The poet E.E. Cummings once wrote, “Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.” For most people approaching the end of high school, they start to think about things such as which college they’ll attend, which major they’ll pursue, or which job they’ll hope to get. Few, however, ask the bigger question, one lurking underneath at the foundation of all of the others: what kind of life do I want to live? It’s the better question. It’s the more powerful question. It’s the more beautiful question. Ivy Nhi Chau, Founder and CEO of Ivy+Partners is someone that did ask that question. And in response, the world appeared to have answered. But the trials and triumphs she has encountered along the way have revealed that even a dream life can unfold in unexpected ways and that sometimes, the even more beautiful answers are lurking much deeper beneath the surface.
Ivy’s perspective is in line with the late Hunter S. Thompson, who when he was around the same age wrote a letter to his friend saying, “Beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living within that way of life.” Ivy decided how she wanted to live and has since made a living within that way of life working in the world of media, PR, and communications for over the last decade. She’s been a content writer and copywriter for Yan Media Group, an editor intern for L’Officiel Vietnam, and a PR executive for Amberstone Media. She’s handled sponsorship campaigns for TEDxĐaKao, media engagement and relations for Vero, partnerships for Vietcetera, plus founded Tech After Dark, a networking event for Vietnam’s tech startup community.
However, it was before founding Tech After Dark, while simultaneously working for Vietcetera, that she founded her own firm in July 2021: Ivy+Partners, where she works as the Chief Executive Officer. She started as a company of one, but nowadays her tight-knit, never-still 10 person team specializes in PR, media and influencer engagement, digital marketing, personal branding, business matching, and management. In four years, her team has worked with more than 75 clients across more than 15 countries worldwide. Sure, working in a field for many years teaches you many things, but it’s a whole different thing when you are a first time CEO. As Ivy+Partners nears its four year anniversary and an upcoming rebranding party, Ivy’s been able to reflect on the lessons she’s learned along the way about business, leadership, herself, and more.
In business, Ivy distills her experience into two guiding principles: connection and narrative. Connection isn’t just about showing up, it’s about earning trust through steady dialogue and, above all, active listening. Ivy points out that listening serves as the key difference between adding noise and creating meaning for clients. Without it, stories get lost in the clutter. When crafting stories, Ivy centers culture as the lens through which meaning emerges. “We try to emphasize culture in every story,” she says. Using the 5W1H framework, she builds narratives that don’t just inform, they engage the right audience on their terms. Too many brands focus on broadcasting their message, she notes, rather than tuning into what their audience truly wants to engage with. The art and challenge of her work lies in gaining that trust by asking the right questions and telling stories that resonate. Yet, beyond strategy and stories, what drives Ivy most is the human element.
Being a leader is tough. Leading a team includes the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Landing a client or hitting a KPI— these things feel great. Losing a client or underperforming— these don’t. But in the process of becoming a CEO, Ivy pointed out a couple things she learned.
One, celebrate small wins. “Enjoy all of the little things in life,” she says, “Don’t wait for any big moment.” Each day offers opportunities to reflect on your progress and that has the potential to build huge momentum. In sum, enjoy the process.
Two, patience. Part of being a successful leader is being patient with the people you hire and work with, whether that’s communicating in a second language, dealing with clients, and everything in between. But it also means being patient with yourself. “There have been some moments where I have felt doubt in myself and my leadership style,” she says, “but I’ve learned everyone has a different personality and what matters is how you adapt so you can communicate with them in a way that works.”
Finally, never stop learning. Different people have different motivations at work. Some work for the lifestyle. Some work to simply support themselves. And some people come to work because they want to learn and make decisions for themselves. As Ivy points out, her job is not to direct people on what to do, her job is to figure out and learn what their motivations are and their strengths, then create an environment that supports them to do their best. “I didn’t used to be like that,” she says, “I’d usually just tell them exactly what to do because I thought it’d help avoid mistakes. But then I realized that doesn’t give them the chance to be confident, creative to create something new. That’s something I’ve had to learn along the way. There’s no class that can teach me that.” The vulnerability required to learn new things will invite mistakes, but such mistakes also invite valuable lessons.
Beyond building relationships, telling great stories, and learning how to lead better each day, one of the biggest lessons Ivy mentioned is learning how to take better care of herself. Although there is no perfect balance when it comes to setting boundaries such as when to leave the office or when to stop checking emails, recently she has implemented practices for herself and her team that has allowed them to be able to sustain themselves in a manner which makes it possible to serve their clients in the long run. In addition, she’s learned that investing in well-being either through physical activities such as yoga, muay thai, and swimming or relaxing at home with her cat and a movie are all useful ways to recharge and bring back positive energy to the office. As many CEOs would agree, managing your energy is just as important as managing your time. The mark of a true professional, I’ve come to discover, is someone who knows how to get stuff done and how to relax when needed. Finally, travel has also played a big role in Ivy’s personal and professional growth. Whether it’s for work or for fun, trips both abroad and around Vietnam have continued to fuel her curiosity, expand her worldview, and offer fresh perspectives. All are opportunities to learn more about herself so that she can learn more about her team and the clients they serve together.
That said, yes it’s good to learn how to work hard and solve problems and yes it’s also good to learn how to rest well and celebrate small wins, but living the dream life also includes something else unexpected: guilt. Ivy admitted that at times she has felt guilty of her explorations and treating herself to gifts from around the world and kept questioning how there must be more than this. Again, such questioning leads to more beautiful answers.
Ivy’s dad passed away when she was young and so she grew up with her mom and always had the thought of doing something special for her. Sure, lots of people start companies—it happens every day. But not everybody stops and thinks how can I give back to those who I care about the most? “When I was a little girl I had the impression our house was quite big and nice, but when I grew up I felt our house was getting older and older and not really nice anymore so that’s when I realized I needed to do something about it, now.” So she did. Two years ago Ivy was finally able to do something extra special for her mom: she built her mom a new home back in her hometown of Ben Tre. However, the moment that stood out the most from chatting with Ivy was something that happened two years ago. Ivy and her team hit pause on work and went on a trip to visit her mom’s new house and spend some time together. It’s not everyday, you get to experience full circle moments, but I have to imagine that sitting inside your mom’s new house that you built filled with the team of people you built, sharing stories and enjoying each other's company must have felt surreal.
Ivy’s journey is a powerful reminder that there’s a difference between those who consciously choose the kind of life they want to live and those who don’t, between those who build it and those who only dream of it, between those who learn to sustain it and those who burn out — and, ultimately, between those who live only for themselves and those who find fulfillment by giving back to others. In the end, perhaps the most beautiful answer beneath the surface is another question altogether: it’s not what kind of life do I want to live, it’s what kind of life do I want to give?
