We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Megan Frankum a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

It didn’t start as a “business idea.” It started as a rhythm.

Long nights at work, the kind that blur together, where your body runs on caffeine and routine, but your mind starts wandering. On my days off, I needed something that felt real. Something that slowed everything down. That’s where the garden came in. Plus my dad always gardened and it was always so magical to me.
“The Pickler Next Door” wasn’t about competing with big brands—it was about offering something others can’t replicate. Freshness. Personality. Trust. That neighborly feeling of “hey, I made this! You’ll love it.”

What got me the most excited wasn’t just the product, it was the feeling behind it.

It’s the idea that something that started in my backyard could end up on someone else’s table. That something I grew with my own hands could be part of someone’s dinner, their family, their moment.

That’s when I knew it was worth it.

Because it wasn’t forced.
It wasn’t manufactured.
It grew naturally just like everything else in my garden.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I didn’t grow up thinking I’d start a business, I just knew I loved creating things that felt real.

I work long 12-hour night shifts, so life can feel fast, repetitive, and honestly a little disconnected at times. Gardening became my way of slowing everything down. It started small, just a few plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil but it quickly turned into something I genuinely cared about. There’s something powerful about growing your own food, watching it thrive, and then turning it into something meaningful.

That’s really how I got into this.

I wasn’t chasing a business idea. I was following what felt good and natural. As my garden grew, so did the amount of food I had. Instead of letting it go to waste, I started making things: fresh pickles, salsa, sauces, pesto; simple, homemade foods made from ingredients I grew myself. When I shared them with people at work, the response was immediate. People didn’t just like it; they trusted it! They wanted more of it. That’s when “The Pickler Next Door” was born.
I’m most proud of the fact that this grew organically. No big launch. No huge investment. Just consistency, passion, and people genuinely enjoying what I created. It started in my backyard and made its way into other people’s homes, now that’s something I don’t take lightly. I want people to feel like they’re getting more than just a jar of pickles or a container of salsa.
I want them to feel like they’re part of something homemade, something local, something honest.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what this is.

Just good food, grown and made by someone right next door. ❤️

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

If I’m being real with you—not every successful business comes from reading a stack of books.

My biggest “resource” so far has been:

* My garden
* My consistency
* Real feedback from real people

A lot of people get stuck learning. I just started. That already puts me ahead.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

There was a point where this almost didn’t become anything.

It was one of those stretches where everything felt off. I was deep into a run of 12-hour night shifts, barely sleeping right, eating whatever was convenient, and just trying to keep up with life. The garden something that usually grounded me started to feel like another responsibility instead of a release.

And then I walked outside one afternoon and saw it.

Overgrown. A little neglected. Cucumbers that had gotten too big. Tomatoes splitting on the vine from being left too long. Herbs starting to bolt in the heat. It wasn’t dead; but it wasn’t thriving either.

That hit harder than I expected.

Because that garden wasn’t just plants,it was the one thing that was mine. And in that moment, it felt like I was dropping the ball on it.

I remember standing there thinking, maybe this isn’t realistic. Maybe between work, life, and everything else, I just didn’t have the time to keep this going, let alone turn it into something bigger.

I could’ve let that be the end of it.

Instead, I did something small.

I didn’t try to fix everything. I didn’t map out a big plan. I just picked what I could that day. A handful of cucumbers. A few decent tomatoes. Some basil that was still good.

I went inside and made a small batch of pickles.

Nothing fancy. No pressure. Just… starting again.

And that batch? It wasn’t perfect…but it was good. Good enough that I brought it to work again. And just like before, people lit up. Someone asked if I had more. Someone else asked if they could buy a jar next time.

That moment reminded me of something important:
This didn’t have to be all-or-nothing.

I didn’t need a perfect garden.
I didn’t need endless time.
I didn’t need everything to go right.

I just needed to keep going, even if it looked smaller some days.

That shift changed everything.

Instead of trying to keep up with some ideal version of what this “should” be, I built The Pickler Next Door around my real life. Around my schedule. Around the reality that some weeks I’ll have more to give than others.

That’s where the resilience came from,not pushing harder, but refusing to quit when it got inconvenient.

Now, when things feel overwhelming—whether it’s the garden, work, or the business.I go back to that moment.

Pick what you can.
Use what you have.
Do something small.

Because small still moves things forward.

And honestly? That’s how this whole thing has grown.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: The Pickler Next Door