By the end of 2021, I was feeling pretty burned out. Borrowed Land Farm had been doing very well, expanding into new markets and getting recognition for our good work. We were, by all appearances, on the cusp of a dramatic "level up."
Small-scale mushroom farming is not "a" job, it's several jobs. In a typical large enterprise you have people who specialize in handling the different aspects, for example, somebody running the lab, someone running production, someone handling marketing and distribution, someone maintaining the books and driving the business end, etc. The tough thing for an expanding business is making that transition to a size that allows a structure of specialization and efficiency. Fortunately for us, we had family who were interested in getting involved, and who have the skills and experience to get Borrowed Land Farm to the next level.
Richard is a physician who practiced for about 30 years as a hospitalist and ER doctor before moving to using his medical expertise in the private sector. He has extensive experience in business management and had been advising us from the beginning on the business side of Borrowed Land Farm. He and his wife Michele, a long-time educator, saw the possibilities with Borrowed Land Farm, and also saw that we were struggling with making the step up to the next level, and made an offer: they took over ownership of Borrowed Land Farm, we got ownership of home property. I continue to run operations and work with customers, the things I enjoy and feel like I'm good at, while Richard handles the administrative side and drives the ship and Michele jumps in when there is a need, particularly with public events.
Borrowed Land Farm moved into a much larger, better equipped facility with an updated lab, we have a leadership team, a clear vision for the future and path forward to that future, and now it's time to complete our transition with a name that better reflects who we are as a business now and into the future. While we used to be a farm, on borrowed land, neither of those is true of us now, and "Borrowed Land Farm" doesn't communicate our essence to prospective customers in the wider online world.
So here we are, "The Fungal Network" representing both our work as a lab producing top-quality organic spawn and fruiting blocks, and our commitment to expanding the community of mushroom enthusiasts by sharing knowledge and experience with others.