Home Entrepreneurship Interview with Justin Heister founder of MSTRMND Collective
Interview with Justin Heister founder of MSTRMND Collective
The SLIMplistic is a slim, simplistic, practical modern wallet, locally handcrafted from the finest leather and custom elastic.
This wallet is slightly larger than a single credit card, sitting only an 1/8 of an inch thick and weighing just half an ounce. Don't let it's size fool you, though. We've designed this stylish wallet to hold everything you'll need – from as little as a single card to over 10 cards plus cash, receipts and more. The easy-access thumb slot makes swiping your most frequently used cards a breeze, and when not in use, the SLIMplistic leaves an almost unseen imprint in either your front or back pocket.
MSTRMND Collective, Kickstarter campaign is for SLIMplistic
Who is your product aimed at?
Our product, the SLIMplistic Wallet, is really aimed toward anyone who faces the classic "Costanza" conundrum – anyone who suffers from lugging around, and sitting on, a grossly over-sized & over-stuffed wallet. We originally were going to market it exclusively to the world of skateboarding, since that's where we both have come from, but our product really transcends a single demographic and it would be foolish to pigeonhole ourselves and limit it's potential. The fact is an oversized wallet stuffed with non-essentials is non-functional, not comfortable, not healthy (leading to sore backs/legs), not attractive, and NOT necessary! Every human who carries a wallet should have the luxury to do so in a comfortable, practical, way. So, that is our target audience, everyone in need.
How does your startup stand out against it's competitors?
After researching everything that was already in the market place, there wasn't really a suitable solution for our needs. We needed something that could carry cards and cash, and keep everything within the confines of the wallet (many competitors' options leave you cash exposed on the outside of your wallet). We implemented some design features that allow our product to be flexible in the sense that it can hold as much or as little as you really need (while others limit your carry) and still maintain slim profile and leave a minimal imprint in any of your pockets. Another feature we added was the easy-slide thumb slot. The goal with this is to help make something you do everyday – access and slide you most often used card – simple and practical (as others have difficult accessibility).
Where did the idea for the startup come from?
The idea for the SLIMplistic Wallet came from necessity – a search for a problem that didn't seem to yield a suitable solution – until now. One day we were just hanging out and somehow stumbled upon discussing how large and ridiculously fat our wallets were. We had quite a few laughs as we pulled them out comparing their sizes. This prompted us to look into solutions available online. And yes, there are options out there for smaller wallets, but all of them had at least one fatal flaw, making them completely unsuitable in our eyes.
Most of the wallets that claimed to be "slim," either leave your cash exposed, a portion of your cards exposed, are difficult to use, or limit how much you can or can't hold.
Our mission at this point was simple: Design something that is classy, slim, practical/easily accessible, fully encases all your cards and cash, and at the same time can expand to hold as much or as little as you need.
What is your business background, and what got you interested in startups?
By trade, I'm a designer, but have always been an entrepreneur at heart. About 8 1/2 years ago my friend and I started publishing a magazine, Focus Skateboarding Magazine (which we still publish), and ever since then there's really been no looking back. There is a great sense of accomplishment and purpose when you invest everything you've got into yourself and it produces fruitful results.
Why did you choose kickstarter as the source of funding for your company? Did you look at any other?
We thought Kicksterter was the perfect platform for trying to fund our startup because it's a true litmus test for product viability. By offering the finished product as a reward for a pledge, you can quickly find out if the public likes your product and if it will be supported. If it's a dud, the proof is in the pudding – you don't get funded and it's a sign that maybe your idea wasn't a good as you thought it was. Sure, other factors can play a huge roll in it's success, but none the less it's a great way to test the waters. Crowd funding was the way to go, for us, for this venture. We looked at other options, but with Kickstarter being the largest and most recognizable site of its kind, they were hands down our first choice.
How long has the your startup been in the making, and who is the team behind the business?
We've been working on this project on the side for close to a year. MSTRMND Collective, which is our company name, is comprised of myself (Justin Heister) and Jonah King. We've been super close friends for over half of our lives. As I mentioned before, I'm a graphic/product/apparel designer, as well as co-owner and art director of Focus Skateboarding Magazine, and Jonah is a well-experienced product designer, owner of a professional fabrication shop, and responsible for bringing countless complex projects to life. We're always bouncing ideas off of each other – business related or not – so this partnership was a clear next step in our evolution.
What has been your biggest challenge so far as a startup owner?
Our biggest challenge has been relying on other people to do the jobs they say they are going to do, and in the time frame and at the level of quality they say they are going to do them (excluding our manufacturer – they have been great!) It's a combination of Murphy's Law and some good ol' fashioned "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." Owning and operating our own businesses for about 8 years has paved a path for dealing with these types of set backs and challenges. They are small hurdles, and challenges none the less, but at leas it's nothing completely foreign, and there have certainly been no show-stoppers in the way of hiccups along the way.
In the coming year, what would you like to achieve with your business?
By this time next year, I'd personally love to see our brand expand it's line with the other products we've already been working on, get our product in a solid 50 retail stores, have steady online revenue established and be able to focus on growing the company overall – really expanding our reach and visibility.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking about starting a business, what would it be?
Do it! Stop talking/thinking about it, and just do it. The worst thing that's going to happen is it's not going to work out, big deal. So what? You're in the same position you are right this moment. It's not the end of the world and you can completely recover. he main thing is, just dive in! Of course you'll have to do some ground work first, but dive in, even if you are afraid you can't swim. There is only one way to tell if you're going to make it across the pond or sink to the bottom. When you're backed into a corner like that, a remarkable thing happens, you dig deep like you never knew you could and drive yourself to succeed because anything else is not an option. Good luck!
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