Derek Merdinyan\\ Author + Entrepreneur

50mg: Marius Roosendaa

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:25:43 -0400

Marius Roosendaa

Bookwa.re Update

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:23:22 -0400

A few weeks ago, the startup I work for laid off a portion of their staff. As roles moved around, I ended up in a position with greater responsibility and need for focus.

Stoked as I am about the opportunity, Bookwa.re has again been put on the back burner while I transition into my new role at PhotoRocket.

Evolution of Photos

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:08:28 -0400

My newest video for PhotoRocket is live. What’s the next Evolution of Photos?

Bookwa.re

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:17:21 -0400

10 weeks ago I challenged myself to build and launch a startup in six weeks - for less than $100.

6 weeks ago I went to the hospital for what I soon discovered was not food poisoning, but rather an infected, ruptured appendix.

Recovery time is finally over. Bookwa.re launches this month.

The Startup Lifestyle: family picked me up at 1AM to take me to...

Thu, 26 May 2011 23:54:21 -0400

The Startup Lifestyle: family picked me up at 1AM to take me to the hospital to get my ruptured appendix removed. By 9:30 AM, it’s back to the hustle.

Photo

Mon, 23 May 2011 02:08:48 -0400

Nothing lights a fire like discovering your first competitor

Fri, 20 May 2011 01:29:00 -0400

In the last 24 hours I:

1). Purchased a domain name I am very happy about.

2). Discovered my first soft competitor

3). Amazon.com Now Selling More Kindle Books Than Print Books

6WSC Update: T-minus 2-4 weeks to launch

Wed, 18 May 2011 12:19:38 -0400

I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made over the past few weeks and I’m only running 48 hours behind schedule from my original plan. As I look over the growing list of things to do, I have two choices:

1). Cut corners, finish on time

2). Break the rules, put in another two weeks of elbow grease, and do it right.

The obvious choice is the right choice. Here’s to the 8 Week Startup Challenge!

The biggest milestone so far is that the site itself is 90% built and should hopefully be completed in the next few days. I brushed up on my HTML/CSS, got up to speed with HTML5/CSS, and built the most beautiful website I’ve ever designed. I’m very proud of the way it looks.

I’ve also been in contact with lawyers to help me procure a trademark and special brand name I covet for this company. It seems like a 50/50 chance of this working out… I may or may not have given a dollar of my budget to a homeless woman in the hopes that I could boost my karma supply.

#6WSC - Week 1

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 02:56:50 -0400

Just finished the design PSD for the site - it looks so friggin cool. Can’t stop looking at it.

Seeded the design to some folks for feedback. Will post screenshots in the coming weeks when the design gets closer to being final.

Everything else is on track. Still tight on time and I’m optimistic I can finish by May 30th. The $100 budget for this project hasn’t been touched yet.

6 Week Startup Challenge - The First 48 Hours

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:38:00 -0400

Day 1: Planning

The scope of building the site is large enough for one person - let alone someone who only noodles around with HTML/CSS. Adding on top of that the branding, design, marketing, and biz-dev required to pull this off and even I acknowledge how crazy it is to do all this in six weeks.

The biggest road block right now is the brand. I’m starting a business and I don’t even know what it’s called yet. Thus far toyed with ~120 names. Some were crap, some were great, and the best were purchased over a decade ago by f*cking domain squatters.* On the bright side, my favorite brand/domain name is still available - the challenge is figuring out how to get it.

Day 2: Dependencies, Design, and Time Management

Without a name, I was anxious about starting my first task: branding. Without a name it’s very difficult to select a typeface and sketch out possible logo marks. I know what the brand represents. But without a name and an image to stand behind, it initially felt difficult to get started on other design work.

After looking at the dependencies of each piece of the project and the amount of time needed to complete everything, it really hit home that I don’t have any extra days (only 40 left!) to search Domai.nr for available domain names. In this trial by fire, I’m quickly learning that dependencies - like knowing what your company is called - aren’t always the daunting roadblocks they appear to be.

Simon Sinek’s TED Talk introduced me to the concept of Golden Circles - a leadership technique for inspiring action that works exceptionally well for creating brands. The theory is that the most successful brands come about because they start with ‘Why’ they do what they do and work their way out to ‘How’ they do it and ‘What’ it is they actually do (his example for Apple Inc: Why = ‘we believe in challenging the status quo’ How = ‘we do this by making beautiful products that are easy to use’ What = ‘we make great computers… wanna buy one?’)

I have a very clear understanding of ‘why’ I am working on this startup. It’s something I believe in and something many others are starting to agree with. At the moment I’m holding out for my dream domain name and realize I don’t need to know what this startup is called. The name is irrelevant because the ‘why’ is clear, and it’s all I need to start designing my No-Name Startup.**

*I number amongst the f*ing domain squatters so I guess what goes around…

**This seems somewhat fitting as my parents didn’t name me for a few weeks until after I was born. They called me ‘No-Name-Merdinyan’ while they debated between ‘Derek’ and ‘Mookie.’ Thankfully they made the right choice.

Six-Week Startup Challenge

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:54:49 -0400

Starting today, I’m kicking off a challenge to build and launch a startup in just six weeks - for less than $100.

Can I design, build and launch a company by May 30th and then bootstrap it to profitability as a one-man team? I’ll be documenting the entire process of branding, designing, building, launching, and marketing a startup over the coming weeks.

Follow along here or on Twitter: @DerekMerdinyan

Amber Rae’s hit the nail on the head. heyamberrae: how to...

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:32:36 -0400

Amber Rae’s hit the nail on the head.

heyamberrae:

how to make decisions (my go-to model)

PhotoRocket for iPhone is now on the App Store! Get it here

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:23:51 -0500

PhotoRocket for iPhone is now on the App Store!

Get it here

"It’s not how you feel about the design, it’s how it makes you feel about yourself."

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:00:08 -0500

““It’s not how you feel about the design, it’s how it makes you feel about yourself.””

- Practical Magic

PhotoRocket

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:54:00 -0500

Here’s the ‘radical’ project I’ve been apart of. Check it out:

Try it out and let me know what you think.

Something Radical This Way Comes...

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 23:45:59 -0400

Been working on something radical that’s taken time away from other projects and putting out new episodes of StudentBrandingTV.

Looking forward to sharing this real soon…

On this episode, I talk with Diane Keng, a young entrepreneur...

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 23:42:53 -0400

On this episode, I talk with Diane Keng, a young entrepreneur that’s started three companies before her first semester of college.

Derek and Erica talk about Side Hustles: making money while...

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 16:26:00 -0400

Derek and Erica talk about Side Hustles: making money while still in school.

Derek and Erica talk internships, Googling & anonymity on...

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:20:20 -0400

Derek and Erica talk internships, Googling & anonymity on World of Warcraft.

Original Recipe: Pan fried red snapper & bok choy steamed in sake w/ a garlic-sake-miso reduction.

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:45:42 -0400

I had some fun messing around in the kitchen tonight. The result: pan fried red snapper with bok choy steamed in sake covered with a garlic-sake-miso reduction.

Ingredients (for a single serving):

1 medium fillet of red snapper

2-3 heads of baby bok choy

2 cloves of garlic

3/4- 1 tbsp miso paste (depending on how salty it is)

1/3-1/2 cup of junmai sake

1/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup of flour

1.5 tbsp Peanut oil

.5 tbsp Sesame oil

Sea Salt

Sesame seeds (optional)

Bok Choy and Snapper should be cooked at the same time

Instruction: Bok Choy

Wash the bok choy and cut in half, lengthwise.

Chop up the garlic.

Heat up a saute pan on medium low heat and put in 3/4 tbsp peanut oil and 1/4 tbsp sesame oil.

Drop in half the chopped garlic and let it heat up for 30 seconds.

Add in the bok choy and toss to coat with oil.

Add in a pinch of salt, half the miso paste (1/2 tbsp) and the sake. Toss to coat and cover to steam.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and let steam. Toss every 2-3 minutes until the leaves have wilted slightly. The white part should still have some crunch. Finish with salt as needed. Don’t worry if the miso paste hasn’t dissolved, it will be incorporated into the miso reduction later.

Remove bok choy from pan and plate. Reserve as much liquid as possible in the pan (it will be used later to finish the sauce).

Instruction: Snapper

Pour the milk onto a plate.

Spread the flour on another plate and mix in 1/2 tbsp of sea salt.

Heat a teflon pan to medium heat with the remaining peanut oil and sesame oil.

Pat the snapper dry with a paper cloth and dredge in the milk before coating in the flour/salt mix.

Swirl the pan and add the snapper when the oil has heated through.

Flip the snapper when it is 2/3rds cooked through; there should be a beautiful golden brown on the presentation side (the side being cooked first).

When the other side of the snapper has cooked through, remove and place over the bok choy.

Instruction: Reduction Sauce

Quickly turn up the heat in the snapper-pan and add the remaining garlic and miso. Cook for 20-30 seconds being careful to not burn the garlic.

Add the sake-garlic-miso juices from the bok choy into the snapper-pan and continue to heat on a high temperature while dissolving all the miso into the liquid.

Reduce the sake-garlic-miso sauce until you only have a few tablespoons.

Taste the sauce before you ladle it over the crispy snapper and bok choy. Be cognizant that a little goes a long way; the reduction sauce may be very salty, depending on the brand of miso paste you used. If the reduction sauce is too salty, you can add another 1/4 cup of sake and reduce for a few more minutes.

Top with sesame seeds as necessary.