Mycology is the study of mushrooms and fungi. Agape Mycology is Eric Fisher’s medicinal fungi company. This business was never Fisher’s plan.
“It started out as an interest. I used to be a steamfitter in New York. I had to make this huge decision to either stay in New York or come to Harrisonburg, but I wanted to seek stability,” Fisher said
Cordyceps is Fisher’s favorite fungus, it is a fungus that uses spores to fight and kill a caterpillar to eat it from the inside. Once the caterpillar is dead, cordyceps continue feeding on the dead insect to thrive. “I like how it is different to the other fungus,” Fisher said.
His goal of stability is due to his nine year old daughter who also has a passion for mushrooms. This passion doesn’t come without hardships. “When you’re running a business on your own there is no one to motivate you or tell you what to do. This job has made me more of an adult. It’s made me more responsible with money, making better decisions in general and making better decisions with my time. You know, will I need to do some more research to learn something new about business to learn something new about money management, or do I need to stop working and actually go have some fun? It helped me see life through a new perspective,” Fisher said.
Fisher was working with the Season’s Bounty produce stand on Tuesday. “Rondo, the owner of Season’s Bounty, needed some help for the summer,” Fisher said.
Fisher enjoys helping out other local businesses when he can. “Rondo has played a pretty pivotal role in me relocating to this area, and it just seemed to fit both our schedules. He’s allowed me the time I need to do my own business stuff,” Fisher said.
The two used to be business partners, but now have their own companies. “With COVID and all the prices going up and just everything being against us financially, I just needed a break from it all,” Fisher said.
Fisher went on to learn what his favorite part of the job was. “Freedom. I get to do what I want. It’s up to me to be able to make that time or make the resources available,” Fisher said.
The biggest thing Fisher has taken away from his experience so far being a business owner is to “Believe in yourself,” Fisher said. “If you have that feeling in your stomach that is pulling you somewhere, or pushing you away from something or someone or a job, or a degree or don’t be afraid to pivot, trust your gut, trust your intuition.”
