Toward the end of his 325-page memoir, Mike Lindell quotes a billionaire acquaintance as saying, “You’re not like any other CEO we’ve ever seen.” For thirty years, cocaine and gambling controlled his life. My wife read the book first and told me that his addictive habits continued even after he founded his now-famous pillow company. I wondered how anyone could start such a company, have it flourish, and keep it while addicted.

I’ve always admired people that invest their own money in an idea and go for broke. Often, broke is what happens, but sometimes a Thomas Edison or Elon Musk emerges. Though Mike Lindell may not be a genius like Edison or build Rockets like Musk, he is a true American entrepreneur. He has gone from nothing to having a fortune and, in my estimation, will continue to grow his companies or go broke trying.