Bio
David C. Baker is the leading authority on positioning, reinventing, and selling firms in the marketing, creative, and digital space. His central thesis, developed over three decades of advising 900+ firms, is that expertise is not invented but chosen: you look back at the work where you made money and moved the needle, identify five or six possible specializations, and then make the painful decision to pick one and say no to the rest. From that moment, your learning rate accelerates because concentrated focus reveals patterns invisible to generalists.
Operating themes
- Operating thesis: Expertise is the product of narrow positioning; insight flows from focus, and the less exchangeable you are, the higher the premium you command.
- Agency Positioning
- Client Acquisition For Services
- Delivery Model Design
- Expertise Development
Cards
- Close the execution door. Force prospects through the strategy door first. — Close the execution door. Force prospects through the strategy door first. [Tier A]
Sources captured
- 2026-04 —
expert-positioning-for-creative-agencies-freelancers-w-david-c-baker.md(operator essay archive) - 2026-04 —
david-c-baker-the-business-of-expertise-how-entrepreneurial-firms-agencies-can-g.md(operator essay archive) - 2026-04 —
the-business-of-expertise-with-david-c-baker-agency-management-institute.md(operator essay archive) - 2026-04 —
insights-on-expertise-from-the-business-of-expertise-by-david-c-baker-helios-des.md(operator essay archive) - 2026-04 —
david-c-baker-expert-agency-agency-profit-podcast.md(operator essay archive) - 2026-04 —
thrive-your-agency-resource-podcast-by-kelly-campbell.md(operator essay archive)