Saving Lives, One Bag at a Time with Sylvia Kampshoff

Sylvia Kampshoff is the founder and CEO of two businesses: the more established Kanthaka Inc. and the newly-launched PATA Lifestyle. Sylvia obtained her PhD in Law from the University of Heidelberg in 2015 before founding Kanthaka Inc. the following year. She has always had an affinity for business, and it’s this affinity that led to the birth of PATA Lifestyle.

In this episode, Sylvia walks us through what inspired her to start her new business and how she went about launching it. She speaks to us about the importance of manufacturer relationships and promotional methods and breaks down the logistics of running a business like PATA Lifestyle. 

“Find the perfect manufacturer who understands you. Your partner is crucial. Because all those bad stories you hear [are] basically manufacturers who don’t believe in you, who are like, ‘Oh my god, she only wants to buy like 50 bags. I’m not interested in this.’ But my guys, they believed in the story.” – Sylvia Kampshoff

This week on Startups in Stilettos:

• How Sylvia was inspired to start PATA Lifestyle (1:19)
• What happens after someone purchases one of Sylvia’s bags (7:52)
• How Sylvia’s promoted her business since it launched (9:37)
• How Sylvia balances her inventory (12:09)
• Why Sylvia thinks it’s important to pick your manufacturer wisely (13:27)
• Jessica’s PR advice for Sylvia (17:10)
• Stephanie’s advice for Sylvia on scaling her business and targeting her audience (18:59)

Resources Mentioned:

• The Entreprenista League
• IFundWomen

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “Like [I] felt relationships I didn’t feel before because [breast cancer] seems to be such a common issue.” – Sylvia Kampshoff 
• “It’s not in your face like Louis Vuitton, right? It’s not screaming ‘withdraw money!’ It’s just, you know, it’s high quality and it stands for something” – Sylvia Kampshoff
• “So it actually saves lives. And that already drives me sufficiently.” – Sylvia Kampshoff

Connect with Sylvia Kampshoff:

• PATA Lifestyle
• PATA Lifestyle on Instagram
• PATA Lifestyle on Facebook
• Sylvia Kampshoff on LinkedIn

Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts:

• Stephanie Cartin on Instagram
• Stephanie Cartin on LinkedIn
• Jessica Abo on Instagram
• Jessica Abo on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Jessica Abo here

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