Meet Chase Friedman

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chase Friedman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chase below.

Chase, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I haven’t taken the easiest or clearest of paths to get where I am today… And I embrace the fact that I’m still very much on this journey and learning to embrace the ebbs and flows.

I began my professional career as an aspiring filmmaker in Hollywood. I didn’t go to film school, nor did I have any formal training, and yet I was enamored with the craft and determined to learn as much as I could by getting in the trenches and learn from anyone who was willing to teach me. I worked my way up the ranks from lowly production assistant and paid my dues in any department or position that would accept me. Meanwhile, I was surrounded by my peers who had elite film school education and resources, industry insider ‘connections’, and in some cases good old fashioned nepotism to get them in the door. I had to learn rather quickly that comparing myself to others would get me nowhere and that I’d need to work harder and longer than most to earn my place.

It was a similar experience when shifted my career evolved into the world branding and marketing. I set out to build a business, with no prior experience, training, or ‘big agency’ exposure from which to build on. And yet, I was determined to pave my own path and prove to myself I could succeed in spite of the odds.

To me, resilience is about staying power and never relenting – even when all the odds are stacked against you. In some ways it’s been self-imposed, and maybe a bit of my stubbornness. But when all hope seems lost, the prospect of giving up on my dream is far scarier than not trying at all.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I believe in the ability for all businesses and organizations to Do Good AND Do Well. To Profit with purpose… My purpose is to help others discover theirs, so they can Do Good and Do Well (Profit with Purpose) in building the life and business of their dreams.

By day, I’m a Brand Purpose Coach and Founder of Vanquish Media Group a brand marketing agency empowering purpose-driven entrepreneurs and SMBs to define their purpose, clarify their message and achieve sustainable growth and impact in the lives of their customers, communities, and the world. In all other waking hours, I’m a father of two, husband to an inspiring grade school teacher, and doing my best to wear many other hats as brother, son, friend, mentor, volunteer, and beyond.

Because I always try to walk the talk, I also serve as a member of 1% for the Planet, commit my time to multiple pro-bono and non-profit initiatives, and serve on the Board of Advisors for the non-profit Film2Future foundation.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Can I share four? To echo my late mentor, these are the key principles I try to live by… Looking back at the beginning of my career, I wished I had these insights to guide me and better yet a mentor or coach to hold me accountable.

‘Get Your Mind Right’: To me this is all about mindset and attitude. As someone who has dealt with mental health struggles most of my life, the greatest challenge is often just starting my day with a positive mental attitude and sustaining this strength of spirit for my family, my clients, and of course myself. But if you don’t put on your own oxygen mask first… well, you know how that turns out.

‘Define Your Purpose’: I’m driven by the constant pursuit of defining and embodying my purpose in life and business (ideally one in the same). I’ve spent my fair share of time trying to figure out where I was headed in life, and worse, being guided by the opinions and demands of others. To quote the great Napoleon Hill, ‘A man without a purpose is like a ship without a compass’.

‘Stay Uncomfortable’: This goes back to building resilience. Oftentimes too much comfort can lead to complacency. I’m all for finding ease and flow in my life and work, but it’s at the precipice of the unknown and the depths of fear and failure where I often experience the greatest growth and build resilience for the next inevitable challenge I’m sure to face.

‘Living the Dream’: To me, this is another reminder to help me reframe my perspective when I’m caught up in the endless game of pursuit and ‘never enough’ mindset. It’s a rally cry (try saying it out loud with conviction) to simply be grateful for where I’m at in life at this very moment. It’s become a mantra in my family to express gratitude and joy any chance we get.

How would you describe your ideal client?

As a business owner, we’re often classified based on the industry we serve or niche we occupy. It’s a normal and rational inquiry but I’ve always felt it was a rather limiting perspective. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a diverse mix of industries and clients… because I like stretching different mental and creative muscles. This goes back to the ‘stay uncomfortable’ mantra. Would it be easier and more efficient to source and serve clients in a particular sector? Sure! But you may be missing out on many aligned clients who need your support but don’t neatly fit within ‘your niche’.

I’ve always considered who and how I serve as industry agnostic. I tend to avoid qualifying or disqualifying clients based on WHAT type of work they do, and instead focus on a more intangible qualifier – WHO they are as people (e.g. passionate, purpose-driven) and HOW they work (e.g. collaborative, communicative, respectful). It’s allowed me to define my ‘niche’ based on purpose-driven people and organizations, those who embrace their mission and values beyond the bottom line. Their pursuit of sustainable growth and profitability while doing a greater good for themselves, their teams, community and beyond (aka: Profit with Purpose). To do good AND do well, is the pursuit and balance that I aim to provide for myself and my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vanquishmediagroup.com/profit-with-purpose/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-friedman
• Other: https://vanquishmediagroup.com/