Monkey Mat®…Questions and Answers By Robert Bear
Child Safe and Hiker Handy: Monkey Mat®, the lightweight and easy to pack surface.
Dirty airport floors. Two beautiful baby girls. Six hour layover. *CRINGE!*
Christie wished in that moment for either a constant shower of sanitizer…OR something she would have had with her (without taking up space!) to easily cover that filthy ground. She soon realized a portable clean surface would also come in handy for dirty hotel floors. Soccer games. Spontaneous picnics. Local festivals. Sit-ups at the park. Under highchairs.
Courtney – without kids at the time – sought a similar solution for her active lifestyle… Outdoor concerts. Festivals. Wine tastings. Camping. Hiking. The desired uses were endless.
We searched for a portable, clean surface to meet our needs, and when (shockingly!) nothing existed, we decided to create it. The brainstorming and prototyping began…hot glue guns and staplers galore…
And so the Monkey Mat was born!
The following is my interview with Monkey Mat® inventors Christie Barany and Courtney Turich, two friends and business partners who asked questions and found answers…
How did the idea for Monkey Mat® come to you?
Christie had two little girls at the time and while at the Austin airport for six hours during a delay, she watched them playing on the floor, dropping snacks, picking them up, and trying to eat them. She hadn’t planned for the stop, her bags full, and so she didn’t have room for a blanket to cover the floor. So she thought there had to be something more effective than a traditional blanket, something light weight that could fit easily in a full bag. I mentioned it to Courtney, she didn’t yet have a child, but she had been thinking about a portable surface that she could take hiking rather than carrying a bulky blanket. We got our glue guns out and started gluing some fabric together and working on our first prototypes.
What made you act?
We did a lot of market research trying to find anything to help solve this problem. We both have medical device, product development, and marketing backgrounds so we were familiar with the user-centered design process. And we thought there would be something out there but there really wasn’t, so we decided to give it a go.
We were looking to create a simple solution to an everyday problem but found our solution to be anything but simple. We knew nothing about textiles, so we began buying and ordering swatches of fabric. So we put our egos aside and began calling everyone and anyone asking lots of questions especially textile manufacturers and fabric resellers trying to find information. It was really challenging because not many wanted to help. Some were incredibly rude and not helpful at all while others were gracious to help educate us or point us in the right direction.
Our product is used for children so we needed to educate ourselves on child safety standards which impact our product design and the materials used. We focused on the material’s properties and the components we needed. So we called various metal companies trying to find the best price on non-corrosive metals which in the beginning we hadn’t even thought we needed. We learned lots of little things every time we talked to someone. The initial prototype was really very rough but are believers that we had to create it and start testing our concept.
How was the Monkey Mat® patent process?
We applied for a full utility patent and eventually changed a number of things about the product which ended up wasting money. So we decided to pursue a provisional patent because of the highcost of the full patent. We felt it was a higher priority to bring our product to market and have our products selling rather than wait.
How have you marketed Monkey Mat®?
We did a little bit of everything. We built and launched our website with all of our friends and family. So we engaged them early in the process. We knocked on doors and had them buy or consign it. We were willing to do anything to get MonkeyMat on the shelf.
How did you decide on the name Monkey Mat?
As we stated earlier, our background is in product development and we always liked doing a lot of brainstorming. We sat down and wrote names on paper and Monkey Mat is what came out of it.
What were some of the obstacles along the way and how did you overcome them?
Manufacturing the Monkey Mat®was a huge expense for us. Because we could only get our fabrics in China, we initially imported them and had the MonkeyMats made in Austin, Texas. We did not get the quality we were looking for and it was extremely expensive. We had to scrap a third of our original inventory because of the quality and the manufacturing limitations here.
Not only were we importing the fabric but we were sourcing all of the other components individually so there was nothing that was cost effective. That was painful. We were constantly networking and trying to learn from others when we were introduced to an overseas outsourcer. We transitioned to him which allowed us to move into China for manufacturing which lowered our costs significantly.
Even so the costs were still too high to make mass sales to retailers viable. So we continued to search before finding the manufacturer that we’re with now. It’s kind of been an ongoing process with our price point. We launched at $39.99 and have been able to bring it down to $19.99.
The process of revisiting our market research to bring the price point down to a viable amount has been the biggest challenge. We knew we had to get to this sweet spot, but it hasn’t been easy process by any means. It’s a constant process and we’re still trying to get our cost down.
What advice would you give to those interested in inventing?
We get asked this question often, people tell us their idea and we tell them to just make it. It can be a ridiculously rough prototype but until you translate it from an idea in your head to a physical reality you can’t even begin the process of looking at it, getting feedback, and testing it out. When seeking feedback, don’t go to people who are going to be nice or feel obligated to give you positive feedback.
You need honesty. You need to know whether your product is viable, is there a need, and what needs to change. Then let the evolution begin. Take that first step and don’t be afraid to ask lots of question. There are no stupid questions. The more you learn from others the more you can improve your product.
Frequently when we asked specific questions, we not onlygot answers to those, but so much more information was provided in the process. I anticipatelearning by asking questions and then I sit back, listen, and learn. You can’t let your ego get in the way. You have to take the emotion out of it.
For more information, please visit www.monkeymat.com
