Sergey Diakov
Mike Lindell's story reads like something out of a movie. This guy went from literally sleeping in his car while hooked on crack to running a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But here's the twist: his obsession with politics has cost him almost everything he built. Let's dive into how he made his fortune, lost most of it, and what's left of his net worth today.
Early Days: Bars, Failed Businesses, and Rock Bottom
Lindell's path to building any kind of net worth was messy from the start. Back in the 1980s, he was bouncing around Minnesota doing whatever work he could find—cleaning carpets, running lunch wagons, and eventually managing a small bar called Bennie's Place. But here's the thing: while he was making some money from these ventures, he was also spiraling deeper into crack cocaine addiction. We're talking about a nearly 20-year struggle that destroyed everything good in his life. His first real earnings came from those bars and small businesses, but most of that cash went straight to feeding his addiction. By 2004, Lindell had hit absolute rock bottom. He got kicked out of his own house, lost pretty much everything, and was sleeping in cars. Whatever money he'd managed to scrape together over the years was completely gone.
The MyPillow Game-Changer: How He Actually Got Rich
Everything shifted for Lindell in 2004 when he came up with the MyPillow concept. After finally getting clean from drugs, he officially launched MyPillow, Inc. in 2005. But the real moment that changed his life? That came in 2011 when he took every penny he had—around $250,000—and dumped it all into a 30-minute infomercial. Crazy move, right? But it worked like magic. That infomercial turned MyPillow into a household name practically overnight. By 2013, the company was pulling in $100 million a year. Then things really exploded. Sales hit $280 million by 2016 and peaked somewhere around $300 million annually by 2019. During these glory years, Mike Lindell net worth shot up to between $200 million and $300 million. The guy was absolutely crushing it, and MyPillow was everywhere you looked on late-night TV.
Living the Dream: When Everything Was Going Right
Between 2016 and 2020, Lindell was at the absolute top of his game. MyPillow wasn't just successful—it was a phenomenon. His factory in Minnesota had over 1,500 employees, and you couldn't escape those infomercials if you tried. This is also when he got tight with Donald Trump, which initially seemed like a smart business move. They met in 2016, and Lindell became one of Trump's biggest supporters, showing up at rallies and getting tons of media attention. At this peak, Mike Lindell net worth maxed out around $300 million. MyPillow products were sitting on shelves at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl's, and basically every major retailer. Lindell himself was making millions every year just from company profits and his salary. For a former crack addict who'd been homeless, this was beyond anything he could've dreamed of during his darkest days.
The Fall: Where His Money Went
Now here's where things get rough. Today, Mike Lindell net worth is estimated somewhere between basically nothing and maybe $50 million if he's lucky. That's a massive drop from $300 million. What happened? Well, after the 2020 election, Lindell went all-in on promoting conspiracy theories about voter fraud. Major retailers said "we're done" and dropped MyPillow products in 2021. His revenue crashed by more than 65% almost immediately. Then came the lawsuits. Dominion Voting Systems is suing him for $1.3 billion in damages. In 2023, Lindell admitted he'd blown through over $25 million of his own money trying to prove election fraud. He's had to sell property, borrow money, and basically watch his empire crumble. MyPillow is still operating, but it's bringing in less than $100 million a year now—a fraction of what it used to make. Lindell's been pretty open about the fact that he's lost hundreds of millions and is struggling to keep the lights on.
How He Says You Can Make It: Lindell's Success Philosophy
Despite losing most of his fortune, Lindell still talks about what helped him build his wealth in the first place. His biggest thing is faith—he became a born-again Christian in 2009 and swears that's what turned his whole life around. He genuinely believes God saved him from addiction and guided him to create MyPillow. Another big principle for him is never giving up, no matter what. The fact that he bet his last $250,000 on that infomercial shows you how all-in he's willing to go. He also talks constantly about the American Dream, saying anyone can build serious wealth if they work hard and innovate, regardless of where they started. Keeping jobs in America is another thing he's passionate about—he's kept MyPillow manufacturing in the US even though it costs way more. And finally, he believes in sticking to your principles no matter what it costs you. That last one is interesting because, let's be honest, his refusal to back down from his political beliefs has literally cost him hundreds of millions of dollars. Love him or hate him, you can't deny that going from homeless addict to building a company worth hundreds of millions is pretty incredible.
Sergey Diakov
