Odd Lots · Friday, September 18, 2026
The book 'The Everywhere Millionaire' profiles Dick Portillo, who rose from humble beginnings in Chicago's Cabrini-Green projects to become a billionaire by building a successful hot dog business. His story illustrates how significant wealth can be accumulated through dedication and entrepreneurship, even in competitive industries, without necessarily relying on market power or passive investment.
“One of my favorite characters that we talk to in the book is Dick Portillo. And Dick Portillo is from Utah. He basically worked in the parts department at a Toyota and he learned every single, almost like your Aldi guy. He like knew all the parts and he turned it from the 961st best car dealer of parts, of Toyota parts, to the first.”
“And he ended up over decades selling a lot of hot dogs to become a billionaire. And I think it's a really useful example because it shows like, well, do you have to have market power to be a billionaire? No, you can actually sell hot dogs to super competitive industry.”
“And I think it's, you know, when you're dealing with customers being really responsive, understanding what they need and just You know, being hardworking and diligent and delivering and having a reputation for, okay, if I have some need, I'm going to go to this guy.”