Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Matt Feldman, founder, and CEO of Moku Foods, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Moku partnered with two award-winning chefs to turn king oyster mushrooms into a delicious, tender jerky snack. Each bag has 9g of fiber and 6g of protein, making it the perfect savory, nutrient-dense snack to keep you full throughout the day. Compared to one bag of beef jerky, Moku's mushroom jerky uses 97% less water, 76% less land, and 98% fewer carbon emissions making this a healthy snack for both your body and the planet.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up on Oahu, a small island with limited natural resources. From an early age, I was always interested in sustainability and how our individual choices can impact the Earth. In 2018, I shifted to a plant-based diet and was looking everywhere for a "meaty" snack to keep me full in between meals, and I couldn't find one that I liked. So I partnered up with two renowned chefs and spent a year in the kitchen doing over 100 iterations until we landed on the perfect texture for our mushroom jerky. Our overall mission is to make clean, sustainable snacks that anyone can eat and feel good about without compromising on taste, health, or the planet. We're off to a hot start, but I wake up motivated every day because we have lofty goals, and there's a lot of work to be done!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment thus far as a business owner was receiving the Forbes 30 Under 30 award in 2021.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

It's a lonely world starting your own company. When things are going great, it's fun, but the low days can be a real mental battle that you have to dive deep into overcoming and continue pushing forward.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Bring on multiple business partners/co-founders.
  2. Set a specific time frame that you'll allow yourself to start your venture and then assess whether it's worth it to continue only after that time frame is up so that you don't wake up every day questioning whether what you're doing is a good or bad idea.
  3. Look at "failures" as potential blessings as disguises because these hurdles a lot of the time turn out to be huge blessings.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Everyone has their opinions for you as a founder, and it's very important to weigh out the opinions from the people you trust but to trust your gut after all is said and done.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://mokufoods.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt_kainoa/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feldmanmatt/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.