The grasshoppers who get ANGRY at preppers
are the crabs in the bucket, trying to pull those who are trying to escape down with all the others.
I have a lib-in-law with whom I broached the subject of a total economic collapse and what would she do. Her response was “well, we’d all be in the same boat, then, wouldn’t we”. As if that was some sort of solace.
You’ll also run into these same sort of people when you’re discussing doing ANYTHING outside of the mainstream, like, say, starting your own business. They loudly decry your plan and tell you all the ways it won’t work.
Several folks I actually do take advice from say to not only ignore those people, but AVOID them.
CRABS! Excellent name for them!
CRABS! Excellent name for them!
We have worked for ourselves since 1975. Our various businesses have been mostly craft-related, but included metal smithing/blacksmithing.
There is a truism in the entrepreneurial community: if everyone laughs at your idea, go for it. It will succeed. If, however, everyone thinks it is the best idea since sliced bread, avoid it. It will fail.
Case in point, I have been manufacturing my present product since 1985. I was told it would never go anywhere, for various reasons. The peak for sales was in 2007. Things declined a lot until last November and we are back on an upwards trend. The point is that we are still here.
People will tell you that you are *just* buying yourself a job. That is true. At least you have one. For profit, beyond your own income and reinvestment needs, you need a lot of growth, capital expenditures and employees. You will then do more paperwork and pay more taxes. When you analyze the bottom line, you may find you will do better without all the employees.
As for prepping, people will say: “Everything eventually runs out.” I always agree with them. As someone else posted, the preps are to get through to the point where you can produce what you need. Just as PMs are for starting over, afterward.