From Wall Street to TikTok: Here's How Vivian Tu Became A Mass Influencer With Millions of Followers
How many times have you heard stories of people leaving their shiny new jobs to pursue their heart's desire? For Vivian Tu, working as a Wall Street trader was similar to this. Her work demanded a lot from her to the point where she was exhausted and saturated. That's when she decided that it was time to move. The moment she decided to work solo, the universe aligned with her plans and presented her with grandiose opportunities that were shocking to explore at first but gave Tu a surprising new start to begin her journey as a finance influencer on Tik Tok as “Your Rich BFF”.
From Wall Street to TikTok
In conversation with Jean Chatzsky on Her Money Podcast, Vivian talked her heart out on her journey, describing what it was like to work as a Wall Street trader. Tu adds how she ended up working at Wall Street because of peer pressure and how her batchmates in college were all aiming to land a job at the prestigious Wall Street!
Later on, Tu went on to describe life as a trader on Wall Street. She told Chatzsky how tough it was to navigate the sector and how she was yelled at all the time to do a better job from time to time. It was not until she was promoted to a new role that her momentum finally broke.
"That was the beginning of the end for me," she says. She received a lot of criticism at work, which "started to become very personal," she further added. "They started to attack things that I couldn’t change about myself. I got comments like, ‘ ‘You’re too girly for this job.’ ‘you need to be more serious.’ And I’m like, ‘What? What does that mean?’ Because I have a pink blouse on, you think I’m not serious?" Tu told Her Money
Vivian later explains how she wanted to continue working at Wall Street, but the constant opinionated remarks and judgments were becoming too much for her to bear. She decided to quit later after leaving all the Wall Street hustle and bustle behind.
Vivian's opportune Social Media start
After quitting her exhausting Wall Street Trader job, Vivian expanded and explored her horizons and decided to work for Buzzfeed, largely working in brand partnerships. She had her eureka moment while examining how social media influencers are making more money than she would ever make on Wall Street!
As a finance expert, she was always approached by her peers at Buzzfeed to give advice on various financial concerns that they had, primarily about what insurance they should opt for. Or how can they balance their 401(k)? It was during those times that Tu paid attention to such details as how she could leverage her knowledge to build a credible social media profile.
"I’m going to just start putting this content on the internet, and you guys can watch my videos there," Tu says. "That way I don’t have to keep saying the same thing over and over. That was what launched "Your Rich BFF. " It wasn’t meant for other people. It was literally meant for my coworkers." Tu now has over four and a half million followers on TikTok who learn from her financial advice. She even has a website where she sells merchandise and other materials related to personal finance.
Thoughts on mindful spending and financial planning
While explaining her fortunate stint with social media and her skyrocketing fame, Tu calls herself a mindful investor. She added how her parents have taught her humility in terms of money and how mindful spending and budgeting are crucial to each individual. She stressed the fact that real wealth is all about savings and investments and how the right amount of budgeting and savings can help you live a mindful and secure life.