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Who We Are
Clay Flynn, Inc. is a boutique business management firm in New York City specializing in the arts and culture. Despite our focus and geography, we offer high-level deliverables and advice to individuals and organizations of all sizes and across industries and sectors, nation-wide, to help drive profitability, productivity and efficiency.
The firm and its community of professional partners and advisors have decades of experience overseeing financial and business affairs for companies large and small. Our close-knit network knows the ins and outs of the creative class, and helps them achieve organizational success. This community includes accountants, bookkeepers, advisors, managers, CEOs, CFOs, brokers, attorneys, insurance agents and other finance and business professionals, and industry leaders.
Our work has included everything from building out operations and sales protocol for fine art galleries and managing budgets for private collectors to leading finances and business affairs for artist studios, creative branding agencies, furniture makers, alcohol brands, publications and fashion designers. Our ability to bridge sectors, industries and interests allows us to understand organizations from their many facets and advise well-rounded, creative solutions.
Clay Flynn, Inc. believes that good collaboration is the key to overcoming today's biggest challenges and seizing tomorrow's most promising opportunities. Our mission is to develop the mutual trust that leads to better partnerships, better opportunities and better potential.
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We’ve Sat In Your Chair
We advise arts businesses as people who have run them. Before founding the firm, Clay led sales at a respected New York gallery, ran the business and finances of a collectible design gallery, and co-directed a private collection that holds thousands of works. He also currently owns and operates a gallery in Brooklyn. So when we sit down with an artist, a gallery, or a collector, it's usually a conversation we've had from the other side of the table.
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What We Do
We are not accountants nor are we bookkeepers. We are business managers.
We are responsible for making sure you and your business run efficiently and stay organized.
We will not file your taxes, but we will work with your CPA to make sure that they are filed correctly and optimized. We will pay your bills and send your invoices, and then make sure those invoices get paid. We will also coordinate your contracts, talk with your lawyer/s, sort your health insurance, and help you hire and manage your employees, vendors and contractors. We will talk about your charitable giving, payroll and real estate, dream about new business ideas, new revenue streams and laugh about failed launches. We cannot legally manage or advise your investments, but we can help you interpret reports, discuss ideas, and set goals. We will, if needed, build savings and pay off debt and plan every penny that we can. We might not have the expertise in-house, but we will help you find a top professional and manage that relationship on your behalf.
We are guides, therapists, and shamans. We will advise and console and celebrate and challenge you along your financial journey, hand-in-hand (it’s gonna be fun).
Whether you are seeking financial stability for the first time or are an ultra-/high-net-worth individual budgeting for your art collection or a pied-à-terre...we’ve seen it before and we embrace it.
-
How We Do It
Values are at the forefront of Clay Flynn, Inc. and they shape who we are, what we do and how we do it. These values help us provide the best services and solutions for our clients.
TRANSPARENCY - We’re straightforward, open and honest in how we approach work and each other.
TRUST - We believe in the trust and strength of our community. It is what keeps our firm strong and successful in the long term.
INCLUSION - Our firm is built on relationships and people, so we actively welcome and include each other to maximize success.
LOYALTY - We actively pursue like-minded clients and partners who strive to learn and grow together.
FUN - We come together in the spirit of friendship, with a heavy dose of fun.
THE FUTURE - We’re committed to always improving and seeking new ways to create a better tomorrow.
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About Clay Flynn
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Clay, the firm's owner, is a creative and ambitious business manager who believes that we can all try to bring our best to every situation. Acting as an advisor, manager, strategist and confidant to clients, he counsels them on cash flow management, taxes, wealth creation, and new revenue streams, among other things.
For more than twenty years Clay has been immersed in the arts, and he has more than a dozen years of professional experience with business affairs and finances. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria, and holds an MA in Business from Sotheby's Institute of Art. His professional experience includes archiving and registration at international institutions in addition to leading business, finances and sales for top art collectors and galleries, private enterprises, and ultra-/high-net-worth individuals involved with a diverse range of industries such as arts and culture, communications, real estate, e-commerce and more.
Clay grew up in Connecticut and lived in Chicago, Vienna (Austria) and Milan (Italy) before settling in Brooklyn, New York. He enjoys visiting local art organizations, going on extended hikes, traveling with good friends, watching horror movies and documentaries, reading epic fantasy and sci-fi novels, and taking endless walks with his dog Charlie Brown.
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Who We Help
* View example service vignettes.
Our clients look different from the outside, but the need underneath is the same: someone senior handling the money and the operations so they can get back to the work. A few examples of what that looks like:
For a maker’s studio, we invoice galleries and/or clients, pay employees and contractors, handle insurances and payroll, and build a workflow around how the studio actually runs, so the artist can stay in the studio.
For a gallery, we set up sales and consignment protocols, keep cash flow steady, report to artists and consignors, and make sure staff, vendors, and artists get paid on time.
For a collector, we manage the bookkeeping, contracts, payments, and invoices tied to a collection, and bring the structure that turns collecting from a habit into something run with intention.
For a design or branding studio, we manage project budgets and scopes of work, bill clients by milestone or deliverable, pay the freelancers and production vendors a project pulls in, and run payroll, benefits, and the contracts and insurance that come with a growing creative team. You see the real margin on each project, not just the top line.
For a communications or PR agency, we handle accounts payable and receivable, client billing and reimbursables, payroll and benefits, and the freelance and contractor payments that come with a project-based team. We track retainers and project work separately, keep cash flow steady when client payments land unevenly, and stay on top of the contracts and compliance that pile up as the agency grows.
For a real estate agent or broker, we manage the bookkeeping, track commissions after splits and fees, set aside and plan for estimated taxes, and keep your business and personal finances organized. We smooth the irregular income so the slow months are covered, and coordinate with your CPA so tax time is calm instead of a scramble.
For a landlord or property owner, we track rental income and expenses building by building, keep security deposits recorded as the tenant money they are rather than income, pay the contractors and property managers, and stay on top of mortgage escrow, property taxes, and insurance. You see which properties actually make money and which just look like they do.
For a construction or contracting business, we set up job costing so you can see the real margin on every project, manage progress billing and retainage, pay and track subcontractors, and keep cash flowing through the gap between paying for a job and getting paid for it. Payroll, insurance, and compliance included.
For an interior designer, we manage the bookkeeping, track client deposits and procurement from order to delivery, handle the sales tax on furnishings, and separate your design fees from the money that just passes through you to vendors. We pay workrooms and installers, keep the 1099s straight, and plan cash flow around the big purchases you front before you're paid back.
For a nonprofit or foundation, we handle the bookkeeping, track restricted and grant funds so money meant for one purpose doesn't get spent on another, run payroll and accounts payable, and prepare the reporting your board, funders, and auditors expect. We help budget benefit events and keep the books ready for your annual filing.
For an individual or family, we act as your personal finance office: paying the bills, budgeting a household, keeping the paperwork in order, and coordinating the accountants, attorneys, and advisors so nothing falls between them. The goal is simple: you always know where things stand without having to chase it.
For an e-commerce or product brand, we track revenue as it lands across platforms and payment processors, reconcile it against what actually hit the bank, keep an eye on inventory and cost of goods, and stay on top of the sales tax you owe as it shifts from state to state. You get a clear picture of what you're really making after fees and costs.
-
Clients and Experience
* Read client and partner testimonials.
Architects
Archives and Libraries
Art Advisors
Art Galleries
Artist Studios
Book Stores
Communications Agencies
Creative Agencies
E-commerce
Entrepreneurs
Families
Fashion (Retail & Design)
Food and Beverage
Foundations, Trusts and Estates
Furniture Designers
Graphic Designers
Home Organizers
Interior Decorators
Interior Designers
Landlords and Management Companies
Moving Companies
Non-profits
Publications
Private Collections
Publicists
Real Estate Agents
Real Estate Brokers
Realtors
Retail Stores
Ultra-/High-Net-Worth Individuals
Web Designers
Collaborate with us.
Clay Flynn, Inc. is a boutique business management firm in New York City specializing in the arts and culture. Despite our focus and geography, we offer high-level deliverables and advice to individuals and organizations of all sizes and across industries and sectors, nation-wide, to help drive profitability, productivity and efficiency.
The firm and its community of professional partners and advisors have decades of experience overseeing financial and business affairs for companies large and small. Our close-knit network knows the ins and outs of the creative class, and helps them achieve organizational success. This community includes accountants, bookkeepers, advisors, managers, CEOs, CFOs, brokers, attorneys, insurance agents and other finance and business professionals, and industry leaders.
Our work has included everything from building out operations and sales protocol for fine art galleries and managing budgets for private collectors to leading finances and business affairs for artist studios, creative branding agencies, furniture makers, alcohol brands, publications and fashion designers. Our ability to bridge sectors, industries and interests allows us to understand organizations from their many facets and advise well-rounded, creative solutions.
Clay Flynn, Inc. believes that good collaboration is the key to overcoming today's biggest challenges and seizing tomorrow's most promising opportunities. Our mission is to develop the mutual trust that leads to better partnerships, better opportunities and better potential.
-
We’ve Sat In Your Chair
We advise arts businesses as people who have run them. Before founding the firm, Clay led sales at a respected New York gallery, ran the business and finances of a collectible design gallery, and co-directed a private collection that holds thousands of works. He also currently owns and operates a gallery in Brooklyn. So when we sit down with an artist, a gallery, or a collector, it's usually a conversation we've had from the other side of the table.
-
What We Do
We are not accountants nor are we bookkeepers. We are business managers.
We are responsible for making sure you and your business run efficiently and stay organized.
We will not file your taxes, but we will work with your CPA to make sure that they are filed correctly and optimized. We will pay your bills and send your invoices, and then make sure those invoices get paid. We will also coordinate your contracts, talk with your lawyer/s, sort your health insurance, and help you hire and manage your employees, vendors and contractors. We will talk about your charitable giving, payroll and real estate, dream about new business ideas, new revenue streams and laugh about failed launches. We cannot legally manage or advise your investments, but we can help you interpret reports, discuss ideas, and set goals. We will, if needed, build savings and pay off debt and plan every penny that we can. We might not have the expertise in-house, but we will help you find a top professional and manage that relationship on your behalf.
We are guides, therapists, and shamans. We will advise and console and celebrate and challenge you along your financial journey, hand-in-hand (it’s gonna be fun).
Whether you are seeking financial stability for the first time or are an ultra-/high-net-worth individual budgeting for your art collection or a pied-à-terre...we’ve seen it before and we embrace it.
-
How We Do It
Values are at the forefront of Clay Flynn, Inc. and they shape who we are, what we do and how we do it. These values help us provide the best services and solutions for our clients.
TRANSPARENCY - We’re straightforward, open and honest in how we approach work and each other.
TRUST - We believe in the trust and strength of our community. It is what keeps our firm strong and successful in the long term.
INCLUSION - Our firm is built on relationships and people, so we actively welcome and include each other to maximize success.
LOYALTY - We actively pursue like-minded clients and partners who strive to learn and grow together.
FUN - We come together in the spirit of friendship, with a heavy dose of fun.
THE FUTURE - We’re committed to always improving and seeking new ways to create a better tomorrow.
-
About Clay Flynn
Clay, the firm's owner, is a creative and ambitious business manager who believes that we can all try to bring our best to every situation. Acting as an advisor, manager, strategist and confidant to clients, he counsels them on cash flow management, taxes, wealth creation, and new revenue streams, among other things.
For more than twenty years Clay has been immersed in the arts, and he has more than a dozen years of professional experience with business affairs and finances. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria, and holds an MA in Business from Sotheby's Institute of Art. His professional experience includes archiving and registration at international institutions in addition to leading business, finances and sales for top art collectors and galleries, private enterprises, and ultra-/high-net-worth individuals involved with a diverse range of industries such as arts and culture, communications, real estate, e-commerce and more.
Clay grew up in Connecticut and lived in Chicago, Vienna (Austria) and Milan (Italy) before settling in Brooklyn, New York. He enjoys visiting local art organizations, going on extended hikes, traveling with good friends, watching horror movies and documentaries, reading epic fantasy and sci-fi novels, and taking endless walks with his dog Charlie Brown.
-
Who We Help
* View example service vignettes.
Our clients look different from the outside, but the need underneath is the same: someone senior handling the money and the operations so they can get back to the work. A few examples of what that looks like:
For a maker’s studio, we invoice galleries and/or clients, pay employees and contractors, handle insurances and payroll, and build a workflow around how the studio actually runs, so the artist can stay in the studio.
For a gallery, we set up sales and consignment protocols, keep cash flow steady, report to artists and consignors, and make sure staff, vendors, and artists get paid on time.
For a collector, we manage the bookkeeping, contracts, payments, and invoices tied to a collection, and bring the structure that turns collecting from a habit into something run with intention.
For a design or branding studio, we manage project budgets and scopes of work, bill clients by milestone or deliverable, pay the freelancers and production vendors a project pulls in, and run payroll, benefits, and the contracts and insurance that come with a growing creative team. You see the real margin on each project, not just the top line.
For a communications or PR agency, we handle accounts payable and receivable, client billing and reimbursables, payroll and benefits, and the freelance and contractor payments that come with a project-based team. We track retainers and project work separately, keep cash flow steady when client payments land unevenly, and stay on top of the contracts and compliance that pile up as the agency grows.
For a real estate agent or broker, we manage the bookkeeping, track commissions after splits and fees, set aside and plan for estimated taxes, and keep your business and personal finances organized. We smooth the irregular income so the slow months are covered, and coordinate with your CPA so tax time is calm instead of a scramble.
For a landlord or property owner, we track rental income and expenses building by building, keep security deposits recorded as the tenant money they are rather than income, pay the contractors and property managers, and stay on top of mortgage escrow, property taxes, and insurance. You see which properties actually make money and which just look like they do.
For a construction or contracting business, we set up job costing so you can see the real margin on every project, manage progress billing and retainage, pay and track subcontractors, and keep cash flowing through the gap between paying for a job and getting paid for it. Payroll, insurance, and compliance included.
For an interior designer, we manage the bookkeeping, track client deposits and procurement from order to delivery, handle the sales tax on furnishings, and separate your design fees from the money that just passes through you to vendors. We pay workrooms and installers, keep the 1099s straight, and plan cash flow around the big purchases you front before you're paid back.
For a nonprofit or foundation, we handle the bookkeeping, track restricted and grant funds so money meant for one purpose doesn't get spent on another, run payroll and accounts payable, and prepare the reporting your board, funders, and auditors expect. We help budget benefit events and keep the books ready for your annual filing.
For an individual or family, we act as your personal finance office: paying the bills, budgeting a household, keeping the paperwork in order, and coordinating the accountants, attorneys, and advisors so nothing falls between them. The goal is simple: you always know where things stand without having to chase it.
For an e-commerce or product brand, we track revenue as it lands across platforms and payment processors, reconcile it against what actually hit the bank, keep an eye on inventory and cost of goods, and stay on top of the sales tax you owe as it shifts from state to state. You get a clear picture of what you're really making after fees and costs.
-
Clients and Experience
* Read client and partner testimonials.
Architects
Archives and Libraries
Art Advisors
Art Galleries
Artist Studios
Book Stores
Communications Agencies
Creative Agencies
E-commerce
Entrepreneurs
Families
Fashion (Retail & Design)
Food and Beverage
Foundations, Trusts and Estates
Furniture Designers
Graphic Designers
Home Organizers
Interior Decorators
Interior Designers
Landlords and Management Companies
Moving Companies
Non-profits
Publications
Private Collections
Publicists
Real Estate Agents
Real Estate Brokers
Realtors
Retail Stores
Ultra-/High-Net-Worth Individuals
Web Designers
Collaborate with us.