The world doesn’t need another billionaire.

It needs a million people making $100 a day from something they own.

The world needs a hundred dollar empire on every block.

Own the business. Own the values. Be the change.

Newsletter

Hundred Dollar Empire is a twice-weekly newsletter about buying, building, and running small local businesses that give you real independence.

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Who's writing this?

I'm Michael Kopack. I’ve spent 15 years in tech as a designer and leader. I am watching AI reshape the industry, watching layoffs hit people I respect, and I’ve decided I don’t want to wait around for my turn.

So I bought a hair salon.

I had zero beauty industry experience. But I knew how to run operations, build systems, and lead a team. In the first year, we grew the business by nearly 200%.

Now I write about what I learned, what I'm still learning, and how other people can do something similar. I also build AI-powered software tools, because I'm not anti-technology. I just believe technology should serve your goals, not replace your livelihood.

We can BE the change we want to see in our communities. When you’re secure, you’re independent. When you’re independent, you’re free to conduct yourself and your business according to your own values.

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What you'll get twice a week

Every issue follows a simple format: a real story from my experience, followed by something you can actually use.

I write about:

  • Buying a business: How to find one, evaluate it, and decide if it's worth your money. I looked at a lot of businesses before I found mine. I'll tell you what I learned.

  • Running a business: The stuff nobody warns you about. Hiring, firing, managing people when you've never managed anyone, learning an industry from scratch.

  • Building your values into your business: Why I gave my hair stylists a 401k when nobody required me to. Why "the legal minimum" is a floor, not a ceiling.

  • The case for small: Why a hundred-dollar empire on your block might make you happier than chasing someone else's billion-dollar dream.