If I had a hobby—besides reading and traveling—it’d be survival prep.

I’m dead serious.

I love survival shows. I binge YouTube survival channels like most people watch cooking videos. I even had a client in the survival niche years ago—her books still sit on my shelf, and I re-read them like scripture.

But if I had to name a single book that changed the way I look at the world?

“One Second After” by William Forstchen.

It’s fiction… but barely. It walks you through exactly what happens after a nationwide EMP wipes out the power grid.
Spoiler: it ain’t pretty.

And living here in the mountains of Southern California—with blackouts, wildfires, mudslides, and the occasional earthquake thrown in for fun—let’s just say I keep my go-bag zipped and my pantry stocked.

But this column isn’t just about prepping for disasters.

It’s about prepping for economic collapse, client droughts, and business storms—the kind that sneak up and knock the unprepared on their ass.

Because I think this is something every entrepreneur needs to take seriously right now.

Which brings me to this:

Watch this video sometime this week. It’s worth every second:
How to Prepare Your Business When the Economy Tanks

Now let’s talk brass tacks.

Why Most Entrepreneurs Get Wiped Out in Hard Times

They’re too soft.
Too slow.
Too reliant on “how things used to be.”

They build businesses that are fragile—dependent on one lead source, one payment processor, one client type.
They’ve got no fallback, no moat, no muscle.

And when things go sideways, like they always do, they’re left scrambling… or worse, begging.

You wanna survive? You wanna thrive? Here’s how:

1. Stack Survival Skills (Both Kinds)

I’m talking about two categories here:

Real-world survival skills:

  • Grow food.
  • Store water.
  • Know how to protect yourself and your home.

Business survival skills:

  • Write a sales email that gets responses.
  • Make an offer that converts strangers into customers.
  • Shoot a video that pulls in leads like a magnet.
  • Close deals without begging.

When the grid goes down—or the economy does—it’s the same question:

What can you do, right now, that brings value and keeps the lights on?

If the answer is “not much”… we’ve got a problem.

2. Build a Business That Doesn’t Die Easy

Right now, you need a business that:

  • Solves urgent problems.
  • Can run lean when it has to.
  • Has systems, assets, and skills—not fluff.

I’m not talking about a sexy brand. I’m talking about a cash machine that doesn’t break when the economy sneezes.

You want something that lets you pivot. Something that can run from your phone if needed. Something that can weather a 30-day shutdown and come out swinging.

3. Prepare Like It’s Already Too Late

Listen closely:

When you need to prep, it’s already too late to prep.

Read that again.

You don’t wait for the economy to crater, the phone to stop ringing, or the internet to go down before you get serious.

You do it now.

That means:

  • Doubling down on your marketing.
  • Stockpiling skills (and maybe some canned food).
  • Automating lead gen.
  • Diversifying income streams.
  • Setting up systems that don’t depend on sunshine and fairy dust.

You don’t have to live like a doomsday prepper in a bunker.

But you damn well better be able to adapt faster than the average guy when the lights go out.

My Personal Prep List (Steal What Works)

  • Ad campaigns are live and running.
  • Social media team is producing daily content.
  • New offers tested monthly.
  • Email list growing every week.
  • Cash reserves building.
  • Home stocked.
  • Business locked in.

And if things really hit the fan?

I’ve got generators, clean water, and enough dry goods to outlast a Netflix subscription.

Final Word

Entrepreneurship is survival.
It always has been.

It’s just easier to forget when the economy is handing out freebies and everyone looks like a genius on Instagram.

But when the storm rolls in—and it always does—the prepared don’t panic.

They pivot.
They protect.
They profit.

So… how prepared are you?

You don’t need to be a Navy SEAL.
But you sure as hell better not be the guy googling “how to survive an EMP” when the cell towers go down.

This week, take one step.
One skill.
One system.
One strategy that makes you harder to kill—in business and in life.

The storm is coming.

You can either brace for it…
Or build something that laughs in its face.

Your move.