Prepping: A SWOT Analysis

If you’re not sure prepping is for you or if you think people are going to think you’re crazy for doing it, and you don’t prep for either of these reasons, then you’re putting yourself in a pretty vulnerable position.

Let’s get one thing clear: prepping is NOT what you see on those reality TV shows. Not only are those people spending WAY to much on preps, but they make it seem like the only thing they care about is some wacky end-of-the-world scenario.

I want you to get a good look at prepping from a different perspective. Are you familiar with the term “SWOT analysis”? It’s a planning method used to get a better understanding of a concept, a business plan, a joint venture, you name it.

SWOT is an acronym and it stands for:

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

As you probably guessed, we’re going to look at these four aspects when it comes to prepping and survival. You’re going to be amazed at how much better you will understand prepping and the need to start doing it.

Note: I’m going to list every SWOT aspect I can think of. Just because you don’t agree with some of them, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider the rest.

Strengths

→ You become (better) prepared for a wide-range of natural and man-made disasters, big or small, that last long-term and short-term. A few of them include:

• hurricanes
• tornadoes
• (flash) floods
• blackouts
• terrorist attacks
• assaults
• riots
• avalanches
• house fire or smoke
• wildfires
• sand storms
• hail storms
• …and on and on.

→ You’ll be able to protect your family from the nasty things above that could harm them.

→ You become more responsible when it comes to your life and you start to better plan your future.

→ You get to prepare not just for catastrophic events but for smaller-scale things that kill people every day. Things such as:

• electric shocks
• car accidents
• bike accidents
• carbon monoxide intoxications
• shark attacks
• being attacked by a dog
• and other accidental injuries

→ You get to learn survival medicine.

→ You become more self-reliant and off-grid.

→ You get to do various DIY projects around the house and save money.

→ You learn how to use natural home remedies to treat certain illnesses and boost your overall health and energy.

→ You learn how to shoot a gun.

→ You’ll learn to fix various things around the house instead of calling someone and even paying them to do it for you.

→ You get to know your car a little better so you know what to do if it breaks down in the middle of nowhere.

→ Having a stockpile of food will come in very handy should you get laid off from your job or if there’s another economic depression.

→ You’ll sleep better every night knowing you’re protected.

→ You get to meet or talk online with fanatical preppers.

→ You learn how to protect yourself from cyber-attacks and to keep your identity concealed as much as possible.

Weaknesses

→ People may find out what you’re up to and think you’re worried about nothing.

→ Nothing bad might ever happen.

→ You might lose a little bit of money by purchasing the wrong food (that could spoil if you don’t store it correctly) or the wrong gear (that could fail you when you need it most).

→ Since most preppers are out of shape, they might get ransacked, assaulted, or worse by non-preppers (read gang-members) who are stronger and more fit than they are.

→ You might get the wrong advice such as building a bunker or buying pre-packaged food instead of making your own.

→ You could get prepper burnout if you’re not careful. Fear could probably play a role in this, but worrying and obsessing too much about the end of the world is not enough.

→ You can make a lot of mistakes if you don’t read enough before you start buying things.

→ Some preppers are so afraid of what’s going to happen that it consumes their entire lives. It should be the exact opposite. A strong stockpile + solid skills + fitness + a bug-out bag + a bug out location should give anyone a deep feeling of safety. I know I feel safe knowing I’ve done a lot to prep over the years.

→ If you’re not careful, you could get labeled as someone’s who’s worried about the zombie apocalypse.

→ You may get cocky because you might think you’re better than everyone else and that can affect your interpersonal relationships.

→ You might get fixated on one or a couple disaster scenarios, completely ignoring the others.

→ Some preppers lack critical thinking. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about both prepping and politics. Once a fake news article spreads, it becomes real. Same thing with news reports that are true for the most part, but are blown way out of proportion or shared out of context.

Opportunities

→ You get to bond with your family.

→ You get to make new friends who may be like-minded.

→ You start getting into shape because fitness is an important part of prepping.

→ You can hike or camp and, thus, spend more time in the middle of nature.

→ You learn about frugal living and save a TON of money.

→ You can get pets or farm animals as part of your prepping plans (your kids will love them).

→ You reduce waste, thus helping to save the planet.

→ You’re preparing yourself for a quiet, safe retirement.

→ You learn to avoid GMO foods.

→ You get to pass this knowledge and experience to your kids.

→ You can start a new hobby by exploring the various bug out vehicles such as boats, ATVs, and skateboards.

Threats

→ People who know about your preps may come to you when SHTF, and try to take your stockpile by force.

→ If you get a HAM radio license or a firearm, your Government will keep a record of you so you’re basically being tracked.

→ Some of the things the prepping community teaches are illegal in some states and this could get you in trouble if you aren’t familiar with the laws in your area.

→ You have to deal with a companies that sell unhealthy survival food and sub-par gear.

→ The police may raid yourhouse post-SHTF if they know you’re a prepper.

→ Just as prepping has become a trend, prepper bashing is a parallel trend, and you may have to deal with this if a lot of people know what you’re up to.

→ You have to live with the fear that guns will be banned eventually, leaving you defenseless against thugs and gangs who will get them from the black market.

Hopefully taking some time to look at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of prepping has given you a more realistic perspective on why being prepared is so important

Can you think of any more things to add to any of the four categories? Share your ideas in the comments below.