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How does someone with zero farming experience to starting a successful mushroom farm? Sundown Hazen did it with grit, lots of determination, and YouTube University.
Sundown is the founder of Chesed Farms, a mushroom farm in Washington State. He turned his passion for local food into a business bringing in $200K per year.
With humble beginnings in his garage, Sundown spent $5,000 to start his business and bootstrapped it from day one, even build shelves by hand with used lumber. Never spending a dime on marketing, his mushroom farm relies on the unmatched freshness of his product as well as strategic partnerships.
In this interview, Sundown shares his insights on avoiding burnout as an entrepreneur, the steps to start a mushroom farm from home, and the tools that helped him succeed despite his initial lack of experience. Sundown’s achievements have not gone unnoticed. He was awarded Washington’s Entrepreneur of the Year for 2022, a recognition that highlights his exceptional contributions to the local food industry.
Resources:
https://bit.ly/46pVG3Z – Start or Grow Your Business with UpFlip Academy
https://www.chesedfarms.com/ – Find Out More About Sundonwn’s Mushroom Business
Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
02:24 – The farm
04:07 – Monthly overhead
05:07 – Incubation room
08:11 – Selling at a farmer’s market
10:33 – Revenue
11:15 – Fan blitz
13:20 – Wholesaling vs. Direct-to-consumer
14:51 – Restaurant menu
15:08 – Trying out a mushroom dish
15:40 – Startup challenges
16:41 – Mushroom types
19:33 – Branching out
20:22 – Advertising
21:15 – Local TV experience
23:00 – Biggest challenges
24:12 – Mushroom farming as a side hustle
26:04 – Setting up farm operations
27:37 – Learning from YouTube
29:30 – Starting with a partner
30:11 – Ways to avoid spoilage
32:25 – Favorite mushroom and recommended dish
33:18 – Successful farmer entrepreneur
34:14 – Doing things differently
35:23 – “Creatures”
36:33 – Systems
37:58 – Communication with customers
38:37 – Subscription program
40:22 – Outro
#mushrooms #mushroomfarming #mushroombusiness