SOURCE REGISTER · VOL. I — 2026
Every named operator.
Every load-bearing number. Sourced.
This book makes specific claims about real people, real businesses, layoffs, lawsuits, revenue, and compensation. The trust contract is therefore higher than for a typical career book. To honor that contract, every numerical or attributed claim is sourced — in the book and here, where you can click through and verify yourself.
CAPTURED AS OF MAY 2026
The three evidence levels
LEVEL 1
Public record
Lawsuits filed in court, SEC filings, government labor data, recorded interviews, podcasts, published case studies, the verified press. When the book cites a revenue figure or quote, the default source category is this one.
LEVEL 2
Operator disclosure
Numbers the operator stated publicly themselves — in their own newsletter, public revenue dashboard, LinkedIn or X post. Self-reported and treated as their own word, dated.
LEVEL 3
Composite illustration
Anonymized or blended scenes built from interviews. Composites open chapters; they do not carry load-bearing claims. They are flagged at first appearance.
Operators cited in the manuscript
John Wilson
PUBLIC RECORD + DISCLOSURE
Claims in book: Eight-figure annual revenue; workforce of more than 100; holding company structure across HVAC, plumbing, electrical, restoration, septic; third-generation operator who bought into the family business in his twenties; revenue at takeover was approximately $1M.
SOURCES
- Stevanovski, A. (Feb 2024). “Inside The Wilson Companies’ path to $100 million with John Wilson.” HomePros News. homepros.news/inside-the-wilson-companies-path-to-100-million-with-john-wilson
- Profit and Grit podcast. “Profit HVAC Plumbing — John Wilson.” profitandgrit.com
- ServiceTitan case study video: “John Wilson built Wilson Plumbing & Heating from under $5 million to $43 million.”
- Owned and Operated podcast (hosted by Wilson). ownedandoperated.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Kevin Wolf
PUBLIC RECORD + DISCLOSURE
Claims in book: President/owner; ~$16M annual revenue; 50+ trucks.
SOURCES
- Plumbing & HVAC Marketing podcast. “Interview with Kevin Wolf — How Laney’s grew to 50 Trucks and $16M per year.” plumbingmarketing.net
- PlumberSEO testimonials page. plumberseo.net/testimonials
- Best of the Red River Valley 2021 (Forum Communications). “President and Owner Kevin Wolf.”
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Dr. Blake HansenDO
PUBLIC RECORD + DISCLOSURE
Claims in book: Solo Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine running a direct-primary-care practice on a flat monthly membership model; uses Hint AI for ambient clinical documentation; abandoned insurance billing.
SOURCES
- Hint Health blog. “Empowering DPC with AI.” Includes Hansen’s direct quote. blog.hint.com/product/empowering_dpc_with_ai
- Simplified Health DPC official site. simplifiedhealthdpc.com/about
- DPCPassport directory. dpcpassport.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Paul McManus
PUBLIC RECORD
Claims in book: Founded 2015; grew from ~10 renovation projects/year to ~45; 300% revenue growth; Buildertrend as the operating layer; team of four full-time + two part-time staff per the published case study.
SOURCES
- Buildertrend. “McManus Kitchen and Bath: 300% growth in revenue with construction software.” buildertrend.com/case-study/mcmanus-kitchen-and-bath
- The Building Code podcast, Episode 85 — Paul McManus. buildertrend.com/podcast/the-building-code/ep85-paul-mcmanus
- McManus Kitchen and Bath official site. mcmanuskitchenandbath.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Seth Thorson
PUBLIC RECORD
Claims in book: Runs Eurotech (a BMW specialty shop) and LMV Bavarian (remote diagnostic and BMW programming support to 200+ independent shops nationally).
SOURCES
- Remarkable Results Radio Episode 169. “Seth Thorson from Eurotech Auto Repair.” remarkableresults.biz/e169
- Remarkable Results Radio RR 635. “Yellow and Red Envelopes with Seth Thorson.” YouTube
- Town Hall Academy 084 instructor bio.
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Pieter Levels
OPERATOR DISCLOSURE
Claims in book: Dutch indie hacker, solo operator with zero employees; portfolio of ~5 products generating roughly $3M/year; Photo AI alone at ~$1.6M ARR (~$132K MRR); deliberately old-fashioned stack of vanilla PHP, jQuery, SQLite.
SOURCES
- Levels, P. (ongoing). Public revenue dashboards. levels.io and nomadlist.com/open
- Indie Hackers. “Photo AI by Pieter Levels: Complete Deep Dive Case Study — $0 to $132K MRR in 18 Months.” Indie Hackers
- Collison, J. (host). “A Cheeky Pint with Pieter Levels.” cheekypint.substack.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Justin Welsh
OPERATOR DISCLOSURE + PUBLIC RECORD
Claims in book: Solo operator with zero employees; 200,000+ newsletter subscribers; cumulative revenue across his solo business in excess of $10M (with subsequent disclosures of $12M and $15M milestones); margins he has publicly described as approximately 90%.
SOURCES
- Welsh, J. (2025). “My complete $10M journey (all 23 steps).” The Saturday Solopreneur. justinwelsh.me/newsletter/my-10m-journey
- Welsh, J. (May 2025). LinkedIn / X post crossing $10M. x.com
- Kajabi. “Hero Story: Justin Welsh.” kajabi.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Brett Williams
OPERATOR DISCLOSURE + PUBLIC RECORD
Claims in book: Solo operator, zero employees; productized design subscription at ~$5K/month per client; annual revenue across multiple public interviews ranging from approximately $1.7M to $3M depending on year and source; margins approximately 90%.
SOURCES
- Designjoy official site. designjoy.co
- Latka founder-reported metrics. getlatka.com/companies/designjoy
- Williams, B. interview, Noah Kagan Presents podcast.
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Danny Postma
OPERATOR DISCLOSURE + PUBLIC RECORD
Claims in book: From standing start in early 2023, hit $100K revenue within first two weeks; peaked at approximately $300K/month (~$3.6M ARR); built solo from Bali on a Stable Diffusion stack.
SOURCES
- Startup Founder Stories. “How Danny Postma Built HeadshotPro and Made $100K in Just 2 Weeks After Launch.” startupfounderstories.com
- SupaBird. “How a Solo Hacker Built an AI Empire from Bali.” supabird.io
- Grey Journal. “How Danny Postma Built a Million-Dollar AI Startup Alone.” greyjournal.net
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Marc Lou
OPERATOR DISCLOSURE + PUBLIC RECORD
Claims in book: Solo operator; hit $50K/month within twelve months of launch; multi-million-dollar cumulative revenue across portfolio.
SOURCES
- Indie Hackers. “How Marc Lou (PH’s Maker of the Year) Makes $50k Every Month with Multiple Products.” Indie Hackers
- The Successful Projects. “Marc Lou’s Journey to $50k/Month with ShipFast.” thesuccessfulprojects.com
- Marketing Crafted. “How Shipfast Hit $250K in 5 Months.” marketingcrafted.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Lenny Rachitsky
PUBLIC RECORD + OPERATOR DISCLOSURE
Claims in book: Operates the highest-grossing product/business-focused Substack; revenue of approximately $2M/year in subscription revenue from tens of thousands of paid subscribers per public Substack rankings.
SOURCES
- ReadLess. “Best Paid Substack Newsletters 2026.” readless.app
- Statista. “Highest-earning newsletters on Substack.” statista.com
- Rachitsky, L. (2024). “Lenny’s Newsletter — 1 Million Subscribers.” lennysnewsletter.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Dickie Bush (with Nicolas Cole)
OPERATOR DISCLOSURE + PUBLIC RECORD
Claims in book: Per the founders’ own public statements, multiple seven-figure businesses across Ship 30 for 30 and Premium Ghostwriting Academy.
SOURCES
- Premium Ghostwriting Academy. “The Ship 30 for 30 Case Study.” premiumghostwritingacademy.com
- Bush, D. Public Instagram statement on the businesses’ scale.
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Named secondary subjects (one-time references)
Shawn K
PUBLIC RECORD
Use: Ch.1 opener — software engineer laid off and driving DoorDash.
- Mikhail, A. (May 14, 2025). “Software engineer lost his $150K-a-year job to AI.” Fortune. fortune.com
- Shawn K (Substack). “The Great Displacement is Already Here.” shawnfromportland.substack.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Tabby Toney
PUBLIC RECORD
Use: Ch.4 — Oklahoma software engineer who pivoted to welding.
- Applegate, A. (Mar 31, 2026). “I was a laid-off software engineer who pivoted into blue-collar work because of AI. One year in, I couldn’t be happier.” Business Insider. businessinsider.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
James Vandall
PUBLIC RECORD
Use: Ch.1, Ch.4 — 25-year-old electrical apprentice training for AI-data-center work.
- Iacurci, G. (Mar 8, 2026). “In a jobs apocalypse, look to ‘AI-proof’ skilled trades.” CNBC. cnbc.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Nicolas Franchet
PUBLIC RECORD (LAWSUIT ALLEGATIONS)
Important: All claims about Franchet’s tenure, performance review, layoff sequence, and $12M unvested stock in this book are framed as allegations in his pending lawsuit, not adjudicated facts.
- Gizmodo. “Meta Unfairly Targeted Older Workers During Layoffs Last Year, Lawsuit Claims.” gizmodo.com
- HR Executive. “Age Discrimination and Layoffs: A New Meta Suit’s Red Flags.” hrexecutive.com
- Mercury News / Bay Area News Group. Filed via San Francisco County Superior Court, March 2026.
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Named corporate events
Amazon corporate layoffs · October 2025
PUBLIC RECORD
Claim: Approximately 14,000 corporate job cuts; framed by company leadership as tied to AI and a flatter organization.
- Palmer, A. (Oct 28, 2025). “Amazon laying off about 14,000 corporate workers.” CNBC. cnbc.com
- Reuters. “Amazon to cut about 14,000 corporate jobs in AI push.” Oct 28, 2025. reuters.com
- NBC News. “Amazon to lay off thousands of corporate employees.” Oct 28, 2025. nbcnews.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Ford / Jim Farley statement · Aspen Ideas Festival 2025
PUBLIC RECORD
Claim: At the Aspen Ideas Festival in late June 2025, Ford CEO Jim Farley said AI “will replace literally half of all white-collar workers.”
- Fortune. “Ford CEO Jim Farley warns AI will wipe out half of white-collar jobs.” Jul 5, 2025. fortune.com
- Wall Street Journal. “CEOs Start Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud: AI Will Wipe Out Jobs.” wsj.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Accenture / Julie Sweet statement · September 2025 earnings call
PUBLIC RECORD
Claim: In September 2025, on Accenture’s earnings call, CEO Julie Sweet said “those we cannot reskill will be exited” — and the company announced approximately 11,000 job cuts in the trailing six months.
- CNBC. “Accenture plans on ‘exiting’ staff who can’t be reskilled on AI.” Sep 26, 2025. cnbc.com
- CX Today. “Accenture lays off 11,000 staff as part of AI reskilling strategy.” Sep 30, 2025. cxtoday.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Challenger, Gray & Christmas labor data · 2025
PUBLIC RECORD
Claim: Approximately 55,000 AI-cited job cuts in 2025; more than ten times the 2023 baseline (the first year the firm tracked the category).
- Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “Challenger Report — November 2025.” challengergray.com
- Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “Challenger Report — December 2025.” challengergray.com
LAST VERIFIED: MAY 2026
Compensation & labor-market figures cited in the book
| Claim | Source(s) | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Top-quartile journeyman electricians in data-center specialization earning up to ~$260K/year | The Hill; CNBC | Public record |
| Class 2 trade owner top-quartile incomes ($140–350K range) | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (May 2024) | Public record |
| Fractional knowledge-worker hourly rates ($200–500/hr) | MBO Partners State of Independence; Toptal | Public record |
| Gender wage gap and career-break penalty (Appendix F) | Goldin, Career and Family (Princeton, 2021); AAUW; U.S. Census | Public record |
| Venture-funding gender gap; investor-questioning asymmetry | Kanze et al., HBR 2017; PitchBook All In: Female Founders | Public record |
Tool & pricing references · as of May 2026
| Tool | Pricing | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Claude (Anthropic) | $20/mo Pro · $100/mo Max 5x · $200/mo Max 20x | anthropic.com/pricing |
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) | $20/mo Plus · $100/mo Pro · $200/mo Pro Max | openai.com |
| Google AI (Gemini) | $19.99/mo Google AI Pro · $200/mo AI Ultra | one.google.com |
| Midjourney v7 | $10 / $30 / $60 / $120 across Basic/Standard/Pro/Mega | docs.midjourney.com |
| Linear | $10/user/mo Basic · $16/user/mo Business | linear.app/pricing |
VOL. II · SHIPS JANUARY 2027
The Operator: 2027 republishes this Source Register
Every entry on this page is re-verified in the next annual edition. New disclosures, corrections, and graded predictions roll in. The Operator: 2027 ships January 2027. Field reports submitted by 2026 readers become the named case studies in that edition.
REGISTER FOR THE 2027 EDITIONCorrections
If you find a factual error, a missing citation, or an outdated figure on this page or in the book, write to roger@grubb.net with the chapter and line. Confirmed corrections are added here and rolled into the next annual edition. Verification is part of the trust contract this book is asking the reader to enter; we honor that contract by maintaining the public record on this page, in plain sight.