MobileMount, a Successful KickStarter Project [Sponsored]

A couple weeks ago, we told you about a new Kickstarter project called “MobileMount,” an accessory that can serve as both a kickstand and a suction cup mount for iPhones, iPads, or pretty much anything else that has a flat surface.

Jose Sanchez, the guy behind the MobileMount, needed to raise $20,000 to start his project. Thanks to Kickstarter, some 1,300+ backers have already pledged close to $60,000 for the project, which goes far beyond Sanchez’s wildest expectations and there are still two more weeks to go, as anyone can still pledge until November 29th.

We sat down with Sanchez and asked him a few questions about his project. It’s actually quite an interesting story to see how someone like you and me can turn a simple idea into a real product…

How did you get the idea of the MobileMount?

The idea for the MobileMount has been a work in progress spanning over a couple of years. It wasn’t until I discovered Kickstarter that I decided to take action and do something about it.

The first time I ever thought about designing my own mount was about 4 months after the 1st Generation iPod Touch was released. I had used a couple of mounts for my iPod Touch but nothing seemed to work. All the mounts that I had used were either cheaply made, weren’t universal enough, or were simply not practical. After about a year of searching for a perfect mount, I decided to give up due to frustration.

Then about 2 years later, the idea for the MobileMount came to me while I was driving and trying to use the GPS on my iPhone 4. What I realized is that it’s very dangerous to drive and look down at your phone, which I have seen a bunch of people do. I explored different options and that’s when I came up with a double suction cup mount. The thing that I noticed is that most smartphones have one key feature in common, a flat back. That allowed me to design a universal mount so consumers can use the MobileMount with all types of smartphones. Whether it is an iPhone or an Android device, they all worked perfectly with my mount.

In addition to the smartphones I noticed that many consumers could use the MobileMount as a kickstand for larger devices like iPads, Kindles, and even e-readers. Around late April I decided to quit my job and focus on developing the MobileMount.

Do you have any background in product design?

This is actually going to be my first project in product design. Before the MobileMount project, I had been working on developing an app for the entire Apple iOS line, which I had to put on hold. An interesting thing that I noticed, is that working on my app has helped me out tremendously on my MobileMount project. The reason why it has helped me out is because I learned from the previous mistakes I had made. Whether it’s a virtual good or a physical good, you go through all the same steps in order to complete the project. I fixed most of my mistakes and I think because of that, the process has run much more smoothly than I had anticipated.

Your goal was to get pledges for $20,000. You’re currently close to $60,000. What did you do to get there?

It’s been a tremendous amount of work to get to where I am today. Many backers believe that you simply just put a project up on Kickstarter and hope it does well, but that’s a far cry from reality. What many people don’t realize is all the prep work that goes into a project. I did nearly 3 months of prep work for the MobileMount before it even saw the light of day.

I believe there are two very important things you must do in order to reach and possibly go beyond your Kickstarter goal. The first thing is to have a very good promo video and the second is to spread the word like crazy.

If you don’t have a good video it’s very difficult to persuade anyone to back your project. Backers don’t expect you to make a car commercial, but they at least expect something decent where it fully explains your project.

The second most important thing that has pushed me beyond my goal has been by spreading the word. Someone could have an awesome Kickstarter project, but if the world hasn’t heard of it, then nobody’s going to back it. I spend about 10 hours everyday trying to spread the word through Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites. What I have found most helpful is when a website picks up the story. If you get featured on a popular website like iDownloadBlog, TechCrunch, Mashable, Gizmodo, Wired, etc., the word about your project spreads like wildfire. If you’re persistent and put in the work, someone will eventually write a story which makes it all worth it!

How are these $40,000 extra going to benefit the project?

The extra money that I raise from this project will help cover the upfront costs that I incurred. There are a lot of upfront costs like prototyping, designing, and product samples, that go into a project before it ever appears on Kickstarter. With my initial $20,000 goal I had already planned on using the highest quality materials in order to develop a great mount! The project will also benefit from extra funding because more prototypes can be made and kinks can be ironed out.

When will the MobileMount enter production?

The MobileMount will enter production in late December/early January. The reason why the MobileMount will start production at this time is because Kickstarter doesn’t disburse any funds until about 20+ days after your project has ended. I wish it didn’t take this long because it delays the whole manufacturing process.

When will the MobileMount be available for purchase and how much will it cost?

Currently the MobileMount will only be available on Kickstarter until November 29. I am working on building a website so everyone can Pre-order the MobileMount once the Kickstarter campaign has ended. At this time the MobileMount is only $25 on Kickstarter and later in the future, I plan to retail it for $29.99

Where will we be able to buy a MobileMount?

My current plans are to sell the MobileMount on my website and other online retailers. There have also been many companies who have reached out to me who want the MobileMount in their brick and mortar locations.

Will you give away a few MobileMounts to iDB readers when available?

I definitely want to give out more than a couple MobileMount’s to iDB readers! I want as many people to get the joy out of my mount as I have.

Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?

I do have another project coming up in the future. Since I put the development of my app on hold, I want to continue working on it. I think that both my mount and my app will work great together. I want to take a small break after my MobileMount is complete so I could refresh and hopefully complete my app this time around.

Pledges start at $1. If you pledge $25 or more, you will receive your very own MobileMount as soon as it’s available. The more you pledge, the more you receive! Visit the MobileMount Kickstarter project for more info.