EXP-001· The $100 Experiment
ConceptPlanned
Marketing an app with $100
Hypothesis · With $100 and some creativity, some channels will clearly outperform others for getting an indie app noticed.
- Budget
- $100
- Goal
- —
- Timeline
- TBD
- Results
- Not run yet
Building in public · @itsmadebymerrill
Making things.
Seeing what sticks.
I'm Merrill. I build apps, make games, test business ideas, and share what actually happens along the way.
A meal-planning app
app · live
A multiplayer card game
game · in development
Market an app with $100?
experiment · concept
A side hustle I know nothing about
experiment · concept
???
the next idea
01 — Featured projects
Things I'm making
Apps, games and whatever else gets built next. Each one comes with the full story — what worked, what didn't, and why.
Illustration
AppGrowingLive · marketing phase
MyNutriPlanner
Weekly meal planning and nutrition tracking without the rigidity.
- React Native
- Expo
- Supabase
View project
Illustration
GameIn DevelopmentWorking title
Multiplayer Fantasy Card Battler
A turn-based fantasy card game for two to four players.
View project
02 — On the workbench
Currently building
A live look at what's in progress. No made-up percentages — just where each project actually is.
~/workbench2 active
now → It's live — now focused on marketing and getting it in front of the right people.
- Idea — done
- No-code build #1 — didn't work out
- No-code build #2 — didn't work out
- Hiatus — paused
- Restart — done
- Launch — done
- Growth — in progress
now → Building multiplayer rooms, deck selection and turn-based combat.
- Idea — done
- Development — in progress
- Testing — upcoming
- Launch — upcoming
1
In development
1
Launched
4
Experiments planned
4
Milestones reached
03 — The lab
Experiments, with the numbers in public
Side hustles, marketing tests and product bets. These are ideas on deck — results get posted when there are real ones to share.
EXP-002· Side Hustle Trials
ConceptPlanned
An unfamiliar side hustle, $500 goal
Hypothesis · A complete beginner can learn a new side hustle well enough to earn $500 — and the lessons will be worth sharing either way.
- Budget
- —
- Earnings goal
- $500
- Timeline
- TBD
- Results
- Not run yet
EXP-003· From Idea to Game
ConceptPlanned
Will strangers play my multiplayer game?
Hypothesis · If the game is fun, strangers will play more than one match without being asked to.
- Budget
- —
- Goal
- —
- Timeline
- TBD
- Results
- Not run yet
04 — Latest
Videos, build logs & updates
Long-form videos on YouTube, quick clips on Instagram and TikTok, and written notes here in the journal.
Video hub
Videos are coming soon.
Series I'm planning:
- The Build Log
- The $100 Experiment
- Side Hustle Trials
- From Idea to Game
- The Numbers
Build LogsUndated1 min read
Sample post: how this journal works
A placeholder showing the layout and components available to journal posts. Replace or delete it when the first real post goes up.
Sample post
Photo coming soon
05 — Hi, I'm Merrill
A psychologist who can't stop building things.
I'm a creator, developer and entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. These days that mostly means building apps and games, testing business ideas, and trying to understand why people do what they do — including me.
Made by Merrill is where I share all of it in the open: the process, the results, and what I learn along the way.
06 — Follow the journey
Some ideas will stick.
Some won't.
Watch them all.
Follow @itsmadebymerrill for build logs, experiments and the occasional spectacular failure.