Today we’d like to introduce you to Haylee Davis.
Haylee, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
A multi-generational native Texan, I was born to a young, newly married couple in South Texas. A series of events following my biological father’s battle with addiction led me to be raised and later adopted by my stepfather. I was baptized into the Catholic Church as an infant and later chose the Protestant faith as my own. I remain a devout Christian to this day. Most of my childhood was spent helping my family in our family-owned businesses or caring for my younger siblings. Homeschooled from the third grade forward, I finished high school and started college at the age of fifteen and graduated from Harding University when I was nineteen. I married my college sweetheart, Jerit, during my junior year at Harding – I was only a few months over eighteen. Jerit and I have maintained our commitments to one another for over 18 years and our marriage brought us a beautiful daughter, Allie, who is thirteen and thriving. Ironically, she decided in the 8th grade that she would like to be homeschooled, and we are enjoying that new adventure with her.
My professional passion has always been business because business, in one form or another, touches and enables nearly every aspect of humanity. Even so, the journey to starting my company was not a short, or easy, one. I spent years researching and exploring a myriad of options and truthfully, getting to know myself. There were career options that seemed right, even profitable, but just didn’t resonate with what was in my heart to do. This quote from Martin Luther King, Jr, was one of the things I read and re-read while deciding how to invest the professional years of my life.
“If it falls to your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep the streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare, wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the hosts of Heaven and Earth will have to pause and say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.'”
After years of searching and working hard on whatever task was in front of me at the time, I had an epiphany. Each of us is designed to bring life and value to those around us whether that is our family, friends, professional associates, clients or even strangers. Some of that value comes alive in our personal lives and some in our professional lives. Regardless of the message society blares in our ears, we need not have a career that is featured in Forbes in order for our life’s work to be deeply valuable and meaningful. Like Martin Luther describes, we all need to simply give every ounce of talent and passion we have to whatever vocation we commit our day or life. This newfound mindset led me down the path of discovering how I could bring the most value to everyone from the street sweeper to the CEO. I set out to begin helping business owners and professionals with the parts of their business that was outside of the scope of their expertise.
After serving business owners and professionals solo, I realized my clients needed more than I could provide on my own. I decided I needed a partner. The most obvious choice for a business partner was my trusted colleague and friend, Justin Kendall. Justin and I spent several years creating what is now, The KAD Group, a comprehensive business services company. Together with our team, we Equip, Empower and Educate businesses and professionals across the US to serve their owners, employees, and clients to the best of their ability. Through services ranging from marketing to business transitions, consulting and career coaching, we are quite literally helping the street sweeper be the best street sweeper imaginable.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This question almost makes me laugh because, no, oh my goodness, no, it has NOT been a smooth road. Most of my struggles are struggles that, honestly, are not ones I’m ready to share publicly because healing is still taking place in those areas of my life. What I’ve learned is that regardless of what you face in life – whatever obstacle, betrayal, broken relationship, health battle, addiction or loss, one resounding truth is consistent: don’t give up. Keep pursuing healing in all areas of your life. Accept nothing less than healthy relationships. Outrun your past by putting all of the right things and people in your present. Never reach a point in your life where you believe you have nothing left to give – if you have breath, you have a purpose.
To offer another favorite quote that has helped me in my times of struggle, here is a gem from Mother Teresa:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Named for our two owners, Justin Kendall and me, Haylee Davis, my company, The KAD Group, is a comprehensive business services company that provides a wide array of products and services to companies of all sizes. Our ideal client is the small to medium-sized, privately held business. KAD’s services include marketing and website products as well as career coaching, consulting and transitions, including business brokerage. We are in the process of adding real estate and accounting services to our company, too, which is exciting.
I have 17 years of experience in management and marketing while my business partner, Justin, an attorney/CPA, is a twenty-year veteran in the world of accounting and law. Colleagues and family friends initially, Justin and I worked on several projects together and in doing so, we saw a need for a business services firm that provided a level of detail, expertise, and integrity that we were not seeing in the deals we encountered for our respective clients. Over the course of several years of frustrating projects and, at times, less than honest professionals, we decided that the only way to provide our clients with the level of service we desired was to join forces and create a firm that was designed to give clients what they deserved – the best.
We realize that KAD is one of many business service firms in the industry. We also know, however, that only a few firms bring our level of experience and expertise to the table while also operating with the firm belief that products and services delivered are only as solid as the professionals responsible for development and delivery. Named after the Davis child and the 4 Kendall children, the “KAD Five” is a set of principles established as a guidepost for how we will serve and train our clients. These five principals, Integrity | Substance | Consistency | Competency | Trust, are what we feel sets us apart in a competitive industry, and are most certainly the aspect of our company where we place the most pride. The KAD Five principals are embedded not only in the work KAD provides to its clients but also in the work that our clients are trained by us to provide to their own clients. To us, each KAD Five principal must exist and work together in order to provide what we set out to provide, the best.
What were you like growing up?
What was I like growing up? Great question. For a number of reasons, I was an energetic kid that was always about ten years ahead of her time – intellectually, emotionally and otherwise. This led to some blessings and, to be honest, some very real challenges. In many ways, I think I grew up too quickly, yet I wouldn’t change a minute of my life because that would mean that I wouldn’t end up where I am today. Despite life’s hardships and the lessons I’ve learned the hard way, my life is a true picture of indescribable beauty.
Contact Info:
- Address: The KAD Group
6988 Lebanon Road, Suite 102
Frisco, Texas 75034 - Website: www.thekadgroup.com
- Phone: 214.491.0828
- Email: hd@thekadgroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekadgroup/
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/byhayleedavis/
- Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/The-KAD-Group-1212579138758312/
Image Credit:
Paige Walker Photography || Frisco Style Magazine
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