Reset Your Expectations: David C. Baker on Building Agencies That Actually Work
ABOUT EPISODE
David C. Baker joins Adam Weil with a simple starting point: calm down, reset your expectations, and stop letting the loudest voices set your priorities. He’s seen plenty of industry “moats” come and go, and he puts AI in that same bucket. Real change, yes. A reason to spiral, no. What matters more is how leaders respond when the noise gets louder, and whether they stay focused on fundamentals instead of headlines.
From there, the conversation turns practical. David breaks down what new business looks like when you build it on purpose. Opportunity stays higher than capacity, so the gap gives you the freedom to say no. That’s what keeps you from compromising, discounting, or chasing work you never wanted in the first place. He also reframes positioning in a way that lands: it’s less about what you’ll take and more about what you go looking for.
Then we get into the part most teams feel in their gut. Great work is invisible to clients when they don’t have your eye. The kerning example says it all. What they do notice is how they’re treated. David makes the case that account management and project management are where trust gets built, and where it falls apart first. He closes with a grounded perspective on agency life right now: treat this as the normal, decide what you need from the business, and pick a firm size that fits the life you want to run.
GUEST BIO
David C. Baker is one of the most trusted advisors in the agency and professional services world. Through Punctuation, he’s spent decades helping founders build expertise-driven businesses that price well, market with intention, and stay sellable. He’s advised 1,300+ firms personally, and he’s been doing this work for more than 30 years. He’s also the co-host of 2 Bobs with Blair Enns, where they get straight to the point, follow the thread, and talk shop the way agency owners actually talk shop.
Outside of work, David’s path has always had range. Born in Michigan, he spent his early life in Guatemala, went deep into languages and theology, and later ran both a publishing business and a marketing firm before stepping into consulting, writing, and speaking full time. His work has appeared across major outlets, he’s written seven books, and he still keeps a life outside the inbox: teaching motorcycle racing, flying planes and helicopters, and doing photography around the world.