Meet Clay Cooney | Pastor and Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Clay Cooney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Clay, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I see risk as an opportunity to grow, to learn, and to strengthen my faith.

Risk grows and stretches us as it pulls us out of our comfort zones and thrusts us into uncertainty. It pulls us from the areas and fields we feel most comfortable with and forces us learn something new. It makes us believe in something – our skills, our intuition, our luck, or something greater in order to get where we want to go.

Risk is never easy.

So the question that’s always associated with it is: Is it worth it? Is the risk worth the reward? There must be something enticing us or making us willing to embrace the uncertainty and potential cost. We’re not going to risk something for no reason. We’re all smart people here (Right??).

So risk requires a solid return on investment, but sometimes, for me at least, a learning opportunity is enough.

Risk has shaped me personally in that every positive life altering moment has come as a result of taking a risk.

It was a risk when I was deciding if I wanted to start a small business. I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I knew it was going to cost me a great deal of time, energy, and resources to make it happen, but I felt like it was worth the risk because I believed in the idea and knew that at the end of the day I was going to learn how to start a business whether it was successful or not.

It was a risk when I had a solid job out of college making good money with great benefits, but decided to leave it in order to pursue an internship making very little money with no guarantees of a job coming out of it. I had a mortgage payment and bills that had to be paid each month, but I believed God was calling me to do it so he was going to make me able to make all the payments necessary. Turns out I never had to worry about money AND I got a job out of it that I still work at today.

It was ALSO a risk when I asked my (now) wife on a date when I had NO CLUE what she’d say and we were about to spend the next two years together in an internship program whether it was a yes or a no. It was a no.. But I risked it a second time and that was the winner.

If I hadn’t taken these risks, I wouldn’t have started a small business, I’d probably still be working a typical 9-5 job I hate, and I’d still be single. Nothing would have changed and even if those things hadn’t gone like I wanted them to, I’d be smarter for trying.

Risks can be scary, but eventually we’ve got to take one in order to get where we want to go.

And at the end of the day, even if it doesn’t work out as planned, I believe you’ll grow from it, learn something, and possibly have your faith strengthened.

As Shawn Colfax would say, “You’ve gotta risk it to get the biscuit!”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I graduated from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs) with a degree in Economics. My original intent was to pursue a J.D. and become a lawyer, but decided to take a gap year before entering straight into law school. I spent that summer working for a non-profit called Lighthouse, where we would bring families who have a child with cancer on a retreat to the beach for a week. I, then, accepted a job to work in commercial title insurance that had a connection to real estate law and decided it wasn’t a good fit for me. It was at this time I started dreaming about starting my own business and pursuing entrepreneurship. I launched Be At Ease Co. with the hope that it would make a difference in people’s lives and help people find peace in the midst of a world filled with anxiety and fear. I also became part of a small start up church plant around this time and realized that I had a lot of passion around the local church. I began pursuing a Masters of Theology degree part time and then joined a Residency program to work in the church and pursue seminary full time. There have been a lot of twists and turns in my life, but believe I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was coming in town and I had a week to show them the best spots, I’d start on the Marietta Square because it’s got so many good local restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, and fun places to walk around and chill. We could walk to coffee at Tuesdays, grab dinner at Two Birds or Hamp and Harry’s, and then finish the night at Glover Park Brewery. I’d definitely plan a night at the Battery where we’d grab dinner at Superica and then head into Truist Park for a Braves game or into the Roxy for some good, live music. I’d probably plan a morning hike of Kennesaw Mountain and then stop and grab some brunch at Sessions Stand. Lastly, I’m putting the belt line and ponce city market on the list in Atlanta for some fun walking and views of the city. I might would take them to the Georgia Aquarium, College Football Hall of Fame, or the Coca-Cola museum as well. A stop at the original Varsity feels like a must too.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my parents for all their love, support, and helping me become the man I am today. Also – shoutout to my wife who is my biggest fan, encourager, and cheerleader whenever I’m on the fence about taking a risk or doing something that is a little scary.

Website: beateaseco.com

Instagram: @jclaycooney and @beateaseco

Linkedin: J. Clay Cooney

Twitter: jclaycooney

Image Credits
Austin Hall