Selling Books, Setting Goals, and a Big Event
A Radical Alternative to College
Monday, October 20th, 2025
Writing to you from Uruguay
If you would have told me a year and a half ago that I would be spending 4 days at a conference where I would be talking to people for 7+ hours a day…I wouldn’t have believed you.
Back then, the idea of talking to one person was enough to freak me out a little bit. It’s amazing how much can change in so little time if you put in sincere effort towards progress. Because now, in a room full of people, I had zero anxiety—zero. To me, this noticeable change is only further proof that this path works.
But, let me tell you more about what happened in the past week…
This past week my family hosted the Plan B Conference here in Uruguay. We had over 80 attendees fly from all over the world—USA, Australia, Thailand, UK—to see if Uruguay really is a good safe haven in a world that gets crazier by the day.
It was a real family effort but, I have to say, I had the easy job.
My father felt the huge burden of responsibility being the one that brought everyone down here in the first place and being a speaker at the event. My stepmom was the driving force in it all—managing logistics and planning the event. Of course, she needed some assistance, so my girlfriend and sister spent the entire week helping attendees, ushering them from place to place, and entertaining them.
All I had to do—and wanted to do—was sell signed copies of The Preparation and speak to our guests.
This is why you need to talk to people…
You’ve probably heard successful people say something like, “To be successful in the world you have to be great with people.” No, its not about buttering people up, showering them with gifts, or flattering them…it’s about being genuinely interested in them, being a positive force, and a reliable man.
It could be true that all other tangible skills (ex. welding, flying, combat sports…) come second to your ability to interact with people in a generative way.
But, what does that mean exactly?
Well, I’m still trying to figure it out, but I think it’s something like this: Help people where you can or point them to someone who can help them. Be genuinely interested in them and their success. Hold yourself as an equal to others, but also be willing to put yourself below those worth serving and learning from…
The list goes on, but what I’m trying to say is that those who you want to help in life (and those who want to help you) can only be found by getting out into the world—by talking to real people, even if the “point” of talking to them isn’t obvious to you.
I use the word “point” because that’s how I used to think. When you’re a complete fool (I’m only a little less of a fool now) it’s hard not to think, “What’s the point to talking to someone? What am I going to get out of it?”
Well, the person themself is the “point”, but it’s hard to realize the truth of that until you meet really great people.
Anyway…
I had the chance to speak to a lot of good (and interesting) people over the course of the last week. The conversations spanned from talking about family crests with a Brit, hearing about the Australian mining industry from an obviously smart and kind geologist, somewhat contentious conversations about Bitcoin, and (fitting with the main theme of the conference) speaking about current events with just about everyone.
Something that really surprised me was just how many people knew of me at the conference. Many already knew about The Preparation and what I’ve been doing over the past two years. Speaking to those people was great and something came out of it that I didn’t expect: I was offered 3 potential unique opportunities.
One man offered that I visit him in Malta, another said that while I’m in Southeast Asia to train Muay Thai next year we should take a roadtrip, and a very kind couple from Australia offered to give me a job running farm equipment during their harvest season.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you have no idea what kind of opportunities can come your way if you do something interesting and put yourself out there.
You Should Have Hope for the Future
There are many reasons to be fearful about the future—severe economic issues, cultural clashes, war, surveillance states, capital controls. People justify taking “the black pill” and accept that the world is going down the drain.
Yes, there’s an unbelievable amount of evil in the world—too much to handle if you think about it often. Yet, I think it is wrong to resign yourself to thinking that there’s little worth caring about, or that nihilism is an alright path. It’s not, and there’s plenty worth caring about and putting honest effort toward if you look for it.
I will say that people have very little faith in other people, especially now that we are in (and heading toward) a very difficult time.
As a very judgemental, and sometimes harsh person, I’m saying this right back to myself. And, it’s not right, there’s plenty of reason to have faith is people (as I saw this past week).
Two young men came to the conference. Both have decided to leave college and pursue The Preparation or a path like it. They are both good guys and proof that you should have some faith in people, especially young people. I’m excited to see where they go in the future. Plus, selfishly, I needed some friends who weren’t 20+ years older than me!
I expect that you and I will be hearing from the two of them as they go down their own paths in the future…
Like a Family Reunion
Some people are quite different from the rest. Their lives are wild, their experiences are unmatched, and the breadth and depth of their character cannot be diminished…
That is, without a doubt, Kirk.
I met Kirk and his wife last spring after he somehow found my Substack page, saw that I was trying to improve my horsemanship, and offered that I visit their ranch to learn mule packing in the Colorado Rockies.
If you want to read about that experience you can check it out HERE.
He is highly impressive to say the least. Imagine becoming a certified scuba diver at 12 years old, being a professional meat cutter at 16, packing mules, working as ski patrol, starting your own tech and distribution businesses, and leaving to Africa to become a professional hunting guide where you work alongside the Masai tribe to hunt big game…
That’s just to name a few things Kirk has done.
Well, a couple weeks before the conference started, Kirk messaged me to tell me that he was coming down this way to attend the conference. It was great to see him again—someone I look up to and a key aspect to shaping the past two years.
I told Kirk that seeing him and his wife again was like a family reunion to me.
These good people I’ve met along the way (usually much older than myself) completely change the game. Although they are rare, they set an example of what a good man should be like and they’ve made great efforts to aid me. Whether they think so or not, I am indebted to them.
Oh and I almost forgot…Kirk offered that he and I could go on a scuba diving trip sometime in the near future if timing works out. So, I guess that makes 4 potential opportunities that came out of the conference.
A New Goal
Fun is a big part of life..and something I don’t try to have enough of. Frankly, I’ve done a poor job of adding in the “Do Fun Shit” that we talk about in The Preparation into my life. So, I need you to help hold me accountable with something else going into the future. From now on I want to start doing something fun every weekend.
It could be taking a motorcycle trip, camping, horseback riding, rappelling…
Something fun—anything—every weekend.
Reading
Finished reading The Reluctant Entrepreneur by Michael Masterson
Very good book and helpful for building the mental framework for entrepreneurship. I think Michael’s books Great Leads and Ready, Fire, Aim need to be read along with this book. Highly recommend.
Are these updates informative? Are they useful? Entertaining?
Leave a comment below if you’ve got any suggestions or questions for me.
And don’t forget to send this to someone who might benefit.
I’ll see you next week.
-Maxim Benjamin Smith
I am acting as a guinea pig for a program which is meant to prepare young men for the future. This program is designed to be a replacement for the only three routes advertised to young men today - go to college, the military, or a dead-end job.
All of these typical routes of life are designed to shape us into cogs for a wheel that doesn’t serve us. Wasted time, debt, lack of skills, and a soul crushing job define many who follow the traditional route.
This program, which we can call “The Preparation”, is meant to guide young men on a path where they properly utilize their time to gain skills, build relationships, and reach a state of being truly educated. The Preparation is meant to set young men up for success.
What appeals to me about The Preparation is the idea of the type of man I could be. The path to becoming a skilled, dangerous, and competent man is much more clear now. I’ve always been impressed by characters like The Count of Monte Cristo, men who accumulated knowledge and skills over a long period of time and eventually became incredibly capable men.
Young men today do not have a guiding light. We have few mentors and no one to emulate. We have been told that there are only a few paths to success in this world. For intelligent and ambitious people - college is sold to us as the one true path. And yet that path seems completely uncertain today.
We desperately need something real to grab onto. I think this is it.
I’m putting the ideas into action. Will it work? I can’t be sure, but I’m doing my best. I’m more than 60 weeks into the program at this point. So far, so good.
You can follow me along as I follow the program. Each week, I summarize all that I did.
My objective in sharing this is three fold:
Documenting my progress holds me accountable.
I hope these updates will show other young men that there is another path we can take.
For the parents who stumble upon this log, I want to prove to you that telling your children that the conventional path - college, debt, and a job is not the foolproof path you think it is.
It was awesome to meet Kirk and his sweet wife at the event. And zero anxiety? That's a huge change from the old you. Well done.
Maxim-it was great to see you at the conference. It felt like a family reunion for us too! You ARE genuinely interested in people, a positive force, and a reliable, competent, confident and yes...dangerous... man.