Fortitude Ranch: affordable bugout compound or franchise opportunity?

[majorhavoc]

Or vacation timeshare?  Why not all three?

I knew I was going to share this with UFOZS as soon as I started reading, but my reasons changed as I progressed through the article.  At first I was thinking: hmm, interesting idea to make an affordable alternative to those luxury doomsday compound memberships that cater to the 1%. 

Then I was going to savage it because some of the pictures make it look like the construction of these places is really shoestring. 

But the idea that membership in these compounds doubles as a rustic vacation timeshare started sounding really intriguing. 

Finally, the franchise business model is - honestly - kinda brilliant.  Anxiety in the middle class is a huge potential market.  This model puts doomsday compound membership within reach of ordinary families, offers present day recreational opportunities to help justify the membership costs, and represents a legitimate business opportunity for a modest entrepreneur.  Particularly one who's interested in/knowledgable about prepping in the first place.

Who here has some remote property?  We already got the prepping expertise.  Throw in a little hospitality industry expereince, some seed money and we could start a UFOZS Fortitute Ranch! 

A handsome guesthouse, built of dark timber slats, anchors the property. Two large, boxy dormitories, also timber but more rustic, as well as a bare-bones bunker, are designed to house more than 100 members. They are each expected to pay $2,000 to $20,000 (depending on the level of accommodation) to join Fortitude Ranch, and another $1,000 per year per person in dues to call this their "home fort," meaning they will head there when catastrophe strikes.

Fortitude Ranch is the brainchild of Drew Miller, a retired Air Force colonel who runs the five compounds through his corporation and is seeking to expand the business through franchising. He is one of dozens of entrepreneurs who have seized on what might be called the doomsday economy, fueled by the growing "prepper" movement.

Mr. Miller sees a Fortitude Ranch membership as being more within economic reach for the average American. (A "spartan" accommodation offers little more than a bunk bed in a hallway; a "luxury" membership can house a family of five in a more private space, complete with a private toilet.) "We want to be an affordable survival option for the middle class," he said.

Today, the nearly 800 members of Fortitude Ranch can use any of its five compounds in West Virginia, Nevada, Wisconsin, Colorado and Texas for recreational purposes for up to two weeks per year, a model similar to that of timeshares. "Prepare for the Worst, Enjoy the Present," is the Fortitude Ranch motto.

The recreational aspect of the business is meant to sustain it during disaster-free stretches by providing potential members with a membership incentive beyond survival. (Mr. Miller used to rent to vacationing nonmembers, and while he no longer does so, he said new franchisees would have that option.)

"I've decided to spend my summer here because I like it so much," said Ray, a Fortitude Ranch member who declined to give his last name. At the moment, he was enjoying the solitude of the especially remote Fortitude Ranch compound in Nevada. After retiring from a career in the aerospace industry, Ray decided to travel around the country in an R.V. He liked that Fortitude Ranch had memberships tailored to R.V. users, and that the compounds provided him safe harbors across the country. He has a 10-year R.V. Fortitude Ranch membership, which cost him $7,000.

Think about that last part for a moment.  Living the R.V./van life is one of the retirement options I'm considering.  But having never owned a home, I wouldn't have a permanent base of operations.  Which means I'd have to give up almost all of my preps.  $7,000 for membership in a nationwide network of Fortitutde Ranch compounds just might be doable.  And would mean I'd be within a day or two's drive to a bugout location no matter where I am in country.  I've been homeless at one point in my life.  Let me tell you: knowing there's a place to hang your hat where you can't be turned away is a powerful draw for anyone who has lived through that.

"Prepare for the worst, enjoy the present" is the Fortitude Ranch motto.

[Moab]

Interesting concept. I haven't watched the YT video. Which seems the only marketing they have. Why don't they have a website? Seems weird. 

This is a great idea though. Except you don't get to choose your fellow compounders. Which would bother me.

I don't think this guys problem is bank financing. So much as a paranoid lack of any advertising. At all. How do you sell something like this without an open website? You don't have to give up locations. But who's going to buy into this? If you can't see what your getting?

Someone should take this idea and run with it. His Facebook page also seems a bit...extreme right wing, political, wacky, "prepper" kind of stereotypey. Doesn't seem very welcoming.

I don't doubt he has planned a great compound. But from what you can see it seems like a low rent plywood affair. That entails some sort of communal living. I think it might only appeal to the most paranoid low rent folks. Which makes me wonder who your fellow compounders might be?

I think this might work better as a full scale separated compound of small shelters or houses. With some sort of centralized cooperation center. Like a collection of bunkers or safe shelters or what have you. But with a coordination plan between neighors to help one another stay secure and fed for the long term.

But man. His marketing sucks. Like an engineer with a great invention. But no clue how to sell it. 

I like the idea of buying a bug out shelter/house with all my neighbors being preppers too. And a coordinated effort or plan to stick together to protect ourselves. 

I'll watch the YT video later. Maybe it will change my mind.