Lift Your Legacy: Age isn’t an issue when you have your goal in mind and are not afraid of failure with NVS Designs President Chad Brittian and Rabbi Jacob Rupp

“In the beginning, it took a lot of failures and time to get the company going. I took it in strides one day at a time working towards achieving a life I could not only be proud of, but one that I could enjoy. There is no guarantee for tomorrow, so I truly appreciate and respect that keeping your relationship with your family and friends is viable to success in every facet of your life.”

Chad Brittian is the President of NVS Designs launched in 2010. NVS Design is an innovative company that thinks so far outside the box, they are 2 blocks down the street from it! NVS Designs is a graphic design & advertising agency with office locations in Indianapolis, Beverly Hills, and Chicago. The company provides clients with detail-oriented work that speaks for itself.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”?

I came from a small town in Northern Indiana with the hopes of one day not only getting out, but exploring the world and experiencing any opportunity to grow- not only as an individual, but also in my knowledge regarding business. Being the only person to attend college in my family made for a very interesting transition from high-school, but I have always been someone that embraces change and challenges. Once I set my mind to something, I do everything in my power to ensure it is done to the best of my ability.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

I would say the funniest thing consistently still is my age. I started the company back in 2010 so gaining the respect of industry professionals and other CEO’s and decision makers at times was difficult because of my young appearance. I had several occasions, where I would be in a boardroom setting waiting, only to find out the client at times was still expecting for my boss to arrive! So I decided to grow out some facial hair…only a 5 o’clock shadow, but it has helped. LOL! I would say one of the most interesting moments would be befriending and having Celebrity Chef Jeremy Miller-Ben from “Growing Pains” as our personal chef for our launch party in Los Angeles a couple years ago. He is quite the chef in addition to acting.

What was your biggest challenge to date either personally or professionally and how did you overcome it?

I would say that everyday there is a new challenge and I am constantly growing and changing to do everything I can to ensure our business stays strong. We try and adapt as much as we can with the trends that drive our industry. I was raised that your word should mean something, and my word means a lot to me so I never make promises the agency can’t deliver on. I have learned that as much as I would hope to receive that same level of respect from clients unfortunately at times isn’t the case. We have developed some amazing relationships, but at the end of the day I have to separate personal from logical to ensure we do the best job for the client. We may not always be the least expensive, but I can stand behind the services we provide and give every one of our clients peace of mind knowing they are in good hands and that we are truly looking out for their best-interest.

What does leadership mean to you and how do you best inspire others to lead?

I think to be a leader is to be a team player and be respectful of what got you to where you currently are. It is never forgetting the failures along the way. I truly couldn’t operate my business without my amazing team of motivated, talented and many times, selfless associates. Constantly motivating and building confidence in our team and making sure they know their importance and worth to the agency is what I think has been our secret to the success we have accomplished to this point.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I have been fortunate to have many people push and believe in my abilities along the way. I think no matter the amount of literal blood, sweat and tears you go through it is because of the people you have by your side that push you along the way to continue to believe in yourself. This is what makes you not only more successful in business but also in life. My grandparents played a huge role in pushing me to always be involved in addition to giving me the confidence that I could do anything I set my mind to. It is because of this constant encouragement from an early age that while I knew what failure looked like and it was not a viable option. I always say you can’t repeat the same behavior and expect different results. If something doesn’t work, I try it a different approach, but I always remember where I came from and what got me to where I am today. I still have a lot to grow and I am truly excited for what is to come as it has been a pretty journey amazing thus far.

Was it difficult to fit your life into your business/career and how did you do that?

At first, I absolutely was working all the time which left little time for family and friends. When I initially started the business I was working a full-time job in addition to a part time position with another company, all while trying to start NVS.Talk about not enough hours in the day! It took a lot of failures and time to get the company going. I took it in strides one day at a time working towards achieving a life I could not only be proud of, but one that I could enjoy. There is no guarantee on tomorrow and I have been through a lot in the short time I have been on this Earth, but I truly appreciate and respect that keeping your relationship with your family and friends is viable to success in every facet of your life. Working non-stop is just not in my DNA. Don’t get me wrong I am extremely hard worker and will do whatever it takes to ensure the job is done, and done well, but I have learned that you have to take time for yourself to keep your sanity and to continue to love what you do, When it becomes a job, then you have a problem. While life can be very challenging and beyond frustrating there is truly so much to be thankful for and it is those basic things that we cannot lose focus on. When I was in college, I shattered my kneecap and was told that I would potentially never walk normal again, I was fortunate enough through surgery and a lot of therapy and hard-work that I made a full recovery, but it truly made me reevaluate what was important in my life and to not forget how quickly something we take for granted on a daily basis could be so easily taken away.

Did you find that as your success grew it became more difficult to focus on the other areas of your life?

I think having success can add an additional element to your life that is unexpected, but as long as you stay grounded and keep the people that supported you in the first place close you will stay solid. Money comes and goes and won’t buy happiness or companionship by any means. I have found that the people that are true in your life will be there no matter the circumstances. It is critical to stay honest with yourself and not get caught up in the things around you which can be difficult. There are some days that I wish I had more time to spend with the ones I love so it is a hard balance, but I always work to ensure it stays just that… a balance because the second my career takes over I know it is only a matter of time before my sanity starts to suffer which then will eventually effect the business. It is all relative to the success in staying successful both personally and professionally.

Can you share five pieces of advice to other leaders about how to achieve the best balance between work and personal life?

1. Block out time for yourself everyday on your calendar
2. Take at least one trip a year to decompress and broaden your perspective
3. Don’t obsessively check email after you leave the office and when at gatherings…I realize there times this isn’t realistic, but as an ongoing way to stay mentally healthy try to keep from doing it. This took me a long time and it is something I still struggle with.
4. Limit talk about work outside of work- family and friends really only want the cliff notes
5. Work to live don’t live to work

What gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment and pride?

The fact that we have begun to build NVS into a brand that stands behind the services we provide and truly live up to the name of the company. To know that we are creating a far superior environment and service for our clients when compared to a lot of our competitors in our industry.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would want to inspire others to uplift and motivate those around them. We don’t know what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes, and we sometimes forget those that were by our side along the way to help us achieve our success. Constantly encourage those around you and try to keep a positive outlook and energy life collectively as it rubs off in ways that are unbelievable. I have seen it come back to me in ways I would have never thought possible when I have needed it on my most frustrating days.

What is the best way for people to connect with you on social media?

They can follow me @chadbrittian in addition to our agency @1nvsdesign on IG. We also share a lot on our facebook pages of which there are two. One for our midwest division and one for LA. NVS Design and NVS Design Inc.

About the author: Jacob Rupp is a coach, author, speaker, podcaster, and rabbi. He is the founder of Lift Your Legacy, a community that helps people live a more authentic life. He has a regular, syndicated column that appears in ThriveGlobal and Medium magazine. To learn more about him or to listen to the Lift Your Legacy podcast, search iTunes or visit his site: liftyourlegacy.live