Accelerator which guided him through the complexities of starting a business and bringing a new product to market.

Being part of the incubation programme meant Gary was able to draw on a whole package of resources. This included office space and IT support as well as access to training courses and a business mentor. It also meant he joined a vibrant community of new media start-ups whose members regularly exchange knowledge and expertise.

Working closely with his mentor Gary refined his idea and developed a solid business plan. His programmers then used the Accelerator’s IT infrastructure to create the online mapping solution that lies at the heart of his product.

At the same time the Accelerator team advised Gary on how to finance his activities leading him to become a paid consultant on disability to businesses and local authorities.

More recently, through a jumpstart grant, they helped him to win funding for his business to the tune of £10,000 to assist in the development of an online demo mapping tool. Subsequently this has now been developed in to a fully sustainable products offering to both organisations and businesses wanting accessible online maps on their website.

Testing the market

But all the funding in the world is meaningless without customers. So how would he fare when he introduced Blue Badge Finder to the market? In September 2008 Gary attempted his first test sale by phone.

He needn’t have worried. In just 50 minutes he sold an incredible 20 packages at £149.99 a time. It was a tribute not only to his product’s unique selling points but to the planning and development he had carried out under the expert guidance of the Accelerator.

So what exactly does his package offer?

Essentially, it’s a piece of software that can be plugged into an organisation’s website to help people needing directions to its premises. For example a concert hall might add Gary’s system to its ‘Contact us’ page. If a music lover visiting the page wants to know how to get to the hall, they simply type in their home postcode.

The system then generates tailored directions from their home to the venue. Details of convenient parking bays and access points for disabled drivers are also provided. All this information can be supplied in electronic, print or audio format to meet a wide range of people including blind or partially sighted users.

Although the main aim of Blue Badge Finder is to help people with disability, the system will also be of value to non-disabled users. Thanks to Gary the days of the standard company website map with generic directions could be numbered.

Encouraged by his business mentor, Gary is moving quickly to establish a strong presence in the market. Blue Badge Finder can already be accessed via the internet, and will soon be available on mobile phones and GPS devices too.

His plan is to sell his system to businesses and other organisations, but to make the information available for free to disabled users.

To maintain his competitive advantage Gary is constantly looking for ways to forge links with other businesses.

Coffee with Microsoft

One such business is Microsoft, who also happen to market their own online mapping system. To gain their attention Gary sent them a demo, pointing out that his product offered features which the Microsoft system lacked. To highlight the versatility of his system he linked the demo to the market leading and rival mapping platform from Google.

His strategy worked. Microsoft were interested and before long he was invited to discuss his brainchild with a representative from the corporation. But this wasn’t any representative. Gary was invited to fly halfway round the world to have coffee with CEO, Steve Ballmer, the guy who took over from Bill Gates.

Following this meeting Gary became a Microsoft business partner and there are plans for the corporation to use his story as a case study. In addition he has been asked to address their global conference in 2009.

Establishing this association with Microsoft has proved to be a major coup for Blue Badge Finder, but it is just one of many links Gary is in the process of setting up with well known names from the business world. And looking further into the future he is already making plans to support the 2012 London Paralympics.

In just a few years Gary has come a long way. His progress can be put down to his determination and natural instincts as an entrepreneur, but he is quick to acknowledge another factor as well.

“If I hadn’t discovered the Accelerator,” he says, “I don’t think I would have taken this forward at all. I’ve learned a lot from them. They’ve guided and nurtured me. They’ve given me greater knowledge of the business environment, as well as confidence in business planning, project management and marketing.

“They’ve also got a good attitude to disability. In my life I’ve grown used to people telling me, ‘That’s great Gary . . . but’ With the Accelerator there’s never been a ‘but’."

 

Visit the Blue Badge Finder website and try out the amazing application.