Little Bosses Everywhere by Bridget Read

Read goes through the history of MLMs, multi-level-marketing companies. She starts with Rehnburg and Nutrilite, detailing how the man started in business then started branching out to make money off of his salespeople, rather than off the product itself. Rehnberg was just one of the prongs though, it really took off when he met Meidinger and Castleberry, the latter at a Carnegie course. 
From Nutrilite, she goes through the histories of Mary Kay, Holiday Magic, Costcot, and Dare to be Great. 
Read walks us through the different ways these MLMs started, and how they grew. They might start with vitamins or makeup but then morph into self-help and or leadership courses. 
Woven in with these histories are the stories of women who took the MLM pill. Each one had a different reason for joining. All left, disillusioned. 
An in depth look at a number of MLMs and why they are still succeeding today. A good recommendation from NPR's Best Books.

Four stars

This book came out May 6, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own