Book Review · Updated July 2026

From The Trash Man
To The Cash Man

How Anyone Can Get Rich Starting From Anywhere
Myron Golden · 2007 · 166 pages · ISBN 9780978894412

The book that started everything, written years before Golden became a name in the funnel world, about the change he made before he was rich. Short, plain-spoken and focused on belief rather than tactics. Nineteen years and 139,000+ copies later, that is exactly why it still works.

Get the book ($19.99) Common questions

Cover of From The Trash Man To The Cash Man by Myron Golden — His first book · 139,000+ copies sold

Is From The Trash Man To The Cash Man worth it?

Yes. It is the book that proves the premise. Myron Golden's first book (2007, 166 pages, $19.99) has sold over 139,000 copies worldwide and rates 4.36 out of 5 on Goodreads. Written by a man who caught polio as an infant and drove a garbage truck for $6.25 an hour before building a multi-million dollar business, it shows you exactly what he changed first: how the rich think about money differently, how to build “hands-free” income instead of trading hours, the CAN system for choosing the right business, and the money traps to avoid. Victor Antonio puts it alongside Rich Dad Poor Dad and The E-Myth. Short, plain-spoken, and still selling nineteen years later, because it deals in principles, and principles do not expire.

Rating: 4.36 / 5 on Goodreads
Copies sold: 139,000+ worldwide
Price: $19.99 + shipping
Length: 166 pages · a fast read
Best for: Anyone starting from nothing
Read first?: Yes, before BOSS Moves

№ 01 · What it actually is

What is From The Trash Man
To The Cash Man about?

Golden published it in 2007, long before the challenges, the coaching and the Inc. 5000 list. That matters, because the book is not a product of his marketing machine; it predates it. What you get is a man in his forties explaining, plainly, how he stopped being broke.

The spine of the book is his own story. He contracted polio at six months old and wears a leg brace. He spent years driving a garbage truck for $6.25 an hour. The argument he builds from that is not motivational fluff. It is a claim: if the starting point were what determined the outcome, he would still be on the truck. So something else must be doing the determining. The book is his answer to what that something is.

Practically, it moves through the difference between how rich and poor people think about money, why some business models are structurally better than others, what he calls “hands-free money” (income that does not require your hands on it) and the mental and practical traps that keep people poor. Reviewer Victor Antonio, quoted on the sales page, compares it to Rich Dad Poor Dad and The E-Myth, which is a fair map of the neighbourhood it lives in.

№ 02 · The framework

What is the CAN system?

Golden's filter for turning a wish into a change, and for deciding which business is actually worth your time. Three parts, in order, because the order is the point.

C

Clarity

Know precisely what you want. Golden's contention is that most people never get past this step. They have wishes, not targets, and a wish cannot be aimed at.

Without it, action is just motion
A

Action

Move toward the target. This is where the book's insistence that knowing is not doing lands: information you do not act on has changed nothing about your life.

Clarity without it is daydreaming
N

Network

Build the relationships that make the target reachable. Golden's position is that wealth travels through people, and that who you have access to sets the size of what you can attempt.

The multiplier on the first two

The CAN system as described by reviewers of the book; Golden develops it further across his later material. See Felipe Suarez's review.

№ 03 · The ideas that carried

Three arguments
that aged well

Income follows value

You are not paid for effort or hours. You are paid in proportion to the value other people receive. Change the value, not the hours.

Hands-free money

Some income requires your hands on it forever. Some does not. Choosing the second kind is a decision available before you are rich, not after.

Beliefs come first

Money problems are usually belief problems wearing a costume. Fix the arithmetic without fixing the belief and the arithmetic drifts back.

Why this matters for the reader in 2026: none of these three depend on a platform, an algorithm or a funnel. Every tactic you learned five years ago has already been rewritten by the feed and by AI. These have not moved, which is exactly why a book from 2007 is still selling today, and why it is still the right place to start.

From the pit
of poverty
to the peak of
prosperity.
the arc of the book, as reviewers describe it

№ 04 · What readers say

The reception

Every quote below comes from a published review or the publisher's own page, linked to its source. Nothing here is invented and nothing is anonymous.

Why readers rate it

“Short and sweet and full of great ideas”, called one of the best books on financial education.
Goodreads reviewers
It genuinely rewires how you think about money, in plain language that is easy to read, understand and apply.
Shannon Rhymer, Southern Royalty
Practical, no-nonsense advice. The CAN system and the hands-free money idea are the parts that stick.
Felipe Suarez
“Conversational, practical, and transformational.”
Walter Scott, quoted on the official page

What makes it different

It sits comfortably alongside Rich Dad Poor Dad and The E-Myth. The company it keeps tells you the level it plays at.
Victor Antonio, quoted on the official page
It has actually sold: 139,000+ copies worldwide, and Golden sold over a million dollars of it by hand before it ever reached Amazon.
Author's own figures
The author lived the premise. Polio at six months, a garbage truck at $6.25 an hour, then a multi-million dollar business. The book is the method, not the theory.
Golden's own account, told throughout the book
Its faith foundation is the point, not a footnote: Golden connects biblical principles directly to money, which is why readers describe it as perspective-shifting rather than merely instructional.
Southern Royalty

№ 05 · The question everyone asks

Which Myron Golden book
should you read first?

They are not competitors; they are sequential. One fixes what you believe; the other optimizes what you have built. Reading them out of order is why some people find B.O.S.S. Moves abstract.

	Trash Man To Cash Man	B.O.S.S. Moves
Published	2007 (his first)	2021
Length	166 pages	Short; page count unconfirmed
Price	$19.99 + shipping	$29.95 + shipping
Subject	Mindset, beliefs, money habits	Scaling an existing business
Assumes you have	Nothing yet	A business or an offer
Core framework	The CAN system	The four moves; four levels of value
Readers	4.36 / 5 (28 Goodreads ratings)	4.74 / 5 (34 Goodreads ratings)
Read it if	You are stuck at the starting line	You are stuck at a revenue ceiling

The short rule: no business yet, or a belief problem, start with Trash Man. Already selling something and want more of it, start with BOSS Moves, Dr. Myron Golden's 2021 follow-up. Read our BOSS Moves review → · All books by Myron Golden →

№ 06 · Common questions

Frequently asked

What is From The Trash Man To The Cash Man about?

It is Myron Golden's first book, published in 2007, with over 139,000 copies sold worldwide. It argues that wealth begins as a mindset before it becomes a bank balance, and lays out the exact beliefs, habits and business models Golden used to go from earning $6.25 an hour on a garbage truck to building a multi-million dollar business, including the CAN system, hands-free income, and the money traps that keep people stuck.

What is the CAN system in the book?

CAN stands for Clarity, Action and Network. Golden presents it as the sequence behind lasting change: get clear on what you actually want, take action toward it, and build the network that makes it reachable. He uses it as a filter for choosing which business to pursue.

Which Myron Golden book should I read first?

Read From The Trash Man To The Cash Man first if you have no business yet, or if your obstacle is belief and money habits. Read B.O.S.S. Moves first if you already have a business or an offer and want to scale it. Trash Man is the mindset foundation; B.O.S.S. Moves is the business optimization layer built on top of it.

How much does From The Trash Man To The Cash Man cost?

$19.99 plus shipping on the author's official site, with domestic shipping at $9.99 and international at $24.99. An audiobook read by Myron Golden is offered as a $37 upgrade. No money-back guarantee is stated on the sales page.

Is From The Trash Man To The Cash Man a religious book?

Yes, and for most of its readers that is the whole appeal. Golden is an ordained minister, and the book connects biblical principles directly to money and wealth. Reviewers consistently name the faith content as its defining feature: it is what turns a book about money into a book about purpose, and why readers describe it as perspective-shifting rather than merely instructional.

Is a 2007 book still worth reading in 2026?

Yes, arguably more than ever. The book deals in principles: value creation, money beliefs, hands-free income. Tactics expire every year; principles do not. That is why a 2007 book has still sold over 139,000 copies and still rates 4.36 out of 5. It gives you the foundation the tactics are supposed to sit on.

How long is the book?

166 pages, according to the Internet Archive's record of the physical edition. Reviewers describe it as short and quick to read.

Is there a free PDF of From The Trash Man To The Cash Man?

Not a legitimate one. Sites offering a free PDF download are distributing the book without the author's permission. The legal ways to read it are buying the paperback for $19.99 from the official site, the Kindle edition, the audiobook, or borrowing a scanned copy through the Internet Archive's lending library.

№ 07 · The details

Book facts

Full title	From the Trash Man to the Cash Man: How Anyone Can Get Rich Starting from Anywhere
Author	Myron Golden
Published	2007 · his first book
Pages	166
ISBN	9780978894412 · ISBN-10 0978894413
Language	English
Price	$19.99 + shipping ($9.99 US / $24.99 international)
Audiobook	$37, read by Myron Golden
Copies sold	139,000+ worldwide, per the author
Rating	4.36 / 5 on Goodreads

Sources disagree on the publisher: the Internet Archive's record of the physical book says Myron Golden Enterprises, while other listings say Skillionaire Enterprises. We have left it out of the table rather than pick one. The page count comes from the Internet Archive's scan of the physical edition.

The bottom line

$19.99 to stop believing your starting point is your ceiling.

Nineteen years old, 166 pages, 139,000+ copies sold, and still selling, because it argues about beliefs rather than tactics, and beliefs do not go out of date. It is the book Myron Golden wrote before he was famous, about the change he made before he was rich. If you are starting from anywhere, this is where he says to start.

Affiliate link: we earn a commission at no additional cost to you. It takes you to Myron Golden's official site.

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Then the other book is the one you want.

B.O.S.S. Moves review → Free starter guide → All programs →

Sources

Goodreads, From the Trash Man to the Cash Man (rating, distribution, reader reviews)
Internet Archive, scan of the physical edition (page count, publication date, ISBN)
Shannon Rhymer, Southern Royalty: Book Review (faith content, audience, who it is not for)
Felipe Suarez, Book Review (the CAN system, hands-free money)
Google Books, From the Trash Man to the Cash Man (bibliographic record)
Official Trash Man To Cash Man page (price, shipping, audiobook, testimonials)

Researched and written July 2026. Prices and ratings change over time; the sources above are the record, and every one of them is linked so you can verify it yourself.