Andy Shepherd is serious about growth. Be it personally or professionally – it’s the catalyst for any business’ success.  That’s why Andy created Grow Ignited, a different kind of business coaching company.  With clients across the nation, Andy works hard to help grow, develop, and support business owners in the pursuit of their passions. He’s helped countless businesses find success in their industries – a feat made possible by his own challenges.  The adversity Andy has experienced in life, in coalescence with the unique skill set he’s acquired along the way, has molded him into an ideal business coach for any overwhelmed entrepreneur.

Shaped By His Past

Andy’s experiences have truly shaped his ingenuity – both in his professional and personal life. At just two years old, Andy suffered the loss of his mother.  Three years later, his dad remarried. When he was eight, Andy lost his dad.  While his new mother stepped in and took him in as her son, she was Hispanic, and knowing very little English, became a single parent with whom he could hardly communicate in his first language.  When she remarried a Hispanic man, Andy’s isolation was only magnified, and living in a fully Spanish-speaking household left him struggling in school.

Most people would see this adversity as a distinct disadvantage – and so did Andy at first.  He found himself getting into trouble and bouncing from house to house trying to find a place where he would “fit”. Eventually one kind family invited him to stay with them permanently.

“They took an interest in forming my character, and it was the first time I was exposed to a stable home life.”

-Andy Shepherd, Owner

Despite family dinners and a loving environment, Andy continued on a wayward path and found himself in jail.  That was his rock bottom – the wakeup call he needed.  He questioned whether his dad would be proud of his actions, and finally resolved to make a change.  It was here that he turned to his heavenly Father for his guidance and started a lifelong journey of deepening his walk with Jesus. He returned home to this family and began dating their daughter. This year, they celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary!

Adversity and Faith Breeds Prosperity

Good things can come from difficult situations.  Andy is proof of that.  Admittedly, his path was rough and sometimes painful, but it allowed him to witness so many people pour into him.  This alone changes people’s hearts.  He was often met with grace and mercy in his worst moments, which has shaped how he treats others today. This was the inspiration for the initial core values for Grow Ignited.

Grow Ignited Core Values

• We make known the value in every person we meet
• We affirm the positive actions of those around us
• We value a great relationship
• We show others grace even when we don’t always agree

Earning What’s Given

Understandably, Andy has come to believe that nothing is owed to anyone, but rather, success is earned.  By watching his mom overcome the obstacles of being a minority, having a language barrier, and being a single mom, he saw anything is achievable if you work hard. He entered the workforce with the idea that he would get nothing without working hard for it – a practice that earned him multiple opportunities in several different companies.  Andy began his career as a line employee in a manufacturing facility. Having always been motivated by continual learning, Andy was paying attention.  He noticed things.  If something wasn’t operating at its optimal potential – be it the staff, the equipment, or the building itself – Andy could see the shortcomings and started developing solutions for them.

As a leader though, Andy still had a lot to learn. Admittedly, he was more of a “Teller” and a “Shower” than a true leader.

From there, he moved to a commodities company where he helped them convert millions of dollars in revenue by incorporating efficiencies and practices to maximize profit. During this time, he also went back to school for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, allowing him to put his education into practice in the work place.

Andy’s next stop was a uniform rental service facility where he helped manage key engineering projects, hitting all the business’ forecasted revenue goals along the way.  It was here where he learned about profit and loss, effective management of CAPEX, and was able to truly show his engineering skills. Through numerous engineering projects that helped this company grow, Andy was able to help the company grow rapidly and successfully. While engineering projects, he was also leading other teams within the facility including the maintenance department. At this point Andy was learning leadership skills and how to look at other’s values to influence the team in a healthy way.

After three years of healthy growth within this organization, Andy was offered a position by two friends who owned a mechanical contracting company. This is where he was first given the opportunity to put together a plan to grow a company. When it started, he knew the resources would not allow the initial hiring of the team that was needed to take this company to the level the owners wanted it to go. This is where Andy assessed the needs through the use of his engineering skills.  He created a revenue based process for sales, hiring, purchasing, and execution of the business at different forecasted points within the revenue stream. As Andy always says, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure!” Along with owners who believed in a great culture, the combination of process and team created an unstoppable business that is still to this day one of the fastest growing mechanical contracting companies in the nation.

Andy spent nearly two decades manipulating processes and helping companies earn millions of dollars in revenue to prove his success.

Why Coaching?

This success came with several valuable lessons along the way.  Perhaps the biggest thing he noticed was that hard workers often get promoted – and deservedly so.  But when they rise into management positions, they may not have the expertise in leadership that’s needed to coach and guide a team.

“Telling people what to do isn’t leadership.  Leadership is guiding and mentoring others through a specific skill set while simultaneously pouring into their character development. True business leaders treat their employees as people – not merely as staff members.”

-Andy Shepherd, Owner

How Grow Ignited Helps

Andy and his team are used to entrepreneurs who try to wear too many hats.  Andy helps them find freedom in delegating.  His favorite success story is when one of his clients celebrated their company’s growth by taking a two-week vacation – his first in 5 years!!

“When you’re an entrepreneur and you’re taking all the risks, eventually you come to a point where you either get serious about growth or you give up and go back to work. We’re here to make sure we see all that hard work through to the end – and we love what we do!”

-Andy Shepherd, Owner, Grow Ignited

Getting To Know Grow Ignited

Andy Shepherd recently brought to the Grow Ignited team a CPA, an Accounting and Administration Manager, a Technology Director and a Business Services Director all while creating other strategic partnerships to help businesses grow. Laura Heap, Director of Accounting and Administration oversees accounting and payroll for small businesses at Grow Ignited.  Adding this service has enabled clients to get a clearer picture of their financial goals.  Laura cleans up the books and lines up numbers so companies can effectively forecast, make decisions, and see real growth.

“The best part of my job is – it works! The numbers prove it! Once our clients see the numbers, they light up.”

Laura Heap, Accounting and Administration Manager

The Grow Ignited Team loves working out of beautiful Post Falls, Idaho, although they service clients nationwide.  Whether they’re hosting a consulting session with employees or administering assessment tests, their passion for what they do can’t be concealed.

Andy and Laura often discuss how gratifying it is to see frustrations relieved for business owners and leaders.  Helping remove those stressors allows them to focus on what they love about their business.  Most of the time, people wish they had hired help sooner.

“Entrepreneurs are who they are because they’re self-driven and self-motivated. It can often be hard for them to ask for help. But once they do, they’re always happy they did. If you have the humility and the work ethic, we can do the rest!”

-Andy Shepherd, Owner Grow Ignited

To schedule a complimentary consultation, contact Andy at Grow Ignited today!

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