Hello from Lansing, Michigan

[TritonNexus]

Earl, if you don’t have an MBA or finance background, hire someone with appropriate experience to help you write a basic business plan. You also better be prepared to inject some of your own capital into this else no one is going to be willing to inject any of their own.

Be prepared to answer some tough questions. This is a tough sell especially in mid-Michigan.

Thanks for the advice — I get that an MBA can be useful, but I’m taking the route of people like Elon Musk, Sara Blakely, and Richard Branson. None of them had MBAs, but they built their success by having a clear vision and building the right team around them. That’s what I’m doing too.

This isn’t just an idea on paper — I’ve already got my EIN, my domain name, a custom logo, a registered LLC, and a full concept layout in development. I’m working on the business plan with help, and I’m putting in my own money and time. This is a long-term commitment, not a hobby.

And yeah — I expect tough questions. That’s part of building something real.

 

[TritonNexus]

"Emergency Oxygen every 10 feet on the ladder"

Well hopefully not below 20 ffw...

Good catch — and you're totally right. Definitely not pure oxygen below 20 ffw.

The masks every 10 feet are intended to be standard backup air, not 100% O₂. The idea is to have a safe, regulated reserve for anyone in distress during descent. A diver would only access it manually, and if they hit the emergency button next to the mask, it would alert staff and prep the hyperbaric chamber just in case.

The system is inspired by mountain climbing base camps — a series of fallback points. But the gas mix and pressure will be professionally engineered and tested to avoid any risks like oxygen toxicity.

Appreciate the heads-up — safety is priority #1.

 

[tridacna]

Earl, what is your back-of-a-napkin estimate for the funding you’ll need to complete this?

 

[TritonNexus]

Earl, what is your back-of-a-napkin estimate for the funding you’ll need to complete this?

Back-of-a-napkin? Around $25 to $30 million. Could go higher depending on final land, permits, and construction surprises, but that’s the ballpark I’m working with right now.