Today we’d like to introduce you to Solomon Mangham.
Hi Solomon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Grew up in Stone Mountain, GA and went to High School at Woodward Academy where I was an All-state basketball player. I was always into business and made 50k in one year from my two businesses at 16 (one related to Sneaker private shopping and one which was a lawn care company)
At Howard University, I studied finance and played basketball for four years having a good career as a forward. I always wanted to go to an Ivy League school because I thought that’s where you had to go if you were “smart”, but there was no better place for me than Howard University. I was very active on campus and joined a Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, Xi Chapter. I was the Tail on my line. I’ve always wanted to work in the business industry. My first job was as a consultant, advising big companies on their strategies and investors on companies to invest in. Currently, I am an investor in software companies and the co-founder of NextDay, a recovery beverage and wellness brand. Along the way I have kept my passion for sports and fashion and have tried to incorporate that into my personal life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been smooth. In high school, I was a high-major recruit and ended up walking on to the Howard University basketball team, where I earned a scholarship and started as a freshman.
In looking to start my career, I had turbulence entering the firm I joined as they were not hiring at HBCUs at the time. God was able to guide me and provide that opportunity which ended up exposing me to everything that I am able to do now.
In starting NextDay, we did this during the pandemic and it was very tough getting off the ground. We had challenges with the manufacturing process, with ingredients missing and even a can shortage when we launched!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about NextDay?
I am certainly very multi-dimensional.
I am a private equity investor and an entrepreneur. On one hand, I am known to execute big deals that may be read about in Wall Street Journal, and on the other hand, I am pushing forward a narrative via NextDay around recovery and overall wellness.
I have experience in business strategy, operations, investing, and finance which has helped me to be able to help launch NextDay.
I am known as someone who is well-connected and able to execute across domains.
I think I have stood out because of my ability to speak to different audiences, whether high finance vernacular with wall street professionals and sharing learnings of investing entrepreneurship and financial literacy to my community.
NextDay is a wellness consumer brand, with our first product being a hangover product. We aim to support Millenials to be productive while not needing to sacrifice their social equity. We want people to be able to celebrate, recover, and repeat.
How do you think about luck?
I am not a believer in luck, I know that God has charted my path both during struggles and during my wins. I am walking on a mission and have faith that with wins and losses everything will be okay.
Things have fallen into place, which has helped (going to Howard University instead of other schools where I had scholarships), but have also run into bad luck (starting a business in early 2020).
Contact Info:
- Website: getanextday.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/korporatesolo/
Image Credits
Billboard photo: @auswyche Grey suit: @majormynor Can photo: awilliamsproductions
