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?
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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