Today we’d like to introduce you to James Clayton.
Hi James, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hello, I’m James Clayton (37) and I was born in St. Louis but left when I was 2 years old. I was raised in Georgia for the majority of my young life, then I moved back to St. Louis in 2012. Since I returned, I’ve worked for several wireless companies (US Cellular, T-Mobile, and Verizon), as well as Pepsi for 8 years. I have always had a passion for selling and just connecting with people. In 2014 I graduated from Lindenwood University with a degree in Marketing. I absolutely loved my time at the university and made some connections that I still connect with today. I currently have an amazing career at SpotOn.
SpotOn is a tech company that specializes in connecting with businesses through our point of sale, credit card processing, and almost anything that can help a business create revenue and better their customer experience. SpotOn has been a blessing for me and my family. I’m able to truly make a difference by working with business owners and educating them on how we can push forward great customer experiences while giving them new technology that will increase their revenue and efficiency. I focus on the restaurant side of the business mainly and I personally love food and could travel the world eating food as a career, but I haven’t made it there yet.
On a more personal side, I’m a family man and football lover. I have a beautiful family of 6. Alison is my better half and hopefully soon-to-be wife. We have 4 kids as a blended family. Jadyn, Londyn, James Jr, and new bundle of joy Alivia. They are all my heartbeat and without them, there is no James. Football is my therapy. No, seriously lol Football is the only place where I don’t have any worries in the world and I can truly be at peace. I have won 3 championships playing semi-pro football and have played in 1 national championship.
I also play flag football every Sunday for Back in Black, which I have done for about 6 years now. This keeps me young and is a great time for my family to come out and support me. We also, go to Florida every year to play for a national championship. Lastly, 2022 is my first official year of coaching youth football with the City Rec. HB4L!
Personally, my impact on St. Louis comes from my passion to make young boys who look like me matter. I’m a part of an amazing organization called ManUp Global where our slogan is to “Make men matter”, and that’s what I truly believe in.
When you combine Spoton, coaching, ManUp, and being a Dad, you get a person who is focused on making great relationships flourish. You get someone who cares about what this city is doing and how we are growing. Through food, mentorship, and football I plan to continue to build a legacy of giving back, showing up when it matters, and ultimately giving the greatest gift you can give to anyone… and that’s TIME!!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely has not been a smooth road. When I moved back to St. Louis from Decatur, GA in 2012 it was because I had to. I had literally lost everything. When I came to St. Louis on a greyhound bus all I had was 1 bag of clothes. I moved in with my mom in Wellston and walked every day in the snow to the library to put in job applications on the computer. My first job was 3 hours away in Ellisville. I had to catch 2 buses and the train to get to work every day.
My mother always told me, “you go to jobs, they don’t come to you”, and that’s what I did. It’s truly not about what happens to you, because we all know if it can happen, it most likely will. More importantly, it’s about what YOU do after something happens to you. You have to have a strong mind and fight in this life. I’m 37 years old and still fighting to make myself better every day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
SpotOn: I work as an Account executive for Spoton. I actively go to business owners and have conversations about how SpotOn can help them. I specialize in Restaurants because it ties perfectly with my passion for food. At Spoton, we offer website design, credit card processing, point of sale, loyalty programs, reservation platforms, etc. I could keep listing what we offer but mainly we offer something that restaurants need, and that’s a change of pace. We all know the industry has taken some blows with covid. SpotOn has been right there the whole way, and we will continue to be right there in the fight to make restaurants flourish.
8,000, 12,000, and 17,000 are all numbers I’m proud of. These numbers represent how much I have saved with some of the restaurants I have partnered with. They have been able to use the savings to invest in more staffing, renovations, and overall expenses that come with running a restaurant.
Being present through every step and being an actual consultant is what sets me apart from a lot of people who do what I do. Our competition has great products and services just like we do but ‘the people” and “the culture” is unmatched. We have zero debt as a company and have been valued at about 3.7 billion. That is amazing security for anyone who decides to join the SpotOn family.
What were you like growing up?
I have always been addicted to playing sports and having fun. I’m no stand-up comedian, but anyone who knows me can vouch that I will have you laughing often. Life is so short and I learned from my mother to not take everything so serious and enjoy the short time we have on this earth
Contact Info:
- Website: Spoton.com/restaurants
- Facebook: Jay Clayton
Image Credits
Leo Jackson- Jackson Graphics XXFL and Jamar ‘Church’ Pinkston
