Derek Miner is good-vibes personified. And he’s a Utah Valley guy, through and through. In fact, he still lives a stone’s throw from his childhood home in the hills of east Provo. And this hometown hero gets results from his good vibes. He’s a serial successful entrepreneur, whose latest endeavor — Lemonade Stand — is a full-service digital marketing agency giving a portion of every dollar to programs that support the success of the next generation. It’s the “Build Then Bless” mantra that is at the heart of Derek’s mentoring mindset. The company’s podcast — Lemonade Stand Stories — is built around motivating the next generation of “go-getters” looking to build their own business. And, after all, businesses are all lemonade stands at heart.
Fully Booked Over time I hope my daily life has begun to look like this quote well-articulated by James Michener: “The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion… He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he’s always doing both.”
Hero’s Journey Challenges are stretchy and an inevitable part of growth. More importantly, it’s what you do next that matters the most. It takes courage to make a change when you realize you’re in the wrong place and need to regroup and start over. I’ve learned that when I’m surrounded by extraordinary humans, I can get through just about any challenge.
New Chapter Twenty years ago I sat around my first management table the day before we announced our company’s acquisition, and the CEO said, “I feel really bad for you young guys; this is not how most businesses work. You will spend the rest of your life trying to recreate what we have built here.” And he was right — because I was fortunate to have this experience, I have spent my life building incredible company cultures.
Daily Underscore Rush, one of the greatest trios of all time.
Character Backstory Once upon a time, I played the drums in a band that was picked up by a record label. We recently got the band back together to perform at a wedding, and by the end of the night, we were trying to figure out how to get the band back together and tour again.