The entrepreneur who turned his business around and helps others do the same

The entrepreneur who turned his business around and helps others do the same 

"It wasn’t easy. At times I felt like giving up. But it was when I decided I wouldn't quit and would never stop that everything changed,” says business coach and building firm CEO Andrew Sperring. 

Andrew Sperring discovered the incredible power of coaching when his business nearly collapsed during the pandemic. 

As managing director of family construction business, Bristol-based JAS Building Services, Andrew was at the helm in 2020 when the company hit a wall. Turnover dropped by almost 100 per cent, swallowing the cash reserves he had set aside for growth. That left him with two choices: close the business or snap out of it and go for growth. 

Andrew said: “Business stopped for us over the pandemic and it was becoming unsustainable. I’d got to the point where it genuinely looked like the end of the company. But at the same time, I could see other similar businesses out there that were actually growing and seemed virtually unaffected by the crisis. 

“I decided to find out what they were doing differently to me – and they told me they had a coach or a mentor. I quickly found one for myself and that was a game changer for me and the business.” 

That turning point led Andrew to put his faith in mentoring – and he quickly became one himself. Giving back became part of his mission to help other founders build confidence, rediscover ambition and push through challenges. 

Today, he’s an award-winning mentor and professional coach, focused on supporting as many entrepreneurs as possible.  

Over the past four years, he’s mentored more than 15 small business founders as a volunteer on the Help to Grow: Management course, after being recruited by small business support platform Enterprise Nation. 

He’s also coached 30 one-to-one businesses through his role at Action Coach, delivered sales training for 30 businesses and led masterclass sessions for Santander. 

His work has seen him win Help to Grow: Management’s Biggest Impact to SMEs award in 2023 and he was shortlisted for the awards again in 2024. 

He said: “It’s my personal philosophy to make a big impact on as many people as possible. Winning awards and being shortlisted demonstrates that what I’m doing is cutting through and supporting people to change their business fortunes and their lives.” 

His journey to this point had not been a conventional career path, with many ups and downs. He was diagnosed with ADHD when he was in his thirties.  

As a dyslexic, Andrew says he ‘fell into’ construction when he left school with disappointing qualifications. But like other high performing neurodiverse individuals, he excelled to an incredibly high level at carpentry and won awards from the Federation of Master Builders for his outstanding work. 

"It wasn’t easy. At times I felt like giving up. But it was when I decided I wouldn't quit and would never stop that everything changed. I leaned into the obstacles and focused on growing my knowledge in my weak areas combined with taking massive actions relentlessly. I feel its key moments when we discover more about ourselves. It was then I also realised I wanted to help others who were like me to do the same, break through and unlock our potential. 

“It feels fun now to be in business and have flexibility. I enjoy the challenges now that I once dreaded. I have more confidence. I would say to other business owners - ‘you don't know what you don't know.’  

“We all have blind spots. Learn from other people's mistakes and get some help from experts. it can be that one thing you need to transform and live the life you aspire to."