Meet Brandon Winfield | CEO & Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Winfield and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, how does your business help the community or world?
I have sat on this question for a few days now. Not because I don’t know how our business helps the community, there’s just so much that we do to help that I’ve tried to find the words and sentence structure to adequately represent how we do. iAccess Life is an essential mobile application that allows users with disabilities and their friends/family, to rate, review and research places based on their accessibility. This concept came to me when I started travelling after my spinal cord injury. Accessibility isn’t something we generally consider until it affects us or our loved ones. I remember visiting new places and the heart sinking feeling I got when I found out the venue we were at, didn’t have accessible bathrooms. I felt like a burden to the friends I traveled with, I was embarrassed to go on dates and not have anywhere to use the bathroom. I also knew I wasn’t the only one experiencing these issues. We do a lot of things to help our community but being able to provide peace of mind and a sense of inclusion/community is the best thing we do. Hopefully down the road when we garner more traction, we will be able to evolve the world into a more inclusive place. The ADA has already done amazing things but its time for a new era of accessibility to be introduced.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I want people who are starting there entrepreneurial journey to know that is going to take a long time. You have to be resilient, you have to believe in yourself and that all starts with loving yourself and putting in the work that makes you feel like you deserve what you are working for. I think we all have our own internal conflicts and things we think about. We all have days that we don’t want to work and that’s okay. There is no timeline on reaching your goals, but the sure way to never get there is to quit. So if you’re having a bad day or you feel stuck, take a break and reset. You don’t have to wake up at 6 and go to sleep at midnight to accomplish your dreams. There’s really nothing that sets me apart from anyone else. I believe the main thing that has helped me get to where I am, is meditation. Being able to slow down my thoughts, breathe, practice mindfulness and gratitude, all have really helped with self awareness and bringing peace into my life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is so hard to choose. I find new parts of the city almost every other week. It would be hard to show them helen and the North Ga. Mountains. Im also a big fan of O4W, west midtown, the highlands, Inman park and Edgewood. I don’t know if I technically have a favorite part of the city they each have their own bit of energy that makes them unique and the perfect hangout spot for whatever mood you’re in.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people. Of course I can’t start my shoutout’s without beginning with my Mom, Dad and sister. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. Secondly would be my co-founder Sayeed Mehrjerdian and everyone else that believes and has become involved with iAccess Life. They are aware of the importance of accessibility and inclusion and have been early investors and advisors. My friends and loved ones who keep me sane during the week and weekends. And last but not least, everyone who has downloaded and supported iAccess Life. Whether you are in a power chair or sign up as an advocate, we can’t make these radical changes alone. All of you are contributing to something much bigger than us. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

Website: www.iaccess.life
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaccesslife/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iaccesslife
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iaccesslife
Facebook: https://facebook.com/iaccesslife
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8m3AdQie1s&list=PLSY_eINgAXgkgyTiXCTNqn_sHTL7LaZTZ
Other: Crowdfunding on Fundable: https://www.fundable.com/iaccess-life

Image Credits
Patrick Howe Walter Sippel