Patric is the brainchild behind Santa Ana, a sports and streetwear brand that is set to make waves in the industry. Founded because of his love of sports, Patric has used social media to his advantage and here he tells us more…

Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching Santa Ana…

I have been interested in sports and streetwear from a young age. When I grew up, it was crucial to wear trainers from one of the big sportswear brands. Then there was the rise of skate and streetwear, followed by premium lifestyle brands, and the sportswear industry shifted towards more technical fabrics. Focusing on social media, we then saw another generation of streetwear brands and over the last couple of years also the athleisure trend. So, after playing around with the idea for quite a while now, I thought it might be fun to join the industry as a side hustle, which is why SANTA ANA ultimately entered the arena. SANTA ANA combines streetwear design elements with highly functional sportswear fabrics. This is what we stand for.

Who is your ideal client?

Our ideal client is a person that dreams big and then takes continued massive action to reach his or her goal. For example, this goal could be a fitness goal or a creative goal, like becoming a DJ or an actor. We want to encourage as many people as possible to believe in themselves and start doing. Dream big, guys! And who knows? Maybe you start as a customer and turn into a collaboration partner! We have seen this a few times in the past already.

You’re targeted towards urban, athletic males. Do you plan on launching new products in the future?

We plan to increase our product range step by step. We are also going to restock some of our most wanted classics. In addition, we are working on a little special series of items that will be offered during 2020 via selected distribution channels. If you want to learn more about the special series, send an email to sales@santa-ana.co.uk. First come, first serve guys.

What does a day in your life go like…

Running a start-up means every day is different – it never gets boring. Often times, you plan A, but then B happens and then you have to prioritize. So, I usually start with a look at my prioritized to-do list, and then try to execute as much as possible. A start-up entrepreneur has 3 roles: you must be a CEO creating visions, a manager that can break down the vision into prioritized packages and then motivate, delegate and keep track, and last but not least you must be a busy worker, executing the managed vision in a pragmatic way. During the week I am like 80% worker and 20% manager. Towards the end of the week, I try to reduce the execution part to ideate and update the vision.

What sets your label apart from your competitors?

Our competitors are legion, in perfect shape, and many of them get up at 5 am. So it’s definitely a tough challenge to stand out. On the other hand: I think we have quite a competitive team. And with Knight, Wilson and Plank some fat cats have retired – so let’s see what we can pull off

In 2020, what are your plans for the brand?

To switch off marketing mode for a second, we are currently still more or less at “family and friends” stage, and preparing the next stage. Our main focus remains on truly understanding the business and the clients. In parallel, we will try to further build our cross-industry-network. My personal background is banking and consulting, and we also have quite good connections to some advertising companies. We hope to leverage this at a later stage, with the help of our media partners. But first we must gain a bit more local experience and distribution traction. After that, we are going to selectively scale. This might not happen in 2020, but as soon as we feel ready, based on our metrics.

For anyone wanting to launch a label, what advice would you offer?

Dream big. Hustle hard, do more than necessary. Take ownership, blame yourself first. Fail cheap. Practice makes perfect. Create value, never stop. Challenge everything, don’t buy at face value. Build a great team. Be a Sherpa for your developing team members. Trust your stars, give them freedom and they will go above and beyond. Put clients and business partners first. Be as agile as possible and as structured as necessary. Do not embrace change, only embrace improvements. Risk is not sexy. A positive expected value is. Hedge where necessary. Know the odds and how to bend them. Be known for being tight aggressive. Success won’t come linear. You will have to make sacrifices. I think Lionel Messi once stated: I would play football even if I was not paid for it. You must have this attitude at a start-up.

Looking back, is there anything you would do differently?

Nobody is perfect, so we continue to learn. There are three ways to learn: by reflection, by imitation and by pain. We try to avoid the last one as best we can.

Do you have a mentor?

I try to learn from a broad range of people and encourage the team to do the same. For example, I really like Patrick Bet-David’s content. I also follow Dan S. Kennedy, and try to learn from guys like Jordan Kensington or Karim Djeriou. From time to time I also take a closer look at sportswear giants like Chip Wilson. Please note that I do not know all these guys personally, of course. They are great to learn from though.

Our readers love to travel, what destination is at the top of your bucket list?

My personal top destination is SANTA ANA athletic apparel

Where can people find out more?

Take a look at santa-ana.co.uk and follow “santaanaathleticapparel” on Facebook and Instagram!

And last but not least: many thanks for this great interview opportunity. Really highly appreciate it!

Author

Northern girl Laura is the epitome of a true entrepreneur. Laura’s spirit for adventure and passion for people blaze through House of Coco. She founded House of Coco in 2014 and has grown it in to an internationally recognised brand whilst having a lot of fun along the way. Travel is in her DNA and she is a true visionary and a global citizen.

Comments are closed.