KEITH CLAY
CEO, Hessed.co; CEO, Affix Properties | Age: 24
Keith Clay was 23 when he started local consulting firm Hessed.Co, focusing on redevelopment in distressed areas. With its marketing, growth and talent labs, Clay, now 24, has helped start more than 20 businesses and advised even more. The firm has 10 full-time employees.
Clay, a born-and-raised St. Louisan from the Ville and a Charles E. Sumner High School alumnus, also does mentoring work and has been CEO of full-service real estate firm Affix Properties since January.
What compelled you to seek economic change through business work instead of politics or activism? The thing that drove me to seek economic change via business rather than any other means is simply, direct implementation. Politicians and activists are key to getting the ball rolling; business owners are responsible for its implementation within their respective communities. With that being said, when you look at urban communities, which most of the time are the communities in the most need, you don’t have a majority of business owners from that community rather the opposite. Through Hessed, we address this issue by bringing high level consulting to businesses of urban communities, creating sustainable businesses that care for its community.
Do you have any metrics of your 20 consulted businesses' success? Is there a case study you're particularly proud of? In the 20 businesses we’ve consulted, whether they’ve used one or more of our services, all businesses excluding about two have been satisfied with our services. Due to the variety of industries that Hessed consults with, the relevant metrics differ based on each sector. For instance, a key metric for an oil company is the amount of reserve oil. Similarly, for a banking client, a critical metric is the total assets under management. However, when assessing the overall success of our clients, two metrics that consistently transcend all industries are revenue growth and operational efficiency. It is important to note that not all clients have taken advantage of the full suite of Hessed’s offerings, which may account for the variability in outcomes. Out of the businesses we have consulted, 90% report satisfaction with their results. Among those who have utilized services that directly lead to financial growth, every single client has experienced an average growth of revenue of 60%. For our clients who utilize our expertise in operations, one key metric we emphasize is task completion time. On average, businesses approach us with a timeframe of one month to complete critical tasks. After implementing Hessed’s services, we have successfully reduced this time by 50%.
What are some things that come up in your consulting that surprise clients? What are some things about your consulting and your clients that would surprise the public? The majority of our clients are surprised that there exists an entity that can actually assist them in their growth. With all the spam calls and emails regarding how “blank company” can assist with website development or sales solutions; our clients are often surprised with the results they receive through working with us at Hessed. When it comes to consulting companies and individuals, what you find is a lot of these consultants are really good at one specific vertical of consulting. The issue is once a client has gotten finished with the specific vertical they must go elsewhere to find other help. At Hessed, we are a one stop shop for all business consulting needs. Our clients love the fact they don’t have to look elsewhere for help whenever they need it, but rather they can come back and interact with a company they’ve already established a relationship with and received tangible results from.
How do you feel like your youth affects an ability to manage a team of 10 employees? I think it actually serves as inspiration and motivation for the team. Being young and energetic, accompanied with the wisdom and experience of mentors and advisors as well as results, is a very powerful dynamic that all members of Hessed enjoy.
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