012. How "Mattress Mack" Made $300 Million Selling Mattresses
"Mattress Mack" shows you don't need to be a genius inventor to get wildly rich
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Last week I wrote about the Phillies’ loss in the World Series and a lesson in gratitude, and in this issue, I want to mention a lesson gleaned from Houston’s win.
Day after the World Series, headlines on multiple news sites screamed, “Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale wins $75 million as Houston Astros claim World Series title”.
Huh? Who?
It turns out Jim McIngvale—worth an estimated $300 million—placed a bet that the Astros would win the World Series like a year ago. It paid off, and he collected a cool $75 million.
Who the heck is this maniac, I wondered. Why do they call him the “Mattress King”?
It turns out that back in 1981, McIngvale took all of his $5,000 in savings and opened a furniture store in Houston. With a knack for marketing and a promise of same-day delivery, forty years later, McIngvale is now worth a cool $300 million.
I met two other people who told me about making millions from everyday things. Below are their stories and some coaching questions.
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