[quote style=”boxed”]Just start developing, you’ll think of new things to make it more perfect along the way.[/quote]
Jeroen van der Most is the creator of the ‘Mini Master’ tile. Mini Masters are art inspired tiles with QR codes. Every time a QR code is scanned a new funny or inspiring quote is displayed. The current quote database contains thousands of quotes, which are added by users. Tiles are on display on www.mini-masters.com. They’re used for decoration and entertainment in restaurants and offices. But most frequently bought as gifts by private persons.
Jeroen mainly works on art- and new concept development projects that cross the boundaries of art and technology and off- and online. As an artist he got a lot of attention for his Twitter paintings, shown on www.jeroenvandermost.com, which are displayed in several art galleries and musea worldwide. In his projects Jeroen uses skills from a background in graphic design, programming and online marketing.
What are you working on right now?
We’re in a process of designing some new Mini Master tiles.
Where did the idea for the Mini Master tiles come from?
Actually it’s partly based on an old Dutch tradition in which people put tiles in their toilets displaying common sayings.
What does your typical day look like?
2 hours of e-mail, 2 hours of promotional activities, 4 hours of creating new stuff and 2 hours of solving sh.. eh problems.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Just start developing, you’ll think of new things to make it more perfect along the way.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
I’m still quite excited about human – computer interactions technologies like eye-tracking or Xbox’s Kinect. Although I’m disappointed about they’re development and adoption speed.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
Probably packing stuff on an assembly line. I learnt from it that I didn’t like it.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Although the Internet wasn’t there yet, I’d probably start building websites at the age of 6.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Always evaluate how things could be better. Which could mean quitting and starting something new.
What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Hiring people can cost a lot of people. Some effort might enable you to do it on your own.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
There’s a lot of room for new websites using crawling techniques in combination with smart text interpretation technology. E-mail me if you like to discuss it.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?
I’d drop all import and export trade boundaries and give every entrepreneur in the wold a fair chance of competing on a global market. Next to that, I’d prohibit the use of automatic coffee machines.
Tell us a secret.
Jeroen is my real name, the spelling is correct, it’s Dutch.
What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?
Google analytics – just my most used tool
Stackoverflow.com – solves every programming issue
Twitter – still one of my most used tools
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
It’s a new book with some of my comics. I’ll keep you posted about its publication date.
Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?
@abduzeedo: great design inspiration
@designtaxi: more inspiration
@kevinmacdonell: about number cracking in the non-profit industry, a hobby
When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?
It must have been last weekend while going out, I can’t seem to remember why.
Who is your hero?
Probably Pierre van Hooijdonk, winning the European football UEFA cup a decade ago, basically on his own with the rest of the team watching.
Any new ideas coming up?
I’ll be launching a new type of paintings on short notice. The concept is new, the material is new. It will generate quite some online buzz.
Any holiday plans?
Going to Ibiza soon, looking forward to it!
Connect:
Mini Master Website:
Jeroen van der Most’s Website: www.jeroenvandermost.com
Jeroen van der Most on Twitter: @jeroenvdmost
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.