Michael L. Banner

Hi, I'm Michael Banner, founder and host of the 62 Who Knew podcast. But long before I ever picked up a microphone, I was something else first. I was a small business owner. Just an ordinary person with an idea, a little bit of nerve, and the simple right to try. And there is no place on this planet, not one, where that right is protected the way it is right here in the United States of America. Who knew? That's the question I ask on every single episode of my show.

So today, let me ask it about this country. Who knew that the greatest advantage any business owner on earth could have ever asked for isn't money. It isn't connections. It isn't luck. It's freedom. And America has never, ever run short of it. Think about what it actually takes to start a business in America. You don't need permission from a king. You don't need the right last name. You don't need someone in power to decide that you are worthy. You need a dream and the willingness to work. That's it. Here, an idea scribbled on the back of a napkin can grow into a company that employs hundreds of families.

Who knew? America knew, because this nation has watched it happen for 250 years. And once you start, America hands you something even rarer, the freedom to run it your way. Our markets are open. Your ideas are your own. Here, a contract actually means something. From the corner diner to the corner office, every owner plays by the same rules and gets the same fair shot. Capital from our investors fuel our businesses. Those businesses grow and create good jobs. And that success brings brand new energy right back into the economy. It's a cycle of opportunity and it spins faster here than anywhere else in the world.

And then there's the best part, the freedom to grow. Because in America, you are never finished. You can start over at 25, at 45, at 62, and far beyond. Some of the greatest companies this nation has ever seen were built by people the rest of the world had already counted out. That is the American promise. As long as you are willing, you are always going to get one more shot. And none of this is luck. It's not an accident. It's a promise written 250 years ago and kept by every generation since.

It doesn't matter where you came from, how little you started with. The doors are open. The field is fair. And whatever you are brave enough to build is yours. So as we celebrate 250 years of liberty and freedom for all, remember this. Truth, justice, and the American way isn't just for Superman. In the greatest country in the world, it belongs to every single person who calls the United States of America home. It belongs to the shop owner, the inventor, and the dreamer with a napkin and a little bit of nerve.

That is what makes this the single greatest place on earth to start, to run, and grow a business. And you know what? It always will be. Happy 250th birthday, America.