BOOTSTRAPPING PROTOCOL

I get lots of requests for how to start, many of which assume the best way is to find the magic grant or government program.  Here is my answer to one such request today.

We don’t do any grants or government programs—they’re for people who like to check boxes and do paperwork and follow rigid bureaucratic orders.

Bootstrap it.  Live in a tent.  Never eat out.  No Netflix.  Shoot deer for food.  Drop your living expenses to $1,000 a month.  Sell automobiles and have only $10,000 tied up in vehicles; better yet, $5,000.  Get a trailer you can pull with your beater car instead of a pickup truck.  Go to flip phone; forget the smartphone.  It’s a money and time sucker.

Borrow and rent all infrastructure.  Have neighbors over to dinner and build relationships with them; help them build fence and they can donate a day of tractor work.  Decide on one or two enterprises and concentrate on them.  Diversity will come one successful enterprise at a time.

Buy the smallest place you can find to save your nest egg for infrastructure development. Value adding is the secret sauce.  Sell chickens in pot pie for $200 instead of whole for $20.  Make homemade convenience food; that’s where the money is.

Love and embrace the slog.  Hardships are the stuff of memories and laughter and accomplishment.  Dive into them with gusto.

Is this too harsh?