The List By JOEY KEOGH/JUNE 17, 2020 5:55 PM EST/UPDATED: JAN. 26, 2021 7:15 PM EST
Mike Lindell's success story is anything but run of the mill. The entrepreneur, who is the founder and creator of MyPillow Inc., was previously addicted to drugs before, according to Lindell, God helped him both straighten up his act and provided inspiration with the best idea in the world. As he told CNBC, when it comes to his life story, "People say all the time that's one of the biggest miracles ever."
The proud Minnesota native has worked tirelessly his whole life to make something of himself, though Lindell admits he failed at everything on the road to founding MyPillow, even getting fired from the local grocery store as a teenager. He didn't finish college either, but nowadays the self-made man is proving all his doubters wrong to the tune of millions of dollars. When it comes to the MyPillow Guy, he is quite literally resting on a fortune.
The MyPillow guy is a self-made millionaire
As CNBC notes, Mike Lindell knew nothing about making pillows when he set out to bring his creation to life, cutting up foam and testing various iterations before the design was completed. He set up a kiosk at the local mall but sold less than a hundred pillows. Thankfully, one of those buyers ran a local home show in Minneapolis and, after inviting Lindell to join him there, he sold out completely.
MyPillow was founded proper in 2004. Lindell is the inventor and patent owner of the pillow's unique design, according to Celebrity Net Worth, and has grown his company from a workforce of five to over 1,000. The company's first infomercial, released in 2011, cost around $500,000 and aired approximately 200 times a day. Over the following year, Lindell reportedly sold $100 million worth of pillows. MyPillow Inc. now generates a whopping $280 million in revenue per year.
Lindell subsequently branched out into beds, linen, and pet beds, and has manufactured around 30 million pillows to date. As he told CNBC, "I look back now, and I go, 'The only way that we were able to do that was divine intervention.'" Whether it was divine intervention or not, Lindell's gamble paid off, as Celebrity Net Worth puts his fortune at an estimate of $300 million.
Mike Lindell's Trump connection may hurt his bottom line
Mike Lindell's close relationship with President Trump was evident throughout his reign. However, in early January 2021, following the Capitol insurrection, it became a public concern. As The Independent reported, Lindell was photographed waiting for a meeting at the White House holding notes reading "martial law if necessary." The MyPillow CEO was a vocal Trump supporter throughout his presidency, frequently tweeting to double down on some of the commander in chief's wilder claims (and deleting them later). Lindell also spoke at the Republican National Convention. The MyPillow guy's allegiance to Trump may cost him in the long run, however.
As Fox9 reported, Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohl's, Wayfair, and HEB all dropped MyPillow products from stores after Lindell's repeated claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. "They're trying to cancel me out," Lindell told the Right Side Broadcasting Network (via Newsweek). As Forbes points to, there are numerous posts on social media calling for a boycott of MyPillow. Although it's difficult to ascertain how much business will be impacted in the long run, as one of Trump's most dedicated supporters, MyPillow "could potentially also be among the most vulnerable" going forward.
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