Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Su.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It kind of all started with Groupon, pole dance, and an obsession with fitness classes back in 2011, lol! After college, I started taking belly dance classes at a tiny dance studio near my apartment where I discovered pole dancing and fell in love with not only the sport but also the idea of trying new activities/classes. And, with the popularity of Groupon at the time, I started buying Groupons to any and all fitness classes that I found interesting.
While using up all of my Groupons, I became obsessed with taking a wide variety of fitness classes. I was constantly hauling my duffel bag to work with me so I could go straight to whichever classes I had for the night after work. In order to keep my clothing, shoes and fitness accessories organized, I used plastic bags to keep them separated in my big, open duffel that was basically falling apart. So, I started looking for a more functional and high quality gym bag that I wouldn’t be embarrassed carry around with me constantly.
After a lot of researching and looking, I was unable to find the bag I wanted or needed. The bags I found were either sleek and stylish but lacked functionality, or, highly-functional and looked like the cargo pants of gym bags. Influenced by my experience working at Louis Vuitton, I came to the realization that I might be able to design my own dream gym bag.
So, I went to work designing everything I would want in my dream duffel bag. I went through nearly 10 prototypes in one year and asked for a ton of feedback from my peers, trainers, colleagues… anyone willing to listen, in order to perfect the bag. I designed the bags to have plenty of pockets inside for fitness and travel accessories, and included two accessory bags to replace my plastic bags (a shoe bag and a dirty clothes bag) with the duffel. I included bungee cords that could strap in anything from a yoga mat to kickboxing shinguards or a towel (depending on my workout of the day), and I created a removable and washable interior – so that you can easily wash the inside once it starts to get smelly. After getting my quote from my manufacturer and realizing that I definitely did not have the funds I needed to put in an order, I focused on putting together my first crowdfunding campaign and launched Persu Collection on Kickstarter in January 2015.
Luckily for me, the Kickstarter succeeded! I was able to triple my goal of $30,000 in 43 days and used the money to fund my first production run and have been up and running since!
Great, 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?
Not at all! Entrepreneurship is definitely a rollercoaster ride with a lot of ups and downs. Before Persu, I didn’t have any experience in design, e-commerce, production, shipping logistics, and a lot of the other things it takes to run a business. So I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, to say the least!
One mistake I made early on was not charging properly or accounting for extra costs associated with producing the bags. Because I didn’t have any previous experience in shipping and production logistics, I undercharged significantly on shipping fees and did not account for the cost of import taxes, freight, and trucking fees. Luckily, I tripled my goal on Kickstarter which covered the costs of these mistakes, but if I hadn’t, I likely would’ve been short thousands of dollars!
I’ve made plenty of other mistakes as well, but one thing I love about this journey is how much I learn along the way. To be able to push through and learn from mistakes has been tough but also extremely rewarding.
Please tell us about Persu Collection.
Persu Collection is a line of premium, functional bags designed to empower the modern day hustlers, fitness lovers, and wanderlusters in their active lifestyles. Made out of premium nylon, vegan leather, and quality hardware, Persu bags are designed to withstand a range of active lifestyles. And, with over 15 functions including a removable and washable interior, Persu bags are functionally sleek and a breeze to clean.
Persu Collection’s mission is to empower all to pursue a life of passion, purpose, and continuous growth through wellness and community. The name “Persu” came from a conversation with my best friend when we were discussing what I should call my brand. She simply said, “Why don’t you just call it Persu? Because you’re pursuing your dream, your last name is Su, and the bags are made ‘per’ AKA ‘by’ you.” She couldn’t have picked a better name because since then, I’ve continued to “persu” my passions with a goal to help others “persu” theirs as well.
For me, designing high-quality bags that have the functionality a goal-getter needs to stay organized while looking sharp, is one way I love to help empower people. I love creating bags that solve a problem and address specific needs for individuals.
Another way I enjoy empowering others is through events in the community. This year, I launched Persu’s first Female Empowerment Series in San Diego which consisted of wellness workshops designed to increase your self-love, self-confidence, and grow your inner strength. The idea for this series came from my own personal experience over the last decade in seeking out ways to increase my own confidence and self-love. From nearly a thousand fitness classes I’ve taken, I found that certain ones empowered me outside of class and improved my overall confidence and mental strength. So, I brainstormed how I could share the benefit of these experiences with other women and came up with this series of workshops that I found most impactful. The Female Empowerment Series also included a Scholarship Program which provided free spots to women who are recovering from domestic violence/trauma/metoo experiences and rebuilding their lives. I wanted to make sure I could reach those who needed it the most. I’m hoping to do more empowerment workshops similar to these in the future!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite childhood memories is playing “business” instead of playing house. When I was young, I loved to pretend to run a business with my friends and classmates instead of pretending to be a mom and run a household. Different businesses I remember pretending to run as a kid included selling homemade crafts in my friend’s yard to her neighbors, taking orders for free drawings I made, and acting as a “manager” of a girl group (Spice Girls were all the rage then). One time, I got in trouble from my dad for selling a water bottle craft I made to a classmate for $7. He was not a fan of me taking my classmate’s money in 2nd grade, haha.
Pricing:
- The Jessica Bag (mint blue, blush pink, creamy white) – $215
- The Tom Bag (black with gunmetal hardware) – $215
- The Sol Bag (black with matte black hardware) – $285
- Persu “Hustle” Hat – $42
Contact Info:
- Website: www.persucollection.com
- Phone: 4246526778
- Email: hello@persucollection.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/persucollection/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/persucollection/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PERSUCollection
Image Credit:
Louis Arthur Heredia, Devin Scott, Jenny Ho, Agent Athletica
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
