Anthony Cumia starts this interview by saying that he has been “quite a huge fan of Mike for quite a while.” They then go on to talk about Mike’s amazing story of overcoming addictions, gaining tremendous MyPillow success, and now helping other addicts with Mike’s Lindell Recovery Network™.
Mike and his MyPillow business
Mike was a crack cocaine addict. And, during the time he was an addict, he invented the MyPillow, taking the advice from friends and family who said that there ‘were so many problems with pillows,” and that it “isn’t about firmness or softness, it’s about having an adjustable-height so you can keep your neck level at night.”
Mike started selling his MyPillows at home shows and fairs for $69 (in 2005). People would exclaim that ‘pillows don’t work, what are you doing?” But once they bought the pillow, they would come back and say that the pillow is “the best product” (not just the best pillow) they had ever bought.”
And that is what kept Mike going: he knew that it “wasn’t about the money, it was about helping people.”
Mike was a crack cocaine addict
Mike’s parents divorced when he was a child, which caused him to be shy and unable to easily talk to people. But, he discovered that cocaine gave him the false courage he needed to talk to people.
So, Mike was a “functioning cocaine addict for 20 years.” He was married during this time and raised a family. Then he switched to crack cocaine in the year 2000 and by 2009, he had lost his marriage and almost lost his MyPillow company.
By Spring, 2008, Mike’s crack cocaine addiction was so bad that, after Mike had been up for 14 days, his drug dealers did an intervention and completely cut him off all drugs. Mike couldn’t buy crack from his drug dealers nor any of the other dealers, no matter how much money Mike offered them.
Mike’s drug dealer then said, “give me your phone, I’m gonna take a picture of you.” He went on to say that “you have been telling us for years that the pillow is a platform for God, and that you’re gonna come back and help us all get out of this addiction we live in.” The picture that the drug dealer took is now on the cover of Mike’s new book.
Mike quits his addictions: overnight
On January 16, 2009, Mike quit everything, overnight. He “knew the pillow was a platform for God” and that it was “a much bigger thing than just selling pillows.” Mike also “knew that day that my calling was going be gone” if he didn’t do something.
So Mike prayed, saying that he “never wanted these addictions or the desires again.” And, God answered his prayer: when Mike woke up the next day, his desires were gone. And, he has been clean and sober since them.
Getting the MyPillow business back (after one week of being clean and sober)
Now that Mike was clean and sober, he had to get the MyPillow company back from people who were trying to take it away.
He found some investors through word of mouth. And, less than one week after he was freed from his addictions, he had to borrow $30,000 from these investors – who didn’t even know Mike.
He walked into a room full of investors and told them he “needed 30 grand to get my company back from these corrupt guys”. He also told them that he used to be a crack cocaine addict. When the CEO asked when Mike had quit, Mike responded: “last Thursday.”
At that point, they all left the room. But they returned – and gave Mike the money.
The MyPillow infomercial
Mike launched his first infomercial on October 7, 2011, using funds pooled from his friends and family. Mike had been selling his MyPillow to people across the country at fairs and shows, so he figured that since the big box stores weren’t going to buy his MyPillows, he might as well do an infomercial.
Mike didn’t know that most infomercials didn’t work. He just followed his gut. For example, when he was told that he needed to have a professional actor, Mike chose to personally do the infomercial with a friend of his instead, even though the producer he hired said “this is the worst guy I’ve ever seen, he’ll never make it on TV” and that Mike was “going to fail.”
When the infomercial launched, Mike was living in his sister’s basement. At 3 am, the infomercial aired on TV, and things started “exploding”. Due to the success of the infomercial, MyPillow went from five employees to 500 in 40 days.
And that success has continued: MyPillow now has 1,500 employees and has sold over 43 million pillows. Plus, MyPillow continues to do all its own commercials, all the manufacturing, and even has its own call center.
With the MyPillow success, Mike can now “hire people and give them second chances” and be “just like a family.” As Mike says, “It’s just been amazing.”
Mike goes “all in” for President Trump
Mike is a strong supporter of President Trump. It started with Trump reaching out to Mike, asking Mike to meet him for a private meeting at Trump Tower in New York City on August 15, 2016.
Trump opened up the meeting by saying, “Mike, you always wear your cross, are you a Christian?” Mike answered, “Yes, Mr. Trump, and this is a divine appointment.” They then talked about Trump’s passion for bringing jobs back to the US, the MyPillow factory and American jobs, and the inner cities.
They also talked about Mike’s amazing platform, the Lindell Recovery Network™, that is going to help addicts all over the country. Mike also related that he had been a crack cocaine addict.
Mike walked out of the meeting saying “Wow, this guy’s gonna be the best president in history.” Then Mike talked to Trump’s employees, who had only great things to say about Trump. Mike related that it was “just like my employees.” And at that point, Mike “went all in” for Trump.
Mike was invited to the White House for a Made in America Roundtable. Mike was amazed to find out that the President had arranged to have Mike sit right next to him. So, Mike could be seen on national TV right next to the president. When his ex-crack buddies saw this, they exclaimed, “Wow, Jesus is real. There is no other way that Mike could sit in the White House next to the President.”
Mike is now firmly behind the president, stating that “On November 8th, 2016, God gave us grace for such a time as this: He saved our country and saved souls.” Mike feels that Trump is “the most pragmatic, common sense president in history.” He also feels that we are in the “most amazing times in history: consumer confidence is at an all-time high, everybody is employed, and we have the lowest unemployment in history for blacks and Hispanics.”
Mike goes on to say that “Right now, entrepreneurs like me can go out and take chances in businesses. And they can take chances because they have a safety net since they have a good job they can go back to.” So, Mike states, “Anybody trying to wreck this by some narrative is shameful.”
Furthermore, Mike states that “There is not going to be a recession, we are in the best of times, so don’t live in fear.”
Plus, Mike says that “We’re going to get past this division. Everybody loves our President, some just don’t know it yet.”
Lindell Recovery Network™
Mike is in the process of creating the Lindell Recovery Network™, a revolutionary platform that he has been working on that “is going to set people free from addiction once and for all.” For, as Mike says, “there are plenty of addicts that need help, for addiction affects everyone out there, no matter ‘how many forks you eat with.'”
Divine interventions
Mike absolutely feels that there were Divine interventions that made him who he is now and gives him the ability to help others. Mike says that “you need Jesus Christ, you need a rock,” and that is why Mike always wears his cross on TV.
Mike feels that God was always chasing him, through “14 near-death experiences.” including a motorcycle accident, a parachute not opening while skydiving, and almost getting his head cut off by a cartel in Mexico.
Mike tells us to “look in your own lives.” Mike looks at his own life and sees that there were events that that had a “one-in-a-million” to “one-in-a-billion” chance of happening. And, after all these events happened, he had to say, “what are the odds of these events just happening,” and “when you add them all together, when does it become a miracle?”
For Mike, it was events like overcoming his addictions, his success at MyPillow, meeting the President, and going to a National Prayer Breakfast where Mike was picked randomly out of 12 people to pray with Ben Carson. When these events happened, Mike thought “this can’t happen, I’m just some random ex-crack addict from Minnesota.” But, they did happen, and Mike truly feels that all these events were Divine interventions.
Mike’s Book
As usual, it’s always amazing to hear Mike talk about his life. As Anthony says, “it’s such a great success story and an inspiration.”
And now, Mike’s new book about his life, What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO, can be ordered. So, by getting the book, you can now not only find inspiration and hope by reading the book, but you can also help addicts since Mike is going to use the proceeds from the book to fund the Lindell Recovery Network™.
So, order now at MyStore.com