Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Anthony W. Shannon, co-founder of MUVE, located in Montreal, QC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our business is MUVE, which stands for My Universal Vision for Everyone. We developed a world-class mobility software platform targeted at helping people with accessibility needs, seniors, veterans, and more with their mobility needs!
Our main client is government, including transit organizations as well as community organizations and non-profits who support their communities with transportation through the MUVE application.
We have also developed an incredible accessibility tagging platform, which allows anyone to input accessibility information around a specific business or location, for example, if there is wheelchair access, washrooms or parking amenities, and more, so we can provide a bespoke, door to door, arm to arm experience for our customers. There are over 1B people in the world living with a disability, and over 25% of American adults - with an aging population. We know it is an important problem to solve, and we are motivated to have MUVE be the best in class when it comes to building up a universally designed mobility ecosystem.
Tell us about yourself
I got started working on this business around 2017 - when I entered into a premium SUV, which was universally designed to be fully accessible to all passengers, with my driver who explained the ins and out of the local landscape for accessible rides and the growing demand for his services, but they need to have a better solution through an app or set of technology tools to bring the community together. I had personal experiences with accessibility with my family members but never saw that as a business.
At this time, I was looking to take part in an impact venture, and when I researched just how big the market was, how antiquated the tools were, and most importantly, how poor the service was for folks, having to sometimes wait up to 24H in advance to book a ride and do so via telephone, I knew we had an opportunity to build something special. What motivates us as a business is being able to deliver world-class technologies to those who need them most.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as it relates to this venture is being able to have built all of this technology in-house, then secure two world-class government contracts in the US and in Canada, and delivering incredible results - essentially confirming a product-market-fit, which is often one of the most challenging parts of building a technology venture.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest part a lot of startups face is having to run every department from Technology, Sales, Marketing, Legal, Finance, Operations, and HR well - and do so with a small team while maintaining a strong, purpose-driven culture. A lot of things have to line up timing-wise for all of this to work between investments, team/resource allocation, technology, operations, marketing, and overall strategy. You have to be comfortable in a risky environment, and you have to defeat the odds every day.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Identify a large, underserved market, so it's worth your and your team's time.
- Run an experiment, and iterate until you find something that works. Find and define your unfair advantage before starting the business.
- Start, be mentally willing to dedicate many years of your life - and make sure it's something in line with your passions, so you can enjoy the journey.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://gomuve.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MUVETECH
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/go_muve/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/go_muve
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gomuve/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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