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InvisibleMarty Mycfly
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I need some business advice
    #23661994 - 09/20/16 02:36 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

First off, hey guys :hi:
I have been MIA for a bit, the summer kicked my ass as well as few other setbacks in my venture, my grow room has been down and I have been completely stagnate.
The plan is to be back up and running ASAP, I need to really pay attention to making a profit now, I spent all of last year investing and losing money, mainly from not being able to get rid of my mushrooms. I spent the bulk of time and energy growing Eryngii, which I love, but I feel the cost of growing eryngii vs. what I was getting out of it was not working out.

I would love some advice on where to go from here, my main cost has been fuel pellets, I can't get them cheap here and has probably been the main cost in my cultivation so I am considering moving into straw at least for now, I am inexperienced working with straw and poly tubing but I have some of the equipment for it. If I move into straw I plan on growing amycel 3015, I have a culture of it but will initially be buying the spawn to get going.
How much cheaper is it to grow from straw in the end, will I be saving myself money moving into straw?

One other thing I am wondering about, is buying shiitaki blocks? How economically viable is it buying shiitaki blocks and fruiting them, I would love to have another variety besides grey oysters to sell, but like I was saying the sawdust is my biggest issue and I know a few of you buy blocks.

Now lastly, I want to get into the local grocery stores around here, I had never approached them when I had the Eryngii going, we have a few co-ops and localized groceries besides the big ones, does anyone have experience approaching smaller stores and what things I need to be able to sell to them?

Anyways, I still have a lot on my mind and may be asking a few more questions throughout this thread, but thanks for reading guys and ANY help, ideas, brainstorming will be great:super:


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Mycfly's King Oysters                                       

Mycfly's Reishi    

                                                 


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InvisibleMycolorado
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23662094 - 09/20/16 03:12 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Hey MM,
I don't want to sound pessimistic, but if you can't sell the mushrooms you grow and aren't sure what the main cost in your operation is, then I think you might need to step back and reassess.  Put together a business plan, etc. and even more importantly, develop a customer base.  Grocers, as well as any corporate or anything bigger than mom and pop restaurants are going to require that you have third party GAP certification.  As mushrooms are considered a raw agricultural product, depending on where you are, they aren't regulated by your state ag. dept. or your local health dept. I'd reach out to the local extension office, state ag. dept., etc. to verify.  Penn State developed the MGAP guidelines...you might take a look at that as well...I would think any legitimate operation would be following that...Good luck, man!


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Helpful Threads
stonesun
Mycolorado’s Tamp Fruit Project
Tampanensis Grow with Mycolorado
bw86's Jalisco Grow


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Offlineanthiawe
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Mycolorado]
    #23662103 - 09/20/16 03:17 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

hey marty,

you need do do some market research and also calculating your cost of production. all those stores you're talking about need to be called and a discussion needs to take place on what a fair price would be. also need to check out whats already on the shelves and the retail prices..along with the restaurants around you and how far you plan to go to make deliveries. an entire business plan really.


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TEK compendium


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InvisibleMarty Mycfly
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Mycolorado]
    #23662172 - 09/20/16 03:42 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Thanks Colorado, I understand being pessimistic, I took the last few months off  to try an reassess, I will say when we got into full production finally it had already become 100+ degrees outside everyday and the farmers markets we went to were really dead, and we had to stop due to some other life events before we made it around to chefs, which is the main goal, the co-op inquiry is more for farther down the line.
We want to put together a way better business plan and give it another go, now that we have everything else invested except raw material we seem to be in a much better position, better weather for the farmers markets until we get chefs.
I guess I mainly am wondering if cutting down the cost on material by moving to straw is a good choice for at least a couple of good runs.I like growing on sawdust and it's what I know well and I know the quality of fruit is better, my main issue is sourcing sawdust and pellets and that was the main expense.


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Mycfly's King Oysters                                       

Mycfly's Reishi    

                                                 


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OfflineQuadman
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: anthiawe]
    #23662190 - 09/20/16 03:47 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Hey Marty  :hi:  I was self employed most my life. Sounds like you want to be wholesale. What the guys are saying are spot on. This is a terribly tough business. You are growing (large amount of variables) marketing and selling a perishable commodity.  Wholesale puts margins low, so you generally have to produce volume to boost income.

Without knowing even general area of geographics make assessing options more difficult to look at.

A business plan and detailed records are need and then I would put together a model cash flow.

This is a rewarding fun hobby. Make sure it can be a successful business before keep pouring more cash and time into it.


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InvisibleMycolorado
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23662211 - 09/20/16 03:53 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Gotcha...straw is a real pain in the ass and takes up a lot more space than sawdust blocks, but is really cheap.  In Colorado, it goes for $70-$100 per ton, so at that price, you should be able earn a profit. Also, hardwood furniture shops will give you the sawdust if you can find any in your neck of the woods.


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Helpful Threads
stonesun
Mycolorado’s Tamp Fruit Project
Tampanensis Grow with Mycolorado
bw86's Jalisco Grow


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OfflineQuadman
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Quadman]
    #23662214 - 09/20/16 03:54 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Why is straw readily available and sawdust/ chips not??


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InvisibleMarty Mycfly
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Quadman]
    #23662217 - 09/20/16 03:55 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Thanks quad, that's why I'm here asking, and to be honest it's kind of hard to asking this stuff after failing. But I have to get a business plan together so here I am with my tail between my legs:sad:
My wife makes good money and works from home and I am a self employed musician, so we are both in a position to work on a business from home while still doing what we are doing.


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Mycfly's King Oysters                                       

Mycfly's Reishi    

                                                 


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OfflineFerather
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: anthiawe]
    #23662226 - 09/20/16 03:58 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

If there are too many competitors then try looking for a species, strain or variant they don't sell.

Try to cultivate mushrooms that require the least attention, such as fruiting temperature.
Having to run extra machines or devices to reduce the temp is more money.

Try a large plant pot grow, cased in wood rich compost.
The casing needs to be around and on top.

   

Water like plants, excess will drain.


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Growing mushrooms, general guide and information (Ferather's Journal), https://ibb.co/rG3rML2

https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/27857366#27857366

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OfflineQuadman
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23662234 - 09/20/16 04:02 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Hey man , never say that, failing is not part of the equation. You have valuable experience that teaches ways to improve or change direction. It's what you do with information that is important. Edison never failed he found a thousand ways to not make a light bulb .


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Edited by Quadman (09/20/16 04:04 PM)


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InvisibleMarty Mycfly
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Quadman]
    #23662246 - 09/20/16 04:04 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

Quadman said:
Why is straw readily available and sawdust/ chips not??




Hardwood sawdust has been hard to find, I can buy it in town but only in fuel pellet form and it's the expensive stuff made for bbq's, I have had ordered it but it's not much cheaper, and also I live in a hot dry climate so no one uses pellet stoves and no one carries pellet fuel except for bbq's, even tractor supply here has no idea what I'm talking about. But, I live where there is a ton of feed stores and livestock so straw is always here, I just stayed away from it because it seems messy and see people get better results on sawdust.


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Mycfly's King Oysters                                       

Mycfly's Reishi    

                                                 


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OfflineFerather
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23662251 - 09/20/16 04:06 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Try paper pellets, chemical free. Pet stores or pet sections in shops.

   


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Growing mushrooms, general guide and information (Ferather's Journal), https://ibb.co/rG3rML2

https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/27857366#27857366

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InvisibleMarty Mycfly
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Ferather]
    #23662255 - 09/20/16 04:07 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

I was there the other day and definitely thought of you ferather:thumbup:
How have you been?


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Mycfly's King Oysters                                       

Mycfly's Reishi    

                                                 


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OfflineQuadman
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23662264 - 09/20/16 04:11 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

I would guess your out in the plains/ southwest. Tractor supply should be able to source fuel pellets by the pallet. You don't have any cottonwood in your area? Consider processing cardboard?


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OfflineFerather
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23662267 - 09/20/16 04:12 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

Marty Mycfly said:
I was there the other day and definitely thought of you ferather:thumbup:
How have you been?




I'm doing well thanks. Got some new rare and unique strain variants to grow.
I am very happy to finally find a vendor for both, in one place.

Good progress with growing, lots of new data.


--------------------
                   

Growing mushrooms, general guide and information (Ferather's Journal), https://ibb.co/rG3rML2

https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/27857366#27857366

DTS DCH Driver for Realtek [DTS:X] - Unlocked and reprogrammed.


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InvisibleMarty Mycfly
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Quadman]
    #23662731 - 09/20/16 07:02 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

Quadman said:
I would guess your out in the plains/ southwest. Tractor supply should be able to source fuel pellets by the pallet. You don't have any cottonwood in your area? Consider processing cardboard?




Southwest
We do have cottonwoods on the rivers and washes around here.
A while back I made a thread on here about prickly pear substrate, I read in GGMM that oysters grow on them, in fact there is a strain of oyster native to prickly pear, that interests me because it is a major weed where I live and after taking more notice of them almost half the species growing around here wild are needless(non needle?) variety.
I had meant to do some tests with that while I was producing lots of spawn, but I am going to definitely take a second look at that once I get on my feet again.


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Mycfly's King Oysters                                       

Mycfly's Reishi    

                                                 


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OfflineQuadman
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23662937 - 09/20/16 08:00 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Consider looking for someone who mills cottonwood. Oysters in the wild I have found mostly on willow and cottonwood.
Was just reading research article on corncob and other substrates. CC produced best quality fruit but took a little longer. Perhaps someone can order in CC bedding for you. It is dirt cheap here.
The cactus sounds interesting.
YouTube videos on processing cardboard look interesting to me. Paper products usually free for the processing.


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InvisibleMarty Mycfly
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Quadman]
    #23663053 - 09/20/16 08:30 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

I should definitely see if I can find any mills near by, thanks quad. That's really my main issue is keeping supplies down at a lower cost while still having a quality product.
If I can get my sources for the hardwood in working order I am thinking of switching to shiitaki, I love growing the oysters and still will, but I would rather a lot less because the spores had gotten really hard on me, no matter what I did wearing the mask, making sure exhaust was spectacular, but just some spores getting on my clothes would make me sick.


--------------------
Mycfly's King Oysters                                       

Mycfly's Reishi    

                                                 


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InvisibleMarty Mycfly
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23665615 - 09/21/16 04:30 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

So the wife and I were looking at spawn last night, and we came to the conclusion that we don't want not grow oysters this winter, I have been really allergic to the spores for some time and towards the end of the grow last season she started to become infected, and we take every precaution.
Reading and commenting on c10's thread I can feel the misery already.
We are thinking of two cold weather varieties that will grow in the same room, maybe Enoki and shiitaki, what do you guys think about those growing together? I have zero experience with both, but I do grow on sawdust and am set up for running those. Any advise or wisdom on getting away from oysters?
The Enoki is a HUGE mushroom in my town right now, a ton of soup places that use these on their main menu, but they all have them shipped in, I was thinking it may be a nitch to get in to.


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Mycfly's King Oysters                                       

Mycfly's Reishi    

                                                 


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OfflineFerather
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Re: I need some business advice [Re: Marty Mycfly]
    #23665696 - 09/21/16 04:55 PM (7 years, 4 months ago)

Soup you say, how about a very uncommon and very tasty Nameko mushroom.
All hardwoods and softwoods are suitable, pretty much eats anything.

Here are two more I found that look visually good.

Brick caps (Hypholoma sublateritium)
Velvet foot (Flammulina velutipes)


--------------------
                   

Growing mushrooms, general guide and information (Ferather's Journal), https://ibb.co/rG3rML2

https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/27857366#27857366

DTS DCH Driver for Realtek [DTS:X] - Unlocked and reprogrammed.


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