From Hustle to Heritage: Christian’s Mission to Build Brands That Move Culture

Welcome to Radhika’s Newsletter “Intent”. This is your 3x/month guide to purposeful living, wealth-building, and personal growth.

I’m so excited to introduce our next Intent in Action feature: Christian! We first met in NYC while playing pickleball, and he told me about the strategy and brand consultancy he was building.

Over the course of our friendship, I got to learn more about the work he and his team at Vidi Global were doing and honestly, it blew me away. It had heart, purpose, & rooted in something much bigger.

At that point, I knew I had to ask him to be featured in Intent. I’m so excited to share his story with you!

Can you tell us a bit about who you are and the transition you made in your career or life?

Starting my own strategy and brand consultancy, Co-founding Vidi Global.

What was the turning point that inspired you to make this change or pursue this new direction?

Visiting Japan for the first time in 2016. Seeing a way of culture and philosophy that I aligned with. Seeing the concept of “craft”, and really more so the ideology of it. The way it was interwoven into the whole Japanese culture. Craft in Japan isn’t married to commerce. It is married to nature, and at the center of that, purpose. It felt like a faith. A collective dedication to cultures and their mythologies.

There are things I reflected on in the American culture. Could I possibly contribute to advancement through a creative business? Our values, our infrastructures, and our way of thinking – could I create a company that is a part of our progress as a society? 

In that way, with my study and practice being communications, I returned to the United States to create my own firm in pursuit to merge the practices of creative strategy, design and communication; primarily partnering with cultural organizations and institutions.

What steps did you take to approach this transition intentionally, and how did you plan for success?

In all transitions, mentorship always proves to be a key factor.

It’s also why I would note that choosing your mentors or understanding which ones to reach during specific transition periods matters a lot.

Throughout the course of this transition is when the circle of mentors / advisors I cultivated over years really came to my benefit.

I reached out to them as I weighed my decision and developed my strategy and projections, getting their feedback and refinements / recommendations. Equally, sharing the emotional side of the transition and getting life perspective as well. 

What challenges or doubts did you face along the way, and how did you overcome them?

Many challenges and doubts along the way and still dealing with them to this day. The main challenge being the transformation into the master of your own ship – aka income, management, ownership, and responsibility. Anyone who has embarked on their own venture or is currently running one is familiar with this. With agency (great power) comes accountability (great responsibility) 

And not everyone will understand. Actually, most won’t. Being your own boss and being a business owner takes a great level of courage and commitment, but most certainly, self-belief. Overcoming this required time, retreat, and deep thought about getting clear on my own personal ambitions and my lifestyle / life-worth vision.

What impact has this transition had on your life, and how has it shaped your vision for the future?

Jay-Z says it perfectly. “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man!”  

He also raps in different tracks about how if he somehow lost it all he’d know exactly how to make it back. I relate to that a lot.

I’ve always been intent in the idea that starting a business in marketing and being convicted to becoming good in that field, should eventually yield me towards a mastery of commerce and business. After 12 years in marketing, growing relationships with leaders of various brands/organizations 1:1, and developing my acumen as a business owner/operator – I feel very comfortable with my diversified perspective on how organizations ultimately win and achieve their goals, and how communications and design play a role in that.

If someone in a similar position is reading this, what advice would you give them about taking that first step?

Ideas aren’t precious. Execution is. Anyone can come up with an idea that should hypothetically work. Not everyone can put in the time and thought and soul it takes to start up your own thing – THEN uphold the magic of what makes that thing special. You’re always better off learning from doing and failing than overthinking and never launching.

Here’s a quick checklist you can get done in 2 weeks to help you take the step leap:

1. Talk to your advisors and mentors. Focus on the life decision of owning a business, not the idea of the business.

2. Write down what you want out of this change up.

3. Pray on it. Whatever your spiritual side is. Sit with the thought, ask for the signs, and start the manifestation of whatever desired reality you envision for yourself

How did staying true to your intentions guide you through this transition, and what role did clarity of purpose play in your journey?

Money was never my primary focus (probably to a fault.) My focus has always been around helping others – specifically people with a vision of transformation. As long as I was doing this, I could sleep okay, even with an empty wallet during hard times. 

As long as I was helping others and bringing genuine solutions to the table, I knew that energy would be fed back in some form or way. And it has. Starting from local clients to having national clients, from small budget work to big budget work – it started by winning one game at a time aka focusing on really helping one person at a time.

Support My Work

If you haven’t already, check out my book From Ramen Noodles to Riches to learn more about building a strong financial foundation. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take control of your money, this guide provides practical tips on budgeting, saving, and growing your wealth.

Enjoying this newsletter? If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me tea. Your support means so much! Every cup helps fuel the ideas, research, and energy I put into each newsletter.

Thank you so much for being a part of the Intent community. I rely on word-of-mouth for growth. If you enjoyed this newsletter, I’d love for you to share it with a friend.
Your commitment to living with purpose is exactly why this space exists. Can’t wait to share more in the next edition!

Until next time,
Radhika
Creating a life of purpose, wealth, and growth.

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