About Us
Way back in 1998 the big buzz was all about Y2K. Everything was going to go to pot when the clock struck midnight at the end of the year 1999. The fear was that nothing electronic would work like it should anymore and since almost everything had a dependency on electronics we would all be on our own beginning the morning of January 1st 2000.
Well, my wife Susan and I thought this would be a great time to start a business to help people be prepared for emergencies that may come their way. We knew that even if Y2K didn’t happen like many thought it would, there would still be the everyday mundane disasters to be dealt with like hurricanes, tornadoes, chemical spills, wildfires, tsunamis, volcano eruptions and on and on. Even more likely, turmoil closer to home like unexpectedly losing your job can result in not knowing where to go for your next meal or house payment. In that case you may have a major problem if you haven’t prepared for it ahead of time by storing some emergency food, water, medical and other necessary supplies to survive on until things get back to normal. This was a situation very close to our hearts because a few years prior I actually did lose my job and was out of work for 6- months. We lived on Susan’s wages plus the food storage we (let’s be honest: she) stored as well as a couple of part-time temporary jobs I found along the way. Had she not been diligent in creating and following a plan to store away extra food, household supplies and a little money on a regular basis, we would have been in dire straits.
Making a long story short, we started ReddyOrNot.com in 1998 using the age old folk story of The Ant (who prepares and is ready) and the Grasshopper (who plays is not) to portray the attitude and actions required of being industrious and diligent in preparing for the future. Much satisfaction has been received through the years helping others discover and obtain what they need to do to become self-sufficient and prepared to weather whatever storms come into their lives.
Yet another personal opportunity to use our emergency preparedness knowledge and supplies came to us a short time later when we discovered Susan had breast cancer. The road that took us on was much worse than the earlier difficulties mentioned. For many years she was in and out of treatments and unable to work much of the time. Again we found our preparations invaluable when she had to take time off from work and stay home for months at a time while undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Well, things never did get back to normal after that. It was only a matter of a few years that it got the best of her and she moved on from this life to the next December 16, 2005 much to the sadness of our family and friends. One of the traditions we started shortly after her cancer was discovered and continues today is to actively raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation to aid in research to conquer breast cancer. Each year the kids sponsor activities to raise funds that are donated in memory of our own Susan to bring closer the day when breast cancer becomes a thing of the past. ReddyOrNot also participates by donating products to help raise funds for the Komen Foundation.
Our family has made it a priority to do as well as we can to carry on Susan’s tradition of being happily prepared for the worse and helping others to do the same. Questions are always there from individuals wondering what they should do to make their future safe and secure. Answers are always there for those earnestly seeking them.
One of the legacies left us by Susan is this: “The greatest joy we can receive in life is giving ~ To bring into the life of someone else a little joy and happiness.”Each time you bless another with some kind act in their behalf you will find yourself blessed a hundred-fold more for doing so.
Jerry Sermersheim ~ owner and proprietor, ReddyOrNot.com
