From two leading economists comes a groundbreaking new portrait of the hidden fortunes of Main Street business owners—ordinary Americans who built extraordinary wealth and are quietly rewriting the rules of money and power. Most people think the path to great wealth runs through Wall Street or Silicon Valley. We’re told you must be a Zuckerberg, a Musk, or a Jamie Dimon to get rich. But this story is wrong. Drawing on unprecedented data from a decade of research and vivid real-life stories of entrepreneurs—from a self-made hot-dog stand billionaire to the heirs of an auto dealer—Zidar and Zwick reveal a surprising truth: prosperity is more attainable, more widely distributed, and closer to home than we imagine. A multitude of Americans have built staggering fortunes by running often unglamorous businesses far from the spotlight. A quiet revolution in the business world—the rise of “pass-through” firms like S-corporations and partnerships—supercharged this wealth, channeling vast income directly to business owners rather than traditional corporations.Part economic detective story, part roadmap to riches, this book reveals: —The Hidden 1%: They might be a local beer distributor, a dentist with a regional network of practices, a commercial HVAC contractor with trucks around town, or a restaurateur who keeps opening new locations. For every public company CEO, more than a thousand private business owners each have transformational wealth.— The Blueprint for Wealth: Zidar and Zwick describe where Main Street Millionaires come from, how they grew rich, and how much money they make. Their stories suggest the American Dream is not dead and many paths to prosperity remain open today. — Power Brokers: Armed with their fortunes, Main Street Millionaires wield power in city halls, statehouses, and Washington, often bending policy to protect what they’ve built. They are both growing the economic pie and grabbing bigger slices for themselves.The Everywhere Millionaire celebrates the stories of entrepreneurs who seized opportunities while asking hard questions about how concentrated wealth and power shape society. It is an essential guide to seeing the economy as it really is and recognizing the surprising paths to prosperity—and influence—everywhere.
Who is rich in America, and why?
A review of “The Everywhere Millionaire” by Zidar and Zwick
Pluralistic: Millionaire on billionaire violence (10 Aug 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
For the past year, I've been increasingly fascinated by a political mystery: how has antitrust enforcement become a global phenomenon after spending 40-years in a billionaire-induced coma?
Five ways to build a $100 million business
Some time ago my friend (and co-investor in Clio , Jobber and Unbounce ) Boris Wertz wrote a great blog post about "the only 2 ways to bui...
It’s Not Just Elon Musk — These Billionaires Are Also Neurodivergent
Some billionaires say their conditions helped them succeed in business.
If You’re Not Getting Rich in your 20s, You’re Doing it Wrong
Whenever something unusually interesting in the field of personal finance shows up in the news, Mr. Money Mustache hears about it. Our diligent network of Mustachian Volunteer Spies combs and filte…
A forty-year career.
The Silicon Valley narrative centers on entrepreneurial protagonists who are poised one predestined step away from changing the world. A decade ago they were heroes, and more recently they’ve become villains, but either way they are absolutely the protagonists. Working within the industry, I’ve worked with quite a few non-protagonists who experience their time in technology differently: a period of obligatory toil required to pry open the gate to the American Dream.
One State Found a Way to Make Billionaires Pay. Your State Could Be Next.
Opinion | The Rich Are Crazier Than You and Me (Published 2023)
Why does Silicon Valley love RFK Jr.?
Muskism, capitalism according to Elon Musk
Choosing a path for wealth redistribution | willowbl00
We’re all suffering under capitalism. There are lots of efforts out there to shift the world to a better place. And yet, it doesn’t yet feel like enough, at least to me. So I want to start logging what I’m seeing out there in the world, so far as fighting back. I know it’s there. Hell, I know a lot of people doing the actual work. I take small steps in my own life to help create a more just world. But I truly feel like we’re on the cusp of something different. As Saul Williams opened with when I saw him last year, we are the death doulas of empire.
America's Growth Ponzi Scheme | Strong Towns
The American pattern of development creates the illusion of wealth. Today we are in the process of seeing that illusion destroyed…and with it the prosperity we have come to take for granted.
A Star Investor's Tale of Risk, Ruin & Reinvention w/ Victor Haghani (RWH071)
The scent of Musk: Power, charisma and paranoia in Silicon Valley
Indie Startups - Neil Thanedar
10 years ago, my entrepreneurial goal was to raise $100M+ and make one $1B+ startup. Now my goal is to 100% own many $1M+ startups.
