The article profiles three common paths to wealth among ordinary American business owners: auto dealerships, beverage distribution, and construction contracting. It provides examples of wealthy entrepreneurs in each sector—Alan Wildstein (auto dealer with ~$500M net worth), John Nau (beverage distributor who sold his company for ~$1B), and Tommy Mello (garage door contractor worth over $1B)—demonstrating that tens of thousands build eight-figure fortunes outside tech and finance.