Meet Julie Trotta | Small Business owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Trotta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
I took a risk. As a single Mom, not only do I have to think of myself, but what is best for my 3 daughters. Before I became a business owner I was an accountant. I spent a lot of time at work, and not so much time being present for my kids. I was working a full time job and managing two small businesses. I had very little time to spend on day time school events and being there for them. One of my daughters got involved with a group of kids that was not the best influence on her. I had no choice but to switch her schools, but doing so meant that I had to be there to transport her to and from school. There was no way to do that working my full time job. So I took the risk and resigned from my job. It was defiantly a scary step, but one that paid off in the end. She is now doing very well in her new school and has made some drastic changes, her grades have gone up and her overall attitude has changed. Well worth the risk.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I currently have two businesses, one being my mushroom farm, Fungirl’s Fungi, this is my passion business. I love everything about mushrooms. I started building this business in 2020 during the pandemic and it very quickly started growing. There was alot to learn, and a lot of failures that were pretty costly, but it just meant I had to learn a little more and try a little harder, the result was growing beautiful tasty mushrooms. I fell in love with attending farmers markets on the weekends and educating consumers on a wide variety of mushrooms you can not find in stores. Soon after I was given an opportunity to purchase a food stand, Underdogs Gourmet Hotdogs. I had never worked in the food business before, so I pretty much had to learn as I went. It defiantly had some challenges in getting it certified, however I was able to over come those challenges and get it up and going. Underdogs has been in business for just over a year now and still going strong. It has not been an easy ride, there have been alot of sacrifices along the way. When I worked as an accountant, I got a paycheck every 2 weeks, all my bills were paid and I had quite a bit of spending cash. Working for myself, I have a lot less cash flow, and some days are pretty stressful. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I will continue to show up, I will never give up.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Hands down I would take them to Mt Lemmon, for a day trip, some hiking, and check out one of the restaurants they have up there, we would ride the ski lift to the top and spend some time enjoying the beautiful views. The next day we would go to the Hotel Congress for breakfast on the Patio, then walk around downtown and check out all of the beautiful art. For lunch we would probably go get some Tacos from the original El Nene on Flowing Wells , in my opinion best tacos ever! The next day we would take a nice hike at Sabino canyon, and maybe some dinner and a show at Penial Peak. We would of course attend some farmers markets and check out the amazing home grown foods from local farmers, pick up some fresh foods and cook them at home. For a night out we would go down town to 4th Ave and find some live music to enjoy. I’m a home body and a nature lover, so most of the time we would be finding things to do in nature.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Right about the time I was ready to take my leap of faith in to the world of business ownership, I learned about the BIPOC Community Managed Loan Program. This program is designed to help people like me. I was given a loan based off of my story, not so much my credit. I filled out an application and became 1 of 16 recipients of this loan fund. To have people I didn’t know support me with not only the funding, but also the resources they offer, was truly amazing to me. I cried, I sobbed to know that someone believed in my dreams. My friends and family have been so supportive with all of my ups and downs, most of all my Mom, she has showed up every day to help and work in any way she possibly could. She even quit her 10 year job to come work with me. Truly amazing, I couldn’t have done it without her.

Instagram: @fungirlsfungi

Facebook: @fungirlsfungi and @underdogsgourmethotdogs