When Austin Shepard was 10 years old, a thrown baseball changed his life. Austin was in a coma for two and a half months. When he came out of the coma, he could barely walk, talk or do many of the things he used to do as a young, well rounded athlete. One little baseball changed his life forever.
It was when Austin turned 17, his principle and Psychology teacher asked him to speak to 600 of his fellow peers. After accomplishing this, Austin was inspired my many of his classmates who said his story affected them. Austin’s teacher encouraged him to become a motivational and inspirational speaker which became his dream in 2010.
Today, Austin’s dream has come true. He is the proud owner of Bump on the Head, LLC and works as a motivational and inspirational speaker for his business, You Inspire Me! Speakers Bureau, which is a platform for people who’ve experienced and overcame challenges or traumatic events in their lives, and who wish to share their story.
Austin attributes his success to his SBDC mentor and consultant. “My mentor shared with me how to write a business plan and how to put it into action. The success I have experienced with the help of writing a business plan was getting my business an extra boost to get started. My mentor helped me set a date for my Speakers Bureau Kickoff on October 8, 2014, and at that event, I raised over $2,800. In addition, I began my online Indiegogo crowd funding campaign and have raised an additional $1,045 for a total of over $3,800 towards my goal of $15,000. I am now happy to say my dream has become a reality thanks to my mentor and the fantastic staff and volunteers at the Colorado Springs SBDC”. Additionally, the SBDC assisted Austin with financial projections.
You Inspire Me! is different than other speaker’s bureau as it is comprised of speakers who have passion and experience of overcoming tragedy in their life. The average age of speakers is 18 to 30 years old, which by some standards, is quite youthful for being a motivational speaker.
As if Austin hasn’t accomplished enough in his life already, he has also received his Eagle Scout rank, graduated on time from high school with a 3.3 GPA, graduated from an entrepreneurial academy sponsored by Edison College in 2012 and continues to maintain a positive and uplifting attitude.
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ustin’s goals for You Inspire Me! Speaker’s Bureau is to create teams of motivational and inspirational speakers to travel around the nation and the world sharing stories and encouraging one person at a time. Austin would also like to organize one day seminars, similar to the Zig Ziglar seminars of the past and fill conference halls and stadiums with young speakers and entrepreneurs to motivate and inspire the next generation.
Austin hopes that his Speakers Bureau will inspire others to overcome their obstacles and realize that life is worth living by encouraging them and inspiring them to share their story. “We all have a story to tell and we never know who we will impact with this story”.
For more information on You Inspire Me! Speakers Bureau, visit www.bumponthehead.com or call 719-661-6422.
