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My First MillionHow Derek Went From $0 To +$100M With Supplements | More Plates More Dates
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CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 7:15
Reddit Trolls and Derek's Janky Setup
Shaan recounts asking Derek's fan subreddit for interview questions and getting trolled. Derek clarifies he only moderates it, and Sam asks about his minimalist video setup, the rumored unchanged background, and his hidden last name.
- •Shaan's Reddit post drew mostly trolling replies
- •Derek says he is a moderator of the subreddit but did not start it
- •Derek says the video jankiness is unintentional
- •He kept his last name out of public view on purpose
- •Business partner Good Looking Loser was an early YouTuber Derek followed
- 7:15 – 12:52
Why Pickup Skills Translate to Entrepreneurship
Shaan asks whether pickup backgrounds produce entrepreneurs. Derek says approaching attractive women made job interviews and business settings easier, and the hosts discuss the downsides of the pickup community.
- •Derek mentions Andrew Wilkinson saw the same overlap
- •Cold approach reduced his anxiety in interviews and presentations
- •Sam says pickup skills carry over to sales
- •Sam says many pickup artists never learned to be good partners
- •Derek says younger guys can watch how pickup artists' lives played out
- 12:52 – 18:04
Gorilla Mind, Branding and Marek Health
Sam and Shaan discuss Derek's businesses, starting with the Gorilla Mind name and its revenue. Derek explains when edgy branding works and how Marek Health differs from cookie-cutter telemedicine clinics.
- •Derek confirms Shaan's $6-8 million monthly revenue estimate is in the ballpark
- •Edgy branding suits pre-workouts more than trusted basics like multivitamins
- •Marek Health is preventative medicine, not just hormone therapy
- •Derek agrees Marek may currently be more valuable than Gorilla Mind
- 18:04 – 21:32
Team Structure and Running Multiple Companies
Derek describes how he and his partners split operations across the companies. He lives in Canada and handles marketing and formulation, while Chris runs hands-on operations in Idaho.
- •Each company has roughly 50 to 100 people, by Derek's estimate
- •Chris oversees fulfillment, warehouse, legal and accounting
- •Derek covers marketing, content, formulation and supply chain
- •A separate partner handles Marek's compliance and infrastructure
- •Intelligent has the best profit margin
- 21:32 – 27:59
Compounding Pharmacies and Business Difficulty
Sam asks about Derek's idea of entering compounding pharmacy. Derek explains the supply-chain control benefits and risks, and rates his businesses by how difficult they are for him personally.
- •Compounding pharmacies add markup and vary in quality
- •Derek is not dead set on starting one
- •Controlling the supply chain avoids getting squeezed, as Roman does
- •Gorilla Mind is the most time-consuming because he formulates products
- •Sam compares it to Doug Demuro making car parts
- 27:59 – 34:23
Business Goals and Influencer-Driven Growth
Shaan asks about Derek's goals. Derek says he sees Gorilla Mind and Marek as future billion-dollar companies without outside funding, relying on influencer partners and a move into retail and global expansion.
- •Derek has no firm goals but expects both companies to reach a billion dollars
- •He has never raised outside funding
- •Influencer partners have a combined following in the tens of millions
- •The brand's credibility now lets it grow beyond his own content output
- •Expansion focuses on retail and global markets
- 34:23 – 39:27
Seasons of Life and Going All In
Shaan quotes Derek's old blog about picking one goal at a time. Derek explains his philosophy of living in seasons, and he and Sam discuss how a stable relationship helps with building companies.
- •Derek says dating can be a full-time job
- •Bodybuilding prep and dating both demand heavy time
- •Trying everything at once leads to half-assed results
- •Being in a relationship doubles his work output, he says
- •Sam describes how his partner's support helped through his first company
- 39:27 – 43:46
What Derek Does With His Money
Shaan asks how Derek invests and spends. Derek warns against wealth management fees, describes Canadian tax complexity, and says he is mostly in cash with some crypto and minor angel investments.
- •Wealth managers charge fees even when they underperform an index fund
- •Canadian tax planning is more complicated
- •He liquidated his managed portfolio at a loss
- •Mostly cash, some crypto and a few angel investments
- •His main luxuries are first-class flights and groceries
- 43:46 – 49:20
Origin Story: From Affiliate Marketing to Owning Brands
Shaan asks how the businesses began. Derek explains he started with affiliate links for products he used, then replaced them with his own supplements, hair loss and telemedicine companies, and discusses how product discovery has shifted from SEO to social.
- •Early income came from Amazon affiliate commissions on products he used
- •Derek advises integrating only products you believe in to protect credibility
- •Supplements, hair loss and telemedicine each grew from content he already made
- •Shaan compares his approach to Saeed's buy-the-category strategy
- •SEO matters far less now than social media
- 49:20 – 54:23
Trust, Gurus and How Derek Became a Health Expert
Sam raises the competing health gurus audiences follow, and Derek says trust is everything in the health niche. Shaan asks how he learned enough to analyze things like athletes' drug tests, and Derek credits years of self-education.
- •Audiences follow a single guru, which is good for business but risky
- •Charlatans get platformed for saying outrageous things
- •Derek suggests finding a handful of people with both trust and knowledge
- •He says he has researched for over ten years and does not claim to be an expert
- •Much of the information is public but hard to translate
- 54:23 – 1:00:27
Tech Bodies and Bryan Johnson's Protocol
Shaan asks about the tech-world testosterone and fitness trend. Derek calls Bryan Johnson's protocol contradictory, questions his monetization, and dismisses biological age clocks as snapshots.
- •Derek approves of tech leaders prioritizing muscle and quality of life
- •He calls Johnson's calorie restriction plus testosterone contradictory
- •He hopes Johnson is candid about monetizing
- •Age clocks can swing by 20 years on a transient snapshot, he says
- •Sam says his own tests said he was biologically 23
- 1:00:27 – 1:06:15
TRT, Peptides and GLP-1 Drugs
Sam shares his experience with TRT and other drugs, and Derek explains why he stays on TRT. They then discuss BPC peptides and GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide.
- •Sam came off TRT and felt fine, with testosterone dropping from 800 to about 420
- •Derek stays on TRT because earlier bodybuilding shut down his system
- •BPC can help injuries but is pro-angiogenic, so overuse is a concern
- •GLP-1 agonists are the best appetite suppressants available, but long-term effects are uncertain
- •They discuss kids' versions and whether they might help
- 1:06:15 – 1:10:23
Where Derek Buys Food and Closing
Sam asks where Derek buys his groceries after his Europe video. Derek describes sourcing limits in Canada and buying bison from a butcher, and the hosts wrap up with praise for his future outlook.
- •Derek buys bison and liver from a butcher
- •Food sourcing is limited in Canada
- •Bison is lean and nutrient-dense but costs three times more than lean ground beef
- •Debate over whole foods versus supplements is confusing
- •Sam predicts Derek's empire will surprise people
