Dr. Drew Miller, the CEO of Fortitude Ranch, related that everyone in the ranch works, hunts and catches fish, prepares meals, collects firewood and does guard duties. "Our members understand that they're not there to be entertained," he said, emphasizing that they work hard to contribute to the survival community so that everyone can survive any threat that may come.
Miller said he's had a lot of help from libertarian blogger and podcaster Tim Poole. While the ranch does not screen for political affiliations, Miller noted that most preppers tend to be libertarians who recognize that the government can't be trusted when they say everything is going to be okay. People are going to be on their own when SHTF or a collapse occurs.
There are different SHTF scenarios, but Miller believes how one is going to survive is what matters. While the U.S. president and the members of Congress have bunkers under the White House and the elites have luxury condos buried deep underground, Miller said the rest will be left to fend for themselves.
At Miller's ranch, the "country club-style" business model dues cover not only amenities and maintenance, but also the stockpile of beans and laxatives. There are no receptionists, only staff trained in chemical warfare. Overall, the ranch is like a timeshare for an underground bunker.
Fortitude Ranch has become a trend because of the heightened state of anxiety throughout the nation, as worries about economic instability, political discord, epidemics and extreme climate events prompted Americans to start planning for SHTF scenarios.
Multibillion dollar prepper industry
While there is a trend that spawned a multi-billion dollar prepper industry, Miller's business venture goes further, blurring the lines of real estate, security and leisure. (Related: Prepping tips: What you can learn from the rich on preparing for SHTF events.)
Fortitude Ranch is an open-air, cheaper alternative to the glitzy services offered by traditional companies. Miller said his objective is to "have some good people survive, not just the marauders who make it or superwealthy people who can buy a place like Survival Condo."
Miller is also confident in his ability to shepherd a community through hard times. "I'm sure we can make it through the worst disaster. If it is survivable, we will make it," he said.
The company now has nearly 1,000 clients, and Miller is currently developing a fifth location in Texas. He also plans to open additional ranches in Wisconsin and Tennessee in the coming years while diversifying his offerings to make them more appealing to clients.
Since volunteer models don't always work, Miller said they set up Fortitude Ranch like a country club where it is a business with full-time staff and an annual food restocking fee. They also encourage people to attend training, mainly on marksmanship and other basic survival skills.
The staff members are the ones to make the decisions and key preparations, while members understand that they are all expected to contribute and work when they do go there in a collapse.
The prepping industry has grown over the years as entrepreneurs in the space overlap their business plans with real estate, retail, outdoor equipment and medicine. High-end companies also offer survival options and community protections. (Related: Even regular people are now constructing bunkers due to fears of a nuclear war.)
One of these companies, Survival Condo, sells high-end condos starting at $1.5 million in a missile silo in Kansas. The Black Hills in South Dakota also have members that are willing to shell out $45,000 to lease one of 575 reinforced bunkers.
"The bunker industry is a lot like the automobile industry in that there is a full spectrum of vehicles with different capabilities and costs," Survival Condo CEO Larry Hall said.
Find more prepping stories with survival tips at Survival.news.
Watch the video below to know more about Fortitude Ranch.
This video is from the Strategic Living By Design channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Wealthy Americans are ESCAPING CORONAVIRUS by bugging out to luxury survival bunkers.
The underground bunker business is booming as global events spiral out of control.
World's super-rich investing in luxurious "billionaire bunkers."
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