Subs to Shrooms: My Journey To Building Shroomlandia
Ever look in the mirror and think, How did I even get here? Yeah, same.
My parents always told me, “If you’re gonna do something, do it 100% or don’t do it at all.” So naturally, half-assing anything was never in my DNA. But honestly? College was never my thing. Much respect to everyone who crushed that path, but my ADHD brain wasn’t built for classrooms.
What did make sense to me? Working. Hustling. Grinding.
At 16, I started slinging subs at Jersey Mike’s one day a week. Fast-forward 15 years—I was directly overseeing 10 locations. Sounds cool, right? Except, when I turned 30, I hit this big-time identity crisis.
I looked in the mirror and saw Jersey Mike’s. That was it. Nothing else. I was pulling 80-90 hour weeks, waking up, working, going home, and working more. It felt like my life was on autopilot, and I was so over it. I needed a reset—fast.
The Brainstorm That Changed Everything
I’m lucky to have a circle of amazing friends who I can bounce my wild ideas off of. And let me tell you—when I get an idea, it’s all caps, full send.
One random day, mushrooms came up in conversation. By the end of the day, I had already dropped $$$ on a setup that was way more advanced than I needed. Could I have started with a simple grow kit? Absolutely. But remember—no half-assing. I wanted to be involved in every step.
Mushroom Growing 101 (aka My First Fail)
Step one in mushroom growing? Inoculation. Basically, this means introducing mushroom spores to a food source (like grains) so the mycelium—the roots of the mushroom—can grow. It’s delicate. It’s science-y. And it’s so cool.
We started off injecting spores into brown rice cups, sealing them up, and waiting. Four weeks later—boom. Colonized mycelium blocks. We were feeling unstoppable.
But the real test came when we moved those blocks to the fruiting chamber—where mushrooms actually grow. Weeks passed. Nothing. Then? Mold. Everywhere. Every block—donezo. Watching my mycelium babies die was brutal. I buried them in the backyard, hoping Mother Nature could do what I couldn’t.
I was ready to throw in the towel. But after some late-night Googling, I found my aha moment. We missed a crucial step—substrates.
Turns out, mushrooms need a nutritious base (like sawdust) to really thrive. Without it, they can’t grow. Lesson learned.
Round Two: Redemption Arc
I ordered more spores, prepped the substrate, and started over. This time, the process was smoother. After colonizing the substrate, the mycelium finally started to “pin,” aka grow little baby mushrooms.
Within days, we had mushrooms everywhere. Success. Relief. And way more mushrooms than I knew what to do with.
We dehydrated them, gave them away, and were content with our win. Honestly, I thought that was the end of my mushroom-growing era. But a few months later, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Turning a Hobby into a Business
I started building a business plan and connected with SCORE Portland (shoutout to them for helping small businesses!). A year later, I was ready.
In September 2024, I quit my job. Free agent. No backup plan—just a dream and a lot of love for mushrooms. From September to December, I went all in on launching Shroomlandia.
Now? I’m running my own business with my partner/ husband, doing what I love, and proving that you don’t need to follow the “traditional” path to build something amazing.
Final Thoughts
You get one life. Don’t waste it doing something that doesn’t light you up. Chase your dreams. Be kind. And full send it when inspiration hits—you never know where it might take you.
Shoutout to the real MVPS — my friends and family! Without your support, I wouldn’t be here today!
Stay tuned for more content and stories of our journey! Until then, eat more mushrooms and drop us a comment telling us what dream you’re ready to chase! 🚀