Ep 057 – Emily Cohen & Hunter Vargas, Casa Davka – Nailing the Client Relationship

Featuring: Emily Cohen & Hunter Vargas, Casa Davka

In Episode 57, I had the privilege of sitting down with the dynamic duo behind Casa Davka – Emily Cohen and Hunter Vargas. This episode is jam-packed with valuable insights for agency owners looking to master their positioning, niching, and client relationships. We dive deep into strategic approaches for expanding expertise and fostering stronger client connections. From navigating business development to addressing harmful industry practices, we cover it all. We also explore the evolving landscape of remote work and its impact on team effectiveness, while emphasizing the importance of fair compensation and trust-building in remote agencies. Plus, we discuss the advantages of global talent, vertical niching strategies, achieving work-life balance, and fostering a culture of trust. As always, expect a no-nonsense conversation that cuts through the noise. Don't miss out on this episode!

Key Takeaways

• Clients are taking longer to close deals, so patience is key.

• Strategy is becoming increasingly important in the design industry.

• Ethical business practices, such as fair contracts and pricing, are crucial.

Work-life balance and setting boundaries are essential for personal and professional well-being.

• Capturing metrics is important to measure success and prove the value of design.

• Take action and don't wait for perfection.Chapters

Emily Cohen, Founder & Partner at Casa Davka, is a no-nonsense business consultant who has partnered with 500+ leading creative firms worldwide. At Casa Davka, Emily offers customized business solutions to creative businesses so they are able to: envision and plan for their future, position themselves to stay competitive, attract and qualify new business prospects and talent, refine, evolve, and elevate their organizational structure and reimagine existing processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

Emily is a frequently requested main stage speaker within the creative industry and has spoken at hundreds of international, national, and local conferences and events for organizations such as Creative Mornings, AIGA, Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), and Creative South.

In 2018, she self-published her business book for creatives, Brutally Honest: No-bullshit business strategies to evolve your creative business. Brutally Honest has become a go-to business book for creative industry professionals worldwide and several universities use it as a teaching tool.

Emily is a designer by degree, an avid reader, a dog-lover, a trend-spotter, a connection-builder, and an industry advocate.

After working with multiple creative firms, Hunter officially joined Emily’s practice in Summer 2022 to grow our practice, elevate our offerings, and provide a fresh perspective to our clients. Her experience as a marketer, project manager, client partner, and business development manager paired with her on-the-ground insight and unique, younger perspective is a huge asset to our consulting practice. Hunter truly knows our industry inside and out.

She also happens to be Emily’s daughter and can read her mind so they work together seamlessly, complementing each other in many ways.

Contact Casa Davka on their website, or Emily or Hunter’s LinkedIn pages.