No, he didn’t win American Idol, The Voice or America’s Got Talent. He didn’t have his own Reality Show. And he didn’t win the lottery.

He did it by starting a business and working hard at it for years.

More people actually have made money that way than the more splashier ways. But many young people want to become famous without working at it. He says there are 28.3 million high school graduates each year, and many have no skills so they don’t enter the workforce until age 30.

Born and raised in Marysville, Johnson has started a nonprofit called Begin Young, which will provide educational materials that emphasize self-effort to schools and civic organizations.

Johnson and his wife, Erin, have spent 30 years building 4,000 homes in the area under the names D.B. Construction and Burton Homes. He retired 1 1/2 years ago and now, at age 57, he wants to focus on improving young people’s lives.

He said he could write checks to help, but decided a better way would be to give advice about success to youth.

“We’ve messed up here financially, spending before earning,” he said.

Johnson has written a self-published book called “Don’t Feed The Squirrels” to raise money for the nonprofit. It can be purchased at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. For details, go to information@beginyoung.org.

Johnson admits his book is “harsh and may offend some people.” But it’s the truth as he knows it.

Johnson’s book talks about how half the country does not pay income taxes, putting a tremendous burden on those who do, creating a lazy lifestyle for those who don’t. His overlying theme is “Don’t Feed The Squirrels” because they just will want more, and more people will want to be like them. So many people believe they are entitled to free housing, free food and free health care that it gives little incentive for folks to work.

The book also talks about how the debt keeps growing because everyone wants free stuff. Politicians love to oblige so they can get re-elected. But some day the United States will have to pay the bill, and that’s when this country finally will realize it has gone too far.

“Nothing comes without sacrifice,” Johnson said. “So many want everything now.”

Johnson also talks about how he has served his country, even though he never was in the military, and that “effort equality” should be more important than income equality.

When it comes to raising children, he describes how more is less – that if you give your kids too much, they will expect handouts their entire lives and won’t do much on their own, which is what gives true satisfaction in life. Children who are held accountable actually learn from their mistakes, he writes.

As for higher education, Johnson believes in it, but it’s not for everyone. His education was at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. He said students today seem to be “brainwashed into looking down” on construction workers as “not an honorable thing.” But Johnson knows from making millions of dollars that he’s “contributed more than taken.”

Johnson said going to college can actually lead to huge debts early in life that can get them “stuck in a rut.” People want more so they go further into debt.

“Somebody out there’s paying for it,” Johnson said.

He said it’s a myth that the top 1 percent don’t pay their fair share of taxes. Johnson said many people “gripe about paying taxes” but they don’t pay anywhere near what the benefits are that they receive.

Johnson’s family helped him come up with the title for the book. They used to go on a trip every year, and the kids would feed the squirrels even though they were told not to. After a few years the squirrels were gone. Johnson theorized they became extinct because they no longer could fend for themselvers.

Johnson is writing a second book, with the working title “18 to 29 101.” He wants to give that age group the basics for success.

“Before they go out and make all the mistakes this is all the stuff that can go against them,” he said.

Johnson’s overall message is that handouts aren’t as meaningful as earning something.

“You can’t enjoy anything until you can appreciate it,” he said.