The rain pounds outside. It is relentless and drones out every other sound. There are days on end like this, when it rains so hard that you can imagine it will never stop. I guess that is why the corn grows so high in Indiana. I guess that is why the earth seeps into its people. And it is good earth. An earth rich with eons of hard work and good seed. Good people. Good people like Andy Gregory.

In 2005, after years of recruiting for someone else, Andy decided he could do it, he could venture out on his own. He could break away from the recruiting firm mentality from which his career grew. Big decisions like this are usually acted upon because of a momentous incident. In Andy's case, it was personal. His own serious health issue drove him to make a career decision, a scary career decision, one he had been thinking about for a while but was reluctant to act upon. "My health crisis led me to say, 'Everything up until this point has driven me to go out on my own.' I had always thought there was a better way..., a better way to conduct business." There was, indeed.

Andy is this unique blend of music lover, ultimate fighting champ, and grace under fire. His Doc Holliday approach, I'm your huckleberry, captivates most, even the Recruiting Animal who chastised on a recent show, "Let Andy talk, he's a soft-spoken guy, just trying to get a word in..." Andy usually just waits until there is a lull before he drops his words to the wise, like a time-released bomb. He is quick to say, however, "I don't really know what I bring to the table, I just know that I bring it." That's not really a personal brand one would or should create for oneself. But his lack of branding seems to work for him. "Conventional wisdom says that you should have a niche. Well, I don't." You're a daisy if you do.

During the course of our conversation, Andy dropped this M-Thatch gem, "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." How very Doc Holliday of him, right? Power is greater perceived than demanded. His marketing approach is simple, "I will deliver. What is it worth to you that when you have a position to fill, that you only look at qualified candidates? If I take on the assignment, I will deliver." Not if you give me this assignment but if I take on this assignment. A simple enough distinction but all the difference in the world.

Andy's book of business comes from an established client base that he continually markets to and recruits for. He only approaches clients with quality and qualified candidates. And he prepares those candidates for interviews, "I am very quick to offer key facts and interview tips." Andy has embraced the notion that he is an unsexy generalist. "I don't have a niche. I started with a niche, but now I rely on the strength of my personality. I want you to think this: "Wow, that guy is just a little different." All I can say, is "Wow."



by rayannethorn


I Want to Go Back by Andy Gregory


My hypocrisy goes only so far...



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