Webability Design

Founder

Samer Daoud

Profile

I started Webability Design just a few months after graduating. My degree involved electronics, telecoms and electronic engineering which I enjoyed, however having worked part time for the Career Development Service at the University of Bradford, I realised that I had a talent for web development. As part of my role at the Careers Centre I became involved in developing their website, and it was the team there, that suggested I set up a web business when I graduated.

What does your company do?

The company primarily develops websites for companies that want to make sure that their site is accessible to everyone. Having researched the market, I knew there was lots of web design and development companies, but none that specialised in developing accessible sites. Over 10% of internet users have some form of disability which makes it difficult for them to access traditional websites, and yet not many web companies were developing sites for their customers that were accessible. When the Disability Discrimination Act came into force in 2004 it was found that 81% of websites failed to satisfy even the most basic web accessibility requirements.

Therefore I realised that there was a gap in the market that would differentiate me from other web agencies and also give prospective clients a service that they would find difficult to gain elsewhere.

What has ThinkBusiness@Bradford done to help you develop?

The whole package has been great and has given the business a head start. Access to office space, desks, phones and business software gave me a real helping hand and made the business feel real from day one. The support, guidance and mentoring advice has been invaluable, especially since I set up the business just a few months after I graduated. Setting up a business can be a daunting task and the help I received regarding the legalities, financing and branding of the company meant that I could advance more quickly than if I had done it on my own.

What's been your biggest success?

There hasn't been one big success; for me success has been finding clients who want me to design their websites, have supported me and helped me to develop a successful business after only one year.

What's been the hardest thing you've had to cope with?

Learning that sometimes people will take advantage of you; I developed some ideas for a prospective client and kept on making changes till they were happy with them. By then I had almost developed the whole site and the client decided they didn't like it and went elsewhere. Now I make sure that I charge a deposit before I develop the site and get the agreement that the client wants to work with me.

What advice would you give other new businesses?

Don't give up, things don't happen overnight, there is often a lot of hard work in the early days put if you keep your goals in mind you can achieve them. Just believe in what you want to do and you will get there.

What plans do you have for the future of Webability Design?

I would like to grow the business and take on more staff that are focused on key areas of the business such as graphic design, programming and multimedia applications. This would mean that I could take on more clients and provide a full web design and accessibility service to them.

What would you like to see from ThinkBusiness@Bradford in the future?

Regular networking sessions with Think Business clients and the businesses that have graduated and gone on to develop successful businesses would be good. This would mean that we could exchange ideas and give advice and support to one another on regular basis and begin to develop our own networks.