Today we’d like to introduce you to Sky Hepworth.
Hi Sky, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My early adulthood was rocky – I was homeless from 18 to 20 and had no clear direction. In 2019, my now father-in-law had just taken ownership of K&N Automotive. At the time, I was a pastry chef without a license, a car, or any qualifications to work at a repair shop. He wasn’t my father-in-law then, and he was reluctant to hire me at all. I showed up looking like an angsty teenager, and if anything, I had to work harder than most to prove myself.
I started sweeping floors and doing odd jobs, but over time I earned trust. He became my mentor – teaching me to drive, helping me get my first car and toolbox, and showing me the trade. From there I worked my way up, role by role: technician, service writer, and now General Manager. Alongside the team, I’ve helped modernize the business, rebuild its foundation, and carry forward the legacy of trust, honesty, and grit that began in 1978.
I owe so much of myself to the opportunity that the owner gave me, but I also know I wasn’t just handed it – I had to fight for it, grow into it, and prove I belonged. K&N changed my life. It gave me the chance to grow into something I never would have without the unique culture that comes with this shop.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. Personally, I had no frame of reference for how a repair shop even worked — I had never owned a car or taken one in to be fixed. I’ve spent hundreds of hours outside of work just studying and learning how a shop functions, because I knew if I wanted to belong here, I had to put in the work.
At the same time, we’ve had to fight against the dishonesty that is, unfortunately, a pillar in the way this industry often functions. Building trust with customers meant not only proving ourselves day by day, but also rethinking how an auto shop could operate differently.
Then came COVID. In the middle of an already difficult season, we lost our location and had to move while the world was shut down. You don’t just pack away a 40-year-old business, unpack it, and pick up where you left off. We were already struggling, and the move nearly broke us. At that time, there were only three of us keeping the shop alive.
On top of that, we had to figure out how to get back in the black without outside investors or shortcuts that would dilute our values. Bootstrapping like that is not easy, but it forced us to be resourceful, resilient, and intentional about every decision we made.
The road has been anything but smooth, but the grit it took to survive those struggles is what makes K&N so human. At the end of the day, we were worried about getting to work just like our customers are — and that’s given us a perspective that keeps us grounded.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What I’m most proud of is becoming a leader. I’m no seasoned business veteran, but I’ve earned my stripes the hard way — through long hours, tough lessons, and refusing to quit when things looked impossible.
In retrospect, I was just a scared kid trying not to starve — leaps and bounds away from a leader. I didn’t see myself as someone who could manage people, solve problems, or carry the weight of a business. I was just surviving, one day at a time.
Over the years, that survival instinct turned into grit. I studied, I learned, and I grew into someone my team could count on. Today, there’s no safety net above me — I am the safety net. And while that’s a responsibility I never imagined I’d hold, it’s also the accomplishment I’m proudest of.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something surprising is that I’m a musician — and that’s been true long before I ever set foot in a repair shop. I grew up on the Southside of Louisville in a lower-bottom-class family. I was the first in my family to graduate high school, and soon I’ll be the first again to graduate college. Those milestones mean a lot to me, because they represent breaking cycles that felt impossible to escape when I was younger.
Music was my lifeline through all of that. When I was homeless, I busked on the street to eat. It wasn’t glamorous — it was survival — but it gave me a voice, a way to connect, and eventually, the resilience I now bring into my work as a leader. Even today, I still write songs that are raw, gritty, and honest, because that’s the language I’ve always had to work with.
Most people only see me as the guy running an auto shop, but music, my roots, and my family’s story are the backdrop for everything I do. They shaped me into someone who doesn’t take opportunity for granted and who knows what it feels like to build something from nothing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kandnautomotive.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KandNauto/
- Other: tiktok @SkySavesSaab
