Rejecting a quiet but damaging narrative

What does it look like when outdoor recreation entrepreneurs themselves are positioned to economically thrive?

At the All Forward Foundation, we start with a conviction that often goes unspoken: Outdoor recreation professionals deserve financial success.

Not survival. Not subsistence. Not “doing it for the love of it.”

They deserve the same opportunity for prosperity afforded to entrepreneurs in any other industry. Outdoor recreation pros deserve to THRIVE!

Rejecting a quiet but damaging narrative

There is a deeply embedded narrative in the outdoor economy that equates virtue with sacrifice. That passion should substitute for pay. That meaningful work excuses economic precarity.

This narrative has consequences:

• Talented leaders burn out or exit the industry

• Businesses remain undercapitalized by design

• Generosity becomes personal depletion rather than shared abundance

Ironically, outdoor recreation business owners—despite earning less on average—are statistically among the most generous, routinely reinvesting time, money, and resources into their communities, staff, and land.

They share their success even when they have very little of it.

Imagine the impact if they had more.

Business success is not reserved for tech

In the U.S., we celebrate financial success—selectively.

Tech founders are expected to win big. Finance leaders are applauded for scale. Industrial entrepreneurs are respected for building wealth.

Outdoor recreation entrepreneurs? Too often, they’re expected to stay humble, seasonal, and small.

That double standard is not ethical—it’s structural.

Hard work, risk-taking, leadership, and value creation deserve economic reward regardless of industry. The outdoor sector is no exception. In fact, given the physical risk, regulatory complexity, and stewardship responsibility involved, the case for prosperity is stronger, not weaker.

Economic thriving is not indulgence. It is dignity. So Lets Thrive!