Today we’d like to introduce you to Amelia Martin

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

I usually start my story at highschool. But that’s when I am asked about my business journey or something like that. Maybe it’s the same question now, but I think a lot more before that went into getting me where I am now- on my couch watching a surf film writing this at midnight.

I always liked to be outside when I was younger, I liked to build things, I was BIG into art and creating, I loved swimming and the beach and chocolate and my dogs. All of those things are still true. I love people, talking to people, and for as long as I could remember I wanted to be on my own. Independent, motivated, and full of rage.

I started working at 15, it was the youngest I could legally get a job in CT. I’ve never been unemployed since, always working random part time jobs, sometimes up to 3 at a time. I just wanted to work and save money and go somewhere, I didn’t have anything I actually was interested in and it always bothered me. All my friends in highschool, even middle school, had some idea of what they wanted and it was SPECIFIC! Like they wanted to be special types of doctors or business people and it felt like they had it all figured out. I don’t know, I did some wild things for money when I was younger, all to save because I didn’t think the things I would want to do with my life would be ‘profitable’.

I did end up finding what I wanted to do, and it definitely wouldn’t be a salary I could live off of for a while haha. My friend Delia taught me to surf in highschool, (this is where the story usually starts) it was something for me that no other activity could touch, and it still is. I love it, and in my freshman year of college I fell in love with making surfboards in my garage. I wanted that to be my life after college, I wanted to be a full time surfboard shaper. It was the mix of art and engineering that I loved. At the same time I was battling with a call I had with plastic pollution.

It all kinda started at the same time, me becoming a surfboard shaper and me realizing how strongly I felt about the solid waste pollution problem. I have a business, Mud Rat, it’s a startup and it is a combination of these two things. I’ve been working on it since I was an undergrad, I am a masters student now- just continued my stay at UConn. I never wanted to get a graduate degree, I always kept the same mentality of just going somewhere and doing what I love. For me right now that is Mud Rat, maybe it will change in the future, but nothing has held my attention for this long, so probably not.

I am a grad student and the CEO of a business. I don’t think much has changed about me besides the fact I am no longer a creature with immense rage and confusion, still confused, but less so. I graduate with a degree in plant science focus on plant health in May (hopefully). I am working on a way to do my business full time, since it’s still a startup I can’t rely on revenue. My whole life I don’t worry so much about the unknowns because I always think “whatever happens is supposed to happen”. I was one of those kids who collected crystals and was big into zodiacs in highschool. I’m not anymore, but one time I saw a video or something that was like “everything in your timeline has already happened, the universe is just waiting for you to catch up”. It sounds like something a hippie would say but I guess it caught teenage Amelia in the right time and place and now I can’t forget it.
Anyway, here I am. I got a lot to do but I know what I am working towards and I’m 23, so I got time.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

NO. If anyone answers yes they are crazy.

First and foremost, I will acknowledge how privileged I am to have been given the opportunities most people are not. I always had access to education, food, a place to sleep, clothes to wear, and most importantly, I had the privilege of making decisions based on what I wanted for myself, not out of necessity to survive.

Growing up I had a very independent childhood, filled with weird experiences and incredibly questionable ways of making money. Aside from having an identity crisis every 5 seconds (which I assume most kids have) things were pretty fine. There are definitely things that affect me from that time now, but hey that’s how it goes I suppose.

Having a startup and having THAT be what you want for yourself is a struggle in itself when you are new in the game. I made the decision to be a grad student because I get paid a stipend and it gave me the flexibility to also be able to do my business. The struggle is in the sacrifices. I don’t sleep, I am always searching for grants, I work through the weekends and nights, and I push the things I enjoy doing to the back burner because I need to be on top of everything.

I don’t think my struggles are unique. The struggles I had in the past are wildly different than the ones I face today. I am in a way grateful that the bumps on this road are more or less ones that are ‘expected’ of student entrepreneurs. Everyday is different and everyday is a packed schedule. New problems everyday and new solutions. You just kinda keep goin. I love keeping busy, so it was just about getting used to the magnitude of busy and coping with not doing so many hobbies anymore. That is the big thing I want to change when I graduate though. So I know this won’t last forever.

As you know, we’re big fans of Mud Rat. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

I’ll make this quick because there’s a whole other BoldJourney article dedicated to the Rat- but yes let’s get into it.

The inside of a surfboard is styrofoam, super bad for the environment, and the people making the surfboards. Mud Rat makes an eco-friendly alternative to these cores out of mushroom mycelium. We are in the R and D phase and it seems pretty simple, but we are very science driven. What we are making is an alternative to styrofoam, we are a biomaterials company. There have been mushroom surfboards before but they couldn’t be shaped like a traditional surfboard needs to be. We make ours to allow for that, we are an alternative material in the surfboard supply chain that is (will be) sold to shapers so they can integrate it seamlessly into their routine.

I am most proud of the traction within the industry our brand has gotten so far. Just to be able to connect with surfers and shapers from all over and get feedback and excitement about what we do is so awesome for me. We were also approached by Shark Tank, the TV show but couldn’t go on since we don’t have revenue yet, so there’s that. Maybe next season!

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?

I am not looking for any more team members on Mud Rat right now, but I love talking to people about what I do! Send me an email or a message on LinkedIn, I like to think I am very good at responding. The one thing I will say though is I’ve been looking to redo some customer discovery, so if you know any surfers, shapers, or anyone involved in the surf world who’d be interested in answering a few questions send em my way :)

Other than that- say hi! We want to build our network!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mudratsurf.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mudratsurf/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mud-rat/