Starting my own practice, AccessAble Living, was a significant decision that stemmed from my desire to create a solution for individuals who needed assistance with aging in place. I began the journey while still working full-time as an occupational therapist, which posed its own set of challenges. The main steps I took included identifying the need (which I saw through my work in home health), conducting market research by asking questions of my real patients and their families, and formulating a business plan with Business Model Canvas.

One of the key challenges was the lack of capital to invest in startup costs. However, I found a creative solution when my car was dented and insurance issued me a check to cover the cosmetic repairs. I used that check to open the first AccessAble Living business account and drove around with the dent for a very long time. I got a little more strategic after that and started applying for local grants and eventually won a couple, which helped a lot – not only with the capital but also with my ability to succinctly tell our story and connect with people. This skill is great for pitch competitions but even better for earning business, connecting with referral partners, and ultimately serving clients. Another challenge was realizing the business model I set up for my practice was also challenging to scale with the resources I had. That’s where we came up with a new idea to leverage tech and extend our reach, and AskSAMIE was born! Building a tech company without prior tech connections or significant funding resources was it’s own challenge, too! This meant diving deep into the tech community in my area and finding as many resources as possible, including outsourcing app development and funding its build out. Our local SBDC was so incredibly helpful!

Looking back, I would have started by telling people about what we were building as soon as possible. Originally with AccessAble Living I spent almost a year building out my plan and tools I needed to provide the in-home assessments we offered. During that time I should have also been talking about it – so that when we were launched and open, we’d have business! We did that with AskSAMIE and were able to hit the ground running once the technology was live!

My name is Dr. Brandy Archie and I am the founder of AskSAMIE. I got into the industry of assisting individuals with aging in place because I saw a need for comprehensive solutions that focused on improving accessibility and independence for older adults. It sounds like something that should happen automatically through our healthcare but it doesn’t because health insurance does not pay for adaptive equipment! At best I could recommend what I thought was needed as an occupational therapist, but I wasn’t able to help them get it and have it installed. At AccessAble Living, we provide in-home assessments and personalized recommendations to help our clients create safe and functional living environments. We expanded that at AskSAMIE by turning our in home assessment into an online algorithm which we call our On Demand Assessment, that guides you to the right products, resources and services to make aging in place possible for anyone.

That holistic approach to aging in place is also what sets us apart in the industry. We not only address physical modifications but also consider emotional well-being and social connections. We understand that aging in place is not just about physical spaces but also about creating a supportive and inclusive environment to thrive within. So we’ve pulled together education, services and payment resources into one place right along side the equipment needed to modify a home because all of it is needed.

I am most proud of our ability to connect with our clients and truly understand their unique needs and goals. We listen and tailor our solutions to their individual circumstances. This is why we added the virtual visits. So if the On Demand Assessment does not feel tailored enough to your unique situation you can hop on a video chat with us. Then we can help anybody anywhere with solutions without being limited to how far we can drive. We are dedicated to bringing the most comprehensive and innovative tools to one place to save people time and energy searching around during a time that is already really stressful. Our clients are usually caring for a loved one like a parent or a spouse, so time and bandwidth are limited. So we prioritize ease and quickness to help take at least this one area off their full plates.

I’m always trying to learn more so I can do better as an entrepreneur, a leader and as a clinician. I love to listen to podcasts. because they are easy to get into my day and there are so many available on every topic imaginable. I never miss an episode of How I Built This from Wondery. I gain a ton of wisdom and motivation from hearing other founder stories that have become really successful. Side Hustle Pro is also an amazing podcast and really helped me as I got started because my business was a side hustle at first and balancing all of that was hard! Hearing about how others started as side hustlers and grew their companies is meaningful and helped to put it into perspective.

I founded Accessable Living on my own and hired independent contractors to grow. Once I had the idea for AskSAMIE I knew I’d need to learn a lot more to bring it to life, but I still felt like I could do it as a solo founder. I outsourced the development of the app to a local company, but within the process of that I interviewed multiple development shops and started diving into the tech networking scene to learn what I didn’t know – always asking, “What should I be asking you that I haven’t already?” I started to learn that having the expertise of a software engineer actually on the team as a co-founder is important for real development of a tech company. Once I mentally opened myself to that possibility it’s like it all fell into place – through adversity. I had to part ways with the development shop I originally worked with to begin developing the MVP and went to my network to ask for connections to software engineers to help me finish the app. I got connected to Willie Apala Flaherty by way of coffee and a last minute ask at the end of the conversation. He helped me finish the MVP and because he also saw the vision he joined in the journey as co-founder for which I am so grateful and AskSAMIE is so much better because of him.