Experience...

As an Entrepreneur: Since 1981, Dar Shepherd has been intensely involved in the entrepreneurial realm, a process that began with her career as a successful business owner. Dar envisioned, created, owned and operated six businesses in Marquette, Michigan. Her managerial responsibilities included store concept development, merchandising, layout, marketing, hiring, training and much more. She has participated in numerous industry trade shows (as buyer and seller), and in two consecutive years (1984 and 1985), won the "Best Display" award at the Michigan Jeweler's Show.

As a Business Coach/Consultant: From 1994 to 2007, Dar took her entrepreurial passion in a new direction. As the Business Assistance Director for Northern Initiatives (NI), a non-profit economic development organization in Marquette, Dar consulted with over one thousand entrepreneurs and small business owners on a wide range of business issues that included:

• Business plan writing and review
• General business systems (creation and implementation)
• Marketing and customer service
• Teamwork development

In her tenure at NI, Dar also facilitated more than a hundred workshops focused on starting and growing one's business.

Insight...

At Shepherd Business Coaching, we believe that the key to success—in both one's work and personal life—already exists within each individual. But when we are struggling (or simply feeling "stuck") in either of those important areas, most of us tend to become our own worst enemy. We get in our own way. Clarity, objectivity and an individual's innate sense of "good, orderly direction" are usually the first casualties. As matters worsen, we often fall victim to the corrosive effects of doubt and self-criticism. And although we live in a culture entranced by the myth of self-reliance, the fact of the matter is this: Self-reliance is a myth. Few, if any of us, are truly able to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps when we're stuck. We need help.

Our job, as business coaches—and as human beings—isn't necessarily to provide our clients with the right answers; rather, it's to help them see their challenges through a new set of eyes. That's where the human touch comes in, combined with our years of practical experience in business. When the two are brought together in a trusting and open environment, the right path for each person nearly always emerges... from the inside.

Shared with You!

We'd love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Dar Shepherd, President
Shepherd Business Coaching