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

Hi Sam, why did you pursue a creative career?
To me, entrepreneurship is freedom of expression. Some people express themselves through traditional art forms such as painting, drawing, writing music, designing clothes, teaching yoga, choreographing dances… developing a business from ideation to international is my art. The global economy, and everything it encompasses, is my canvas. Innovation is my paintbrush. R & D of new products, services, technologies and solutions are my colors.

I am a very ambitious person and from the time I wake up in the morning to when I go to sleep at night, creativity, collaboration and commerce is what fires me up and makes me happy. The opportunity to co-create, sharing time, space and ideas with others, building new products and technologies that can solve the world’s biggest issues…that is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Never a dull day!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am most proud to have dared to dream twice, and to have fallen down thousands of times over the last fifteen years, and I keep getting up and coming back stronger and better, with the same energy and enthusiasm. I started two businesses in very different areas from scratch and continue to build both.

My first company is Market Network Exchange, a business development, research, technology and consulting company. Our most notable achievement is developing algorithms and IP in the areas of sourcing and procurement, complex multiparty transactions, reciprocal trade, export/import, crypto and blockchain technology. We’ve worked with small businesses, corporations and intra-governmental organizations. MNX offers me the ability to participate in economic development at a local and global scale in all different ways based on the project and I love that.

My second company is Eat Mud, a consumer products company – focusing on dairy free gluten free no added sugar indulgent treats. Our first product line is dairy free ice cream with no added sugar, sweetened only with dates. This venture started as a fun summer project in my hometown of Rockaway Beach, NYC, selling dairy free ice cream on the boardwalk and hanging out there listening to the music and soaking in the sunshine. Now we are a national consumer packaged goods brand and in 2022 we will reach nearly 600 retail locations with 10 distribution centers open.

Building both companies works well for me. It is what I want in my life and that is all that matters. Eat Mud is a longer term play and a start up that takes a lot of money and time to get it off the ground. I have never pulled a salary from Eat Mud in all the years developing it to this point. While MNX projects I can take on project by project basis when I have availability, and I can get paid as a consultant, service provider, board member, broker, depending on the opportunity at hand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Rockaway Beach – Enjoy a bike ride down to the boardwalk. Grab a can of beer from one of the local vendors and enjoy the scene. Sit on a bench on the boardwalk and chill, keep the food, music and drinks flowing. Take a walk on the beach put your feet in the water or jump in!

NYC – Ferry into Wall Street and start walking around for hours taking it all in. Start in the financial district and battery park city along the water, admiring the new parks. Then walk further up the west side and stop and get a bite and a drink at various places in west village and be sure to walk through Chelsea Market. Walk the high line up to Hudson Yards and check out the new architecture and development. Stop in Union Square park, listen to the musicians, admire the art, people watch…

Upstate NY – Drive upstate to Bear Mountain , Woodstock , or Warwick . Take a hike, eat some great farm to table food, walk around town, make a fire….

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shout out to my daughter Abigail for bringing so much joy to my life. Shout out to my family for giving me the mindset, the tools, the freedom, the encouragement to make my own unconventional path. Shout out to Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program for giving me the executive training, confidence and support needed to be a CEO, an entrepreneur, a problem solver and a leader. Shout out to the advisors, mentors, business mates who have taken time to connect and get to know me as a person and as a friend. I am grateful for those relationships.

Website: www.eatmud.com

Instagram: @eatmudco

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samfriedman90/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatmudco/

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