Why We Are Organizing As a "For Profit" Company
Basic Media, Inc. is organizing as a "for profit" corporation, and BreakTheMatrix radio and television will be SELLING our content. Our company core founder group will be receiving founders' stock; and salaries; and all the other perquisites of American business life. We intend to make a PROFIT through BreakTheMatrix by marketing and selling our grassroots message of optimism, hope, freedom and prosperity. Shocking? Immoral? Contradictory? We say: not at all.
Our thinking on the "for profit" issue is simple and straightforward. First, of course, if BreakTheMatrix succeeds in its effort our core founder group will be entitled to whatever they receive-- and more. Success will drive shareholder value for our investors. Success will mean that we ACTUALLY WILL have achieved the goal of breaking the monopoly stranglehold power of our existing mainstream media. Success will mean that we ACTUALLY WILL have gotten our message of freedom out to the American people in their homes, and in their cars, and in their daily lives. Success will mean that our core founder group; our people who are standing up right now; our people who are starting this movement; our people who are making this challenging effort-- that these people ACTUALLY WILL have achieved a great goal. And failure; what about that? It's definitely a possibility. The prospect of failure is out there. But our core founder group believes it is so much worse to not have tried at all.
Second, we look around at the landscape of 21st century America and we conclude that a "for profit" model is the ONLY WAY. Donations, volunteerism, nonprofit activities-- we believe that all these things are valuable and important. But such efforts are not enough. They don't get the job done. A business model based on donations has no prospect of lasting success, in our opinion. Volunteer action is helpful, but we perceive that volunteer models cannot be counted upon over the long term. Nonprofit activity-- it's the same problem. A viable long term institution can only be built on a solid grounding of free market economics and profit motive for the investors, contributors and founders. There is no other model for lasting success.
We have a message for those detractors who express concern about "profit" or "greed" or "selling out." We suggest that such critics take a lesson from Ron Paul, or Murray Rothbard, or any of the other monetary scholars who provide the great ideas of our movement. Their philosophy is FREE MARKET ECONOMICS. We are not the socialists. We are not the people who hate profit. Our adversaries are the socialists-- and our adversaries are the ones who despise the free market. Here at BreakTheMatrix we believe in profit. The socialists? They need to get out of the way.
- Rick Williams's blog
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God I love the market. 'They' will not celebrate our succees, nor should they when that time comes.
I can't wait for BTM to have more views than 'Move On' (or any other B___S___ source of interventionist tripe) I'll be opening some ooooold bottles of wine that day, and bumping this post.
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our necessities but of their advantages - Adam Smith
"So you think that money is the root of all evil?" said Francisco d'Anconia. "Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil? - Rand (this is also why what we have is 'currency', not money)
Any news on some sort of public stock offering?
We are in a quiet period regarding public stock offering while we organize and build the platform for the company. R
I am not fond of a 'public company' for our media if only because the rug can be pulled out from under us. Once 'Break The Matrix' starts to become a blip on the mainstream media people like Rupert Murdock will simply engage in a proxy war to leverage control of the organization. Look at the Libertarian Party as an example of political wash-outs leveraging a Party for thier own ends.
I recomend keeping BTM as an LLC under a management structure. Keep ownership and control in a few hands.
- Event One
www.eventonevideo.com
I'm still hesitant on the free market ideal because the free market is neo-liberals and neo-conservatives are waging wars for, to create free market societies for so-called fair competition after the ideals of a man who inspired Reagan, Thatcher, and Pinochet: Milton Friedman. Check out the Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.
I fail to see your point about Friedman. While I personally am not a fan of the man, but that is merely because me and him differ on points that only seem relevant amongst free market economists. I am an Austrian, he's Chicago. In public discourse, however, I fully support Friedman (now over 100). He is a very smart person who has done a lot of good in the liberty movement across this century. As for Reagan and Thatcher, bah humbug. They were sad sorry excuses for free market politicians. They spouted the right rhetoric to get our support and then stabbed us in the back. Screw 'em.
I dont see what the problem is. The people who took the time, effort and capital to set up this thing are taking the risk - with risk comes the potential for great reward. Or no reward at all. I wish you success.
At least you are upfront about it. And I agree with the poster's warning above - i dont know why you would open this up to anybody to buy shares - you set yourself up for the possibility of hostile takeovers by unscrupulous (and very rich) media organizations to buy up a majority share of the stock and then turn this into another online rag. Or if they just wanted to bankrupt you, they could buy up some portion of shares and file shareholder lawsuits, etc... Im not saying this will happen, but if you are as successful as we all hope you are, then you become a threat to the established media conglomerates and their advertising revenues. Why not lesson your exposure?