About
Shane O'Donnell.
Operator, builder, developer, mycologist, teacher.
I live on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. I work with service-business owners as a fractional operations and tech advisor, build custom software when off-the-shelf will not fit, coach first-time solopreneurs through building a business around their craft, and run a research practice on mycelium-based materials.
- 20+ Years founding and running my own businesses
- 10+ Years operating Heartwood Mushrooms on Manitoulin Island
- 1,900+ Commits on a B2B platform I have owned end to end since 2017
- 3 Industries served as the in-house technical operator
How I got here
The short version of a long route.
I have failed more times than many of my peers have tried. That is the honest version. The useful version is that every problem I solve for clients now is one I have already paid for myself, in time, money, or both.
- 01 Education
Trained as an engineer, kept tinkering.
I went to school for engineering. The credential mattered less than the habit it locked in: take it apart, figure out why it works, put it back together better. That habit is still how I work today.
- 02 Founder years
Built a private education practice, then a mushroom farm.
Twelve years running a private education practice. Then in 2016 I started Heartwood Mushrooms, a gourmet farm supplying restaurants and retail across Ontario. Grain to fruit, every system designed from scratch.
- 03 Operator
Ran ops for a national non-profit and three service businesses.
Centre director for a men's personal-development non-profit. R&D lead for a mycelium-based materials company. Technical operator for service businesses across three industries. The thread was always operations.
- 04 Now
Fractional COO/CTO, builder, teacher.
I help service-business owners fix what their growth has outrun, build the custom software when off-the-shelf will not fit, and coach first-time solopreneurs through the harder questions of going on their own.
What I am doing now
Three threads, one practice.
They feed each other. The farm makes me a sharper operator. The client work pays for the research. The research keeps me building.
Client work
Fractional COO/CTO engagements.
For owner-operated service businesses doing $1M to $10M. Scoped audit, then embedded fix. One client per trade per market.
See engagement →Solo operators
Starter coaching.
Monthly support for coaches, practitioners, and tradespeople going solo. Website, pricing, booking, payments, and the harder questions about what you are building.
See Starter →Research
Mycelium materials and mycoremediation.
An ongoing research practice on mycelium-based materials and using fungi to break down problem compounds. Field notes from the lab.
Read the notes →Writing
Slow-thinking notes from the work.
How a mushroom farm actually runs. DIY mycology research. The behind-the-scenes of being an entrepreneur. The honest mistakes of all of the above.
All posts →The farm
Heartwood Mushrooms
Gourmet specialty mushroom farm on Manitoulin Island. Grain to fruit, no purchased substrate, every production system designed from scratch.
heartwoodmushrooms.ca →The community
Heartwood, on Skool
A growing community of mushroom growers and curious learners. I share what is working, what is not, and answer questions in the open.
Join the community →Get in touch
Tell me what you are working on.
Email is best at shane@shaneodonnell.ca. If you would rather talk it through, book a free 30-minute call.
Book a free 30-minute callOntario, Canada. Working with clients anywhere.