We were lucky to catch up with Ema Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ema thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think you’re successful as long as you believe that you are. There are people that are happy as they are and don’t want more. There are people that are happy as they are and still want more. There are people that are unhappy as they are because they want more, and those that will never be happy because all they want is more. I think you define success for yourself. For me, success is always making an effort to do something that makes me happy, as long as I don’t lose site of where I currently am and who I am as a person. I feel that if I were to make millions in the next year, but turned out to be a horrible person, then I am not successful—I would just be an a**hole with money. No one would care and that is not fulfilling for me. My personal definition includes being happy at all of my phases, and ensuring that I am a person of character no matter how financially or socially successful I seem to have become.

Ema, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a designer, creative director, brand consultant, and the founder of Atlanta-based creative agency, 1380 Agency. I have been providing creative solutions for companies in tech, retail, lifestyle, e-commerce, and many more industries for the past 11 years.

I have worked as an in-house designer, as an agency designer, as a web and print designer, a project manager, a team lead, you name it. I started my career out doing work for healthcare marketing agencies and doing graphic and brand work for healthcare systems and healthcare IT companies.

The middle of my career was where I decided to have some fun and do some really unique work including: trade show work for huge global brands like Yamaha, AstraZeneca, and Kimberly-Clarke; then I worked for a geospatial technology company doing digital design.

Toward this latter half of my career, I have moved toward the SAAS world, and I think this is my happy zone. SAAS and sales are so deeply intertwined and there seems to be an unspoken taboo about both: “Everyone wants to make an app or software,” or “sales people are so persistent and annoying.” I got a huge reality check when I started working at SalesLoft back in 2018. Software is becoming more groundbreaking than we realize, especially as we explore more into AI. And sales is much more people-focused and centered on actually providing value and solving problems.

This company taught me the most about investing in yourself so that you can live up to your potential, and leaning on and trusting your team. I am most proud of meeting the people there, learning how to grow professionally and personally, and of course having the opportunity to work on a world-class brand!

Working there wasn’t without its challenges of course, and the mission of my agency was born out of those troubles. SalesLoft is not the only tech company I’ve served that encountered what I call “brand-lag” due to incredibly fast-growth. Too much success can be a bad thing if you aren’t prepared. Many companies snuggle nicely into their niche without understanding how to brand and position themselves for scale. That’s where 1380 comes in!

Cohesive design often gets left on the back burner for eager startups. We’re experts in tightening the seams and making companies look as good to their customers, as they make their customers feel. I have seen companies’ paid media efforts, website traffic, and closing rates take a hit because their content was disjointed or they were perceived as contributors instead of authorities in their field.

This is what I am most excited to work on as we grow our agency—being able to ensure that companies stay on the fast track to their goals from the beginning.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I consistently watch videos from Chris Do, and have bought a couple of his resources, including their proposal template. He has countless free resources and information about to best position yourself as a premium service provider. I think his channel has made the largest recent impact on how I approach my business and would recommend him even to someone who’s not a creative.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A peer of mine, Jonathan Dew (brand experience extraordinaire), served as a sort of mentor to me when I was at SalesLoft. He taught me to always “assume goodwill.” This has helped me leaps and bounds. When you can approach situations and challenges with a clear mind and heart, and not let your insecurities or anxiety cloud your ability to critically think, then you will always fly. There’s not so much a backstory than me literally seeing myself grow as a person, and learn how to fight my social anxiety, take a deep breath, and challenge myself to try new things, offer new perspectives, and accept less than ideal outcomes without being discouraged.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://1380.agency
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/1380.agency
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1380-agency