Enterprenuer
Conrad Oberbeck is Co-Founder and CEO of Hangobi. This functional beverage brand is designed for active lifestyles and dehydration recovery.
Conrad Oberbeck is an entrepreneur motivated by his athletic achievements as a professional and collegiate competitor and his financial and analytical experience working in investment management across real estate and corporate sectors.
Before founding Hangobi, he worked in the institutional investment sales team at Cushman & Wakefield.
He also served as a Senior Associate with Saratoga Investment Corp.
Conrad, a Yale University graduate, was a Major League Lacrosse (“MLL”) Champion (now called Premier League Lacrosse (“PLL”).
He was also a Yale Men’s Lacrosse player and was awarded academic all-Ivy, Ivy League Champion and All-American Team MVP, Senior Class Award Finalist, and All-American.
Conrad played professionally with MLL teams, including the 2015 champions New York Lizards (now known as Atlanta Blaze).
Conrad is an active endurance runner, having completed the Brooklyn Half Marathon, NYC Marathon, 70.3 IronmanKona, and the full 140.6 Ironman Cozumel. There are many more Ironmans ahead!
David founded Hangobi in 2021. He has a passion for improving fitness and plant-based wellness.
Hangobi is a direct-to-consumer brand that uses whole, plant-based ingredients.
It helps to relieve anxiety, dehydration, and nausea.
What is the story of Hangobi?
Hangobi has been an idea that I’ve been thinking about since college.
My undergrad life included many late-night study sessions, early morning workouts, and hard tailgates.
As a D1-level athlete, a dedicated student, and a history major, I was plagued by social FOMO.
I was overwhelmed by the noise and rush and found it challenging to find the right beverage to keep me focused and energized.
My research revealed that non-alcoholic drinks are usually divided into two types.
The first was soft drinks and other “less bad for your health” options that taste sweetened with little nutritional value.
Targeted beverage supplements were the second, creating varying energy levels and lows that eventually did more harm than good.
I was forced to choose from so many suboptimal options.
I often needed a mix of soft drinks, sports drinks, and coffee to ease the daily chaos.
I spent six years after graduation in finance and small-business investing.
I waited for the right company to make the beverage I loved.
My impatience was wearing thin, and unfortunately, it never came.
Saratoga Investment Corp was my analytical role, and I had the chance to meet the founders and catch the entrepreneurial bug.
This included being fascinated with culture building, corporate leadership, and consumer feedback loops.
This experience, and the fact that my dream beverage was not yet made, convinced me to launch Hangobi!
Hangobi has 6x more beneficial ingredients than its competitors.
This makes it a great daily multivitamin that helps our customers stay productive.
How do you stay productive?
I try to be my best every day. I try to dominate my mornings, relying on role models like Jocko Willink and David Goggins.
It usually takes the form of a morning run, push-up and sit-up routine, and a light dumbbell workout (which is also a great time to be a Hangobi).
The workday begins at 8:30 a.m., and I work until 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Hangobi operations work, direct outreach to Hangobi partners, manage our finances, and think long-term about Hangobi.
To avoid any slippage inefficiency, I fill my calendar with events that are not negotiable.
This helps me stay productive and keeps me within my limits.
Finally, I enjoy home-cooked meals and pick-up dinners.
These are usually made with protein, salads, and side dishes.
Then, I follow a personal routine to maintain a positive outlook, keep my mind and emotions level, despite all the challenges.
The day ends with stretching and watching reruns from The Office.
I can, however, quote the entire episode verbatim.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I often think of new ideas as I go about my day. If an idea keeps coming up, I will block out an hour to outline the concept and explain how it will benefit the world.
This could be via a business venture or just me.
I let my mind wander and consider them from various perspectives.
Once the idea is refined, I will share it with my friends and family for feedback.
They will be able to see both the positives and the negatives.
If I feel the idea has potential, I will incorporate it into my daily life and evaluate the results.
It’s essential to stay focused on the process. Baby steps and consistency are key.
What’s your favorite trend?
The movement towards product nutrition and effectiveness is exciting to me.
It seems like we have been judging product quality based on the taste of products for so many years.
Consumers are now more attentive to nutrition and ingredient labels, and we are moving into a new era focused on transparency and verifiable results.
This is the cornerstone of Hangobi’s mission as a productivity-focused company.
With 6x the beneficial ingredients, and the “net-positive” (increased intake only makes you better), nature of our beverages, consumers appreciate our concise and straightforward approach to providing stability and balance in their daily lives.
What habits make you productive?
My most important habit is to start my day by working out before I open any notifications on my smartphone (set to silent).
This principle, which Goggins and Willink repeatedly repeat, helps you build mental toughness to face any inevitable challenges.
Entrepreneurship is a constant battle. I have to put out fires and negotiate with the highest stakes.
This prepares me physically. It also strengthens my mental fortitude.
What’s your advice for the Noob?
With as much humility and respect as possible, you should study the environment and those around you.
Hangobi was my first venture. I found it extremely valuable to emulate business leaders and peers.
There’s so much that you don’t know. If you’re humble enough to look, you’ll find it all.
What is one thing we can all agree on?
Tricky question! I may be naive at this point, but I would say that anyone can do any job as long as they are challenged and supported in the right ways.
As a founder and leader, I am constantly looking at how to get the best out of my team and how Hangobi can benefit from me.
Although I might be proved wrong, I am determined to build a team with great attitudes and not just backgrounds.
What do you recommend as an entrepreneur?
A workout routine is essential, as I have mentioned before.
I also recommend keeping a list with affirming statements.
These affirmations should clearly define who you are and what your goals are.
This list can be a powerful reminder of your character and objectives and your drive to achieve them during times of difficulty.
What’s your rich strategy?
My first strategy is to treat every person I work with like a friend.
They deserve my full respect. Referrals and the powerful network effect of your supporters creating new connections for you are what bring about so much business and progress.
You will be able to reap many unexpected and unanticipated benefits by emphasizing respect and dignity for everyone at the table.
How do you overcome Failure?
After leaving Saratoga Investment Corp’s previous job, I was determined to get Hangobi on the market as soon and efficiently as possible.
I was too eager to get the job done quickly and didn’t have enough patience to try out different parts of the product.
This led to some problems in our first production runs.
It was a lesson I learned that while it is essential to get things done quickly and efficiently, you need to have the patience to slow down and take the precautionary steps necessary to avoid making mistakes.
Can you share a business idea?
I am always interested in mentor/mentee relationships and believe that too few people have the opportunity to experience this dynamic.
A mentor/mentee relationship can be very beneficial for young professionals.
I think it is essential to find a way to make this possible by following an industry veteran.
What’s your recent best buy?
Running shoes… I run an hour every day in my running sneakers. Without them, I would be a complaining and blistering mess.
What are your favorite Softwares or Apps?
I’m a bit of a Luddite when it comes to productivity software.
I use lists, Excel and Word, and my calendar to set up and wrap my productivity to set up and bind my productivity.
My daily tracker shows how successful I am relative to the schedule.
To help me manage my body’s productivity, Hangobi (shameless plug) was created.
Which book would you recommend?
The Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance This book is rooted in thoughtful introspection and visualization and how to approach seemingly mundane tasks.
The author guides you on a journey to find “quality,” which is just a way of looking for the result to finding “value” even in seemingly mundane tasks.
Although it is challenging to implement, you will find that you can see the value in every job, no matter how small.
What’s your favorite quote?
Confucius says that “the man who moves a mountain starts by taking away small stones.”
TL;DR by Conrad Oberbeck
The first steps to sustainable business growth are to keep your focus on customers and their feedback.
This is combined with humility and a commitment to solving problems.
You don’t know what else you don’t know.
You should keep an eye out for new information and be alert to the future.
To build brand equity, simplify your message and don’t confuse your audience.
Create a brand that is transparent and authentic.
You won’t know until you try. But, really try.
