QA with Solomon Ian-Sangala, Owner, AttireX

QA with Solomon Ian-Sangala, Owner, AttireX QA with Solomon Ian-Sangala, Owner, AttireX Image Source: Solomon Ian-SangalaAT ONLY 19 years old, Solomon Ian-Sangala  had already endured and surpassed a succession of tough business and life challenges to head up his own bespoke clothing company  AttireX  and be featured in the prestigious UK Entrepreneurs Top 100.“Being black, young and having a stutter makes me memorable. I dont think theres anybody out there like me!”Born with a stutter, which he describes as an imperfection, Solomon Ian-Sangala nevertheless found his business drive early in life, after figuring out how to turn the £2 lunch money he was given by his mum into £1,000 by selling sweets among his school-friends.His early teenage business goal to be rich has since matured and rounded, and now he works not only to make his clothing brand  the global  market leader for printed, embroidered and bespoke clothing,  but also to share his business story with others, so that they might benefit from the lessons he has learned in his earliest years as an entrepre neur.Founded in 2013, and now supplying clothing to Diesel and Primark, and with clients that include such major brands as Microsoft, Sainsburys and Starbucks,  AttireX has become a serious player in men’s style and fashion, with a collection that encompasses more than 50,000 pieces, including personalised t-shirts, sportswear and much more.Solomon has turned his stutter into a positiveâ€"seeing it as something that sets him apart and makes him memorable. In addition to his achievements in business, he has become a public speaker of note, with one particularly memorable talk for TED  in which he spoke inspirationally about what he describes as his ‘perfect imperfection’ [see video below].Solomon Ian-Sangala is walking proof that whatever your start in life, there are few obstacles that you cannot surmount with self-belief and confidence. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 11 Questions for Solomon Ian-SangalaSolomon Ian-Sangala is a busy man. Approaching his pr ofessional life with an utterly committed ethic â€" “life is work work work” â€" he is focused on growing the AttireX brand, following the examples of his entrepreneurial heroes, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey, and also studying for his A-Level examinations!  Thankfully, there was time free in his schedule to enable Solomon Ian-Sangala to answer our questions, and relate his incredible rise to business success. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1. Briefly tell us how you first got into business, and describe your business goals.I have a stutter and used to get get a lot of stick about it in school. It got to the point where Id react negatively, sometimes leading to me being kicked out of school. Long story short, I was now on my 5th school exclusion and feeling very suicidal.Communication is the most important thing anyone can  do, but I sucked at it and this made me feel so worthless.Id say that this was the darkest part of my life and the  most defining moment in my business journey so far.When I got home that day, seeing my mum in tears killed me. She had  some very stern words for  me, and if you want to be filled in on exactly what she said, watch my TED Talk below, as it’s quite a long story. If you have watched it before, scroll down and read on!Video  Source: YouTube“You’re going to die one day: do something about it. If that isnt motivation, I don’t know what is.”Anyway, mum’s words energised me, giving me a sense of purpose and belonging. So the next morning with the £2 lunch money she used to give us, I set out to the local corner shop and bought two  packets of chocolate, four  in each packet, so that was  eight Mars bars.I soon became known around school as a ‘businessman’ because I sold all eight for 50-pence each. The £2 became £4, and then the £4 became £8, and soon I was the school’s walking tuck shop, making thousands of pounds! This was when I knew I wanted to do business.When I fir st got into business, my  goal was to be rich! I had 2 quid, and wanted to show my mum that with this £2 that I had invested, I could buy her the baddest cribs and the shiniest jewels!But as the months went by, I realised that theres no such thing as ‘rich’. How much money is enough money, or how much money is too much money?What matters most to me is how much value Im adding to the next young entrepreneur, and even if I dont become ‘rich’, traveling around and sharing my story is something that Ive dreamt of doing for so many years.Oh, and making AttireX the worlds market leader for printed, embroidered and  bespoke clothing, of course! I think my mum would prefer that instead!  2. What age were you when you realised you wanted to run your own business?I was 14. After making a success of selling sweets in school, this was when I realised business was my calling. Turning £2 into £1,000 taught me that I could do anything. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 3. Who are your business icons and inspirations?My business icons include Sir Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and Oprah Winfrey, because of their battles with adversity. However if I were to name one person who has inspired me then thatd be none other than my mentor Kevin Patrick  [owner of  the clothing brand Label Noire, where Solomon became the top salesman).When youre a rookie, you need someone with experience to walk and talk you through the game and Kevin did just that when I first started at 14. If it werent for his guidance, I dont think Id be where I am today.4. What has been your biggest challenge in business, and how did you surmount it?“I try to utilise my 24 hours to the  fullest. I dont know what will happen tomorrow.”My biggest challenge in business has been my age and skin colour, Id say.When youre 15  or 16, walking into corporate meetings with white, grey-haired men, can be daunting at first. Add that to the fact that I stutter and youve got this timid black teen age guy who has about 2% confidence.But Ive managed to change all of this to my advantage. Being black, young and having a stutter makes me memorable.I dont think theres anybody out there like me.I remember I went to speak at the Royal Bank of Scotland HQ and rolled up wearing skinny ripped jeans and no one could say anything because they were all there to hear me speak and I left my mark on them.Being this young lets me get get away with things I probably wouldnt be allowed to get away with in 20 years’ time!   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 5. Work-Life balance: is it possible? How do you achieve it?For me, life is work work work. Balancing ‘life’ and ‘work’ is a very hard thing to do especially when youre as results-driven as I am. Sometimes I reflect on the times I waste reflecting on all the work I could be doing when Im not reflecting. But if I’m going to the gym, watching football with my dad and spending time with my friends and family is wha t you mean by ‘life’, then yeah, I guess it is possible. Even if youre ‘busy’.6. What is the first thing you do every day?The first thing I do every day is pray and thank God for enabling me see another day. Life isnt guaranteed. No-one goes to bed knowing for certain that  theyll wake up the next morning. This is why I try to utilise my 24 hours to the  fullest. I dont know what will happen tomorrow. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 7. What screen saver picture is currently on your phone?I have a screen saver of myself speaking at a TED conference with the quote: “MY PARENTS WORKED WAY TOO HARD FOR ME TO BE AVERAGE.” When I wake up and see this every morning, it gets me going.8. What is the most important app on your mobile phone, and why?I know you want me to say Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram but Im going to surprise youâ€"its actually Google. Imagine a world with no Google. I love exploring new opportunities and finding out new things, sometimes v ery weird things. There are those who look at things and ask why. Id say, ‘Dream of things that never were and ask why not!’ If you were to go through my search history youd probably see me asking Google if something already exists. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 9. What is the last thing you Googled?How did I know this one was coming.  Okay, you got me. ‘Does underwear with built-in fart-freshener exist?’10. What item do you never leave the house without, and why?My iPhone, because I have a crazy girlfriend who always wants to know what Im doing. Nah, Im only kidding… or am I?! My phone is essential to everything I do. Think of an idea, Ill tell Siri to make a note of it.  See something cool, Ill capture it.  Going somewhere exciting, Ill take my social media following with meâ€"and lets be honest, Im heading somewhere exciting almost every day! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 11. What advice would you give to your younger self sta rting out in business?If I were to give advice to my younger self, itd be in three words. Youre gonna die. Youre going to die one day, Solomonâ€"do something about it. If that isnt motivation right there, I dont know what is.image source: Solomon Ian-Sangala