Casa Davka Founder Emily Cohen on How Unchecked Assumptions Undermine Creative Businesses
In PRINT Magazine, Emily Cohen contends that the most significant threat to creative companies is the failure to recognize that assumptions are merely assumptions. As the founder of Casa Davka, she reflects on her experiences with her HOA board, where anticipated community responses frequently turned out to be inaccurate. Cohen points out the varying priorities of stakeholders and mentions that her firm regularly faces client assumptions regarding budgets and timelines. These misconceptions can result in missed chances and misunderstandings. She advocates for questioning the validity of these assumptions and testing them through effective communication and conflict resolution. Cohen stresses that creative firms often struggle with insufficient communication and encourages confronting feared assumptions for better acknowledgment. The article was published on PRINT Magazine's website.
Key facts
- Emily Cohen founded the consultancy Casa Davka and works there with partner Hunter Vargas
- Cohen joined her HOA board last year, an experience that prompted the article
- Cohen's HOA priorities centered on building experience and perception, while others focused on financial and logistical concerns
- Casa Davka advises creative firms on positioning, business development, organizational structure, pricing, and client relationships
- Cohen lists client assumptions such as 'this client won't ever change' and 'we can't raise our rates'
- Unchallenged assumptions can lead to misguided decisions, strained relationships, missed opportunities, lost revenue, and stalled growth
- Cohen's four testing practices are asking the right questions, communicating rather than assuming, embracing productive conflict, and getting comfortable with uncertainty
- The article was published by PRINT Magazine
Entities
Artists
- Emily Cohen
- Hunter Vargas
Institutions
- Casa Davka
- PRINT Magazine
- Magnific