The Possibility of a Survival School in Central PA

[TheHappyViking]

Greetings everyone!

First, I'd like to say that I am not new to this forum, but I am a new member. I'm glad to finally join you all!
Rather recently, my associate and I came up with the idea of creating a wilderness survival (self-reliance) school in central PA. We are very excited about the prospect, but we are becoming more and more aware of the difficulties we are about to face.

I already have two possible instructors available to me. One is a decorated soldier/operator, and the other is a very experienced (though not proven through certification) hunter/trapper. Both are extremely knowledgeable and proficient in survival/bushcraft methods. We already have land available to us as well, though it currently does not have any facilities (bathrooms, equipment sheds, etc.) Personally, I have no official certifications, though I have studied survival/bushcraft for the past 5 years. I don't plan on being an instructor, because I still consider myself a greenhorn in this field, but I plan on returning to school for business in order to run the school effectively. We are willing to take all the time we need in order to prepare for this undertaking.

Perhaps, my most haunting question pertains to the inherent dangers of liability problems. I wanted to ask: what kinds of insurance policies should we seek to protect us against this issue, and what might the annual costs be (just get me in the ballpark)? Also, what would prospective students like to see by way of certifications/experience/accreditations for our school and instructors? Last, what skill sets would you like to see survival/bushcraft schools teach?
Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for taking the time to read my post!

Many regards,
The Happy Viking

[welderguy]

How about telling us a little more about yourself Here....http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-Introductions

[hunter63]

Hunter63, saying Hey and Welcome.

Most of your questions would have to be answered by a lawyer, and your state licensing or Dept. of Natural Resources....or Dept. of Commerce

[Rick]

You choose your first post to gather marketing information? Okay.

Have you figured out how you are going to incorporate? What will your business structure look like? Have you determined your working capital requirements? How long have you projected it will take to turn a profit (you will still have to pay instructors during that time)? Is your property zoned for business? How many other schools are located in PA and neighboring states (who's your competition)? Have you figured out the equity requirements of the founders? Who has control and governance of the business? What happens if one of you wants to leave? How do you handle the buy out? Do you have a business plan? A marketing plan? A sales plan?

I could go on and on. I suggest you log on to the SBA web site at sba.gov and read everything they have to offer. As Hunter suggested, get a good attorney familiar with handling small business issues. It's a long way from idea to fruition but it's worth the journey if you are willing to do the work.

[Sarge47]

Dunno. I never bother with such things. I just follow the Boy Scout Field Book myself. I DO know how to kill an Anaconda with a big knife however....

[Ken]

....I plan on returning to school for business in order to run the school effectively.

.......

Perhaps, my most haunting question pertains to the inherent dangers of liability problems. I wanted to ask: what kinds of insurance policies should we seek to protect us against this issue, and what might the annual costs be (just get me in the ballpark)? Many regards,

The Happy Viking

I presume that you plan on making money through this business venture, right? That's why you're going to business school, right? Then you should pay a lawyer for some sound advice. That's why we went to law school.

[Rick]

And law school includes instruction on how to run a business, which they are so they know....just hire one.

[JPGreco]

Just an FYI... Make sure your business classes are molding you for business ownership, not business employment. There is a HUGE difference....

[crashdive123]

It's difficult to offer advice without knowing more about you, but it seems that your priorities are kind of jumbled.

From what you wrote it seems you want to start a business and then learn how to run a business. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

With all of the things that you do not have ready............a bathroom in the wilderness for a survival school where presumably you are teaching people how to survive in the wilds would be the least of my worries.

[Sourdough]

............a bathroom in the wilderness for a survival school where presumably you are teaching people how to survive in the wilds would be the least of my worries.

"DITTO"......................

[TheHappyViking]

Thanks for replying to my post everyone! It seems to me that there are highly experienced and intelligent people following this thread, which is very encouraging, and I appreciate this very sound advice.
I will say that I actually plan on taking finishing my business classes prior to this undertaking, as I believe it to be better to have knowledge before I craft my strategy. Essentially, I just wanted to figure out the scope of these costs, just to get a good idea of what I may be up against.

[Rick]

Your insurance costs are going to be dependent upon the scope of your operation, the amount and type of coverage you want among other things.