Meet Igor Koshutin, Founder of HipStar

Have you ever been carrying a backpack and wished that you had an easier or more versatile way to carry things? HipStar is a hands-free, lightweight travel cart that you can use to carry 80 pounds of gear with you. The cart is also collapsible and designed to be able to roll easily across uneven surfaces. It can be used as a cart, backpack, or bike trailer. Learn more about this innovative product by visiting http://www.artmatrix.us.

Our interview is with Igor Koshutin, founder of HipStar.

1. When you came up with HipStar, who did you imagine would use it?

HipStar is perfect for a wide range of travelers, from those who want to go on a short stroll, to professional mountain climbers. It works well for anyone who needs to comfortably transport heavy items, including tourists, hikers, mountaineers, backpackers, fishermen, foragers, hunters, and golfers.

It can even be used in professional or military contexts to carry important equipment and supplies over unpredictable terrain. For serious mountain hikers and military use, the HipStar comes in a more durable option featuring additional hardware that reinforces the structure and allows for heavier gear to be carried with the same ease and comfort.

2. How is HipStar different from existing backpacks or rolling luggage?

The rolling bags and backpacks currently on the market were designed for use mainly in areas with smooth flooring like airports and railway stations. Meanwhile, many tourists and hikers prefer to use conventional bags and backpacks instead of wheeled bags because the internal frame and wheels take up valuable storage space and add excess weight.

Our product is collapsible and can be easily converted into a backpack to maximize storage space and for those times when you are using stairs or negotiating some sort of terrain where you don't want to use the wheels. It also adjusts for height and angle between frame and handles, depending on the weight of the equipment (reducing the pressure on the body in the place of mounting), allowing you to comfortably pull the cart behind you without feeling strained.

3. How did you get this idea?

The idea came to me while traveling in Europe with my family. Between the three of us, we had one backpack with all of our things. After half a day of walking around, my shoulders were already sore. There was so much to see, but I was only thinking about my heavy bag. I only wished I had a companion who would carry all of our stuff for us and never get tired. No matter where and how you travel, even a light backpack begins to weigh as much as a few bricks. You get tired. You get impatient. You waste half your day dealing with back pain. All because there's no other way to carry your stuff other than on your back. What about seniors or people with back problems? They are even more affected by carrying weight around. Doesn't matter if it's light or heavy. This is why I invented the HipStar.

4. How much does it weigh? You show a strong muscular man using the HipStar, but how about someone smaller, or a senior citizen? ​

It is not heavy at all! Even a "heavy-duty" prototype's frame weighs approx. 10 lbs. We cannot count the weight of the wheels because we used the regular 2.5 lbs. wheels to prove a concept. Furthermore, the product design stage will result in approx. 50% decrease in weight by utilizing new materials and wheels. The total weight of the heavy-duty model with wheels will be no more than 7-8 lbs.

With the HipStar in a CART MODE a cargo weight is close to zero due to CG balancing. With the HipStar in BACKPACK MODE, users will not notice a 7-8% weight difference in a short run, when traveling over more difficult obstacles (rivers, ravines, steps, etc.) or when moving on rough terrain that the cart cannot traverse. Users would need to make their choice--to carry their load on the spine all day long or a bit heavier load just for a few moments to go over some obstacles.

5. What is your estimated retail price?

Our product designers are working on finalizing the design (mechanical development and integration) and pricing for the components. In the first year of operation, production cost will be higher until volumes are up. The light version's estimated retail price will be around $100. The mid and heavy versions should cost $150 and $250 respectively.

Note: The Kickstarter campaign for Hipstar is scheduled to begin in April. If you'd like to learn more and to be notified when the campaign launches, visit hipstar.us/pre-launch.

Thanks, Igor!

Meet Naina Vaish, CEO of Green N Brown

Green N Brown offers eco-friendly and organic products that let you make better choices for yourself, your community, and the planet. They believe that for a better and sustainable future, conventional products have to give way to "Green" (eco-friendly) and "Brown" (organic) alternatives.

Naina Vaish, Evangelist N CEO, drives this company. She has been an active environmental steward herself and now wants to not only encourage individuals to adopt a Green lifestyle but also excite and expose them to this lifestyle through her blog. Naina is a strong believer that "Change needs to happen bottoms up--it is the individuals who need to drive the Green Revolution in their everyday lives."

1. What inspired you to start Green N Brown?

We are a firm believer that change has to happen from the bottom up--it is the individuals who have to make little/subtle changes to their everyday lives to make this world a greener place to live. With this in mind, we created Green N Brown with a conscious decision to present a ubiquitous online store that offers Green i.e. eco-friendly and Brown i.e. natural alternatives (hence Green N Brown) to people across several product categories that they can access from the comforts of their homes.

2. How do you choose the suppliers and products to feature on your site?

Each of our products undergoes a rigorous process before selection. All the products available on site have been hand-picked and thoroughly analyzed by our in-house research team for its eco footprint.

  3. Could you tell us a little more about the fair trade, artisan created, handmade jewelry available on your site?

The wide range of fair-trade jewelry and hand made décor on our store are sourced from across nations: Haiti, Kenya, Africa, and Asia. Fair trade provides under- and unemployed artisans with an opportunity to earn vital income and improve their quality of life by establishing a sustainable market for their handcrafted products. We bring the best from several countries to the American consumers when it comes to Green. People can access all these products which were not accessible to them before from all these countries right from their homes.

4. Your hemp backpacks are also a popular item. What makes hemp a good material for book bags, laptop bags, and similar products?

Yes our hemp bags and backpack are one of the best sellers. What makes hemp bags so popular amongst the customers is that hemp grows well without the use of herbicides or pesticides making it environmentally sustainable.

1. It is one of the most durable natural fibers that exists and has very high tensile strength.
2. Hemp softens with use and yet remains hard-wearing.
3. Hemp fabrics dye very effectively and retain color well over time.
4. Hemp has good resistance to mold and is fire-retardant.

With a huge range of hemp bags for every walk of life, you are sure to find the style and color you want. 

5. What else would you like readers to know about your business?

While people are aware of the benefits of green lifestyle and are willing to adopt it, they are often short of alternative products that are greener than the conventional options. At Green N Brown, we carry a diverse range of green products across several product categories in a bid to offer enough green options for consumers to pick and choose from. We are a one stop shop for green products for a healthy lifestyle

Thanks!

Meet Anthony Huang, CEO of iCarryAlls

iCarryAlls is a business which sells leather handbags, tote bags, and carrying cases for electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. The company began in 2009 as XIAOZHI. They are known for allowing the customer to create custom personalized leather accessories. They also have a special site for handbags and gadget cases for customers in Europe.

Our interview is with the CEO of iCarryAlls, Mr. Anthony Huang.

1. Why did your company choose to specialize in leather bags and cases?

We like the smell of the leather and the special feeling when your body touches leather products: We love leather.

2. What are some of the ways that customers can have their items customized when they order?

Different people have lots of different requests, so we work to fulfill all manner of customizations through our shopping cart system. We have a great CRM system named Zendesk which we use to communicate with our clients and which enables us to fulfill all our customers' needs. Our slogan is: "If you can dream it, we can make it."

3. What have some of your most popular items been, and do you find that trends/preferences have changed over the years that you have been in business?

We are very successful with our iPad portfolios which include a notepad as well as with our iPad portfolios with room for a bluetooth-keyboard. Both kinds of leather bags offer lot of functionality, protect the gadgets, and are helpful for organizing your work.

4. How did you achieve a successful transition from selling on other sites such as Etsy to having your own site?

Etsy was the first marketplace where we sold our leather goods. A few years later, our focus lies on our own worldwide site www.icarryalls.com, as well as our European site, www.classiquer.com. Of course, we also sell on all Amazon platforms. And we are present on all the social communities like Facebook, Twitter, and so on.

5. For customers shopping around for leather products, what do you recommend in terms of choosing the best quality product while also being mindful of price?

If you shop online, it's difficult to touch and smell the product, so the most important thing is to choose the brand of highest reputation; this is the way to protect your money.

Thanks, Anthony!