MILE MARKER 0 · STARTING POINT

The Million Dollar Highway

An Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting, Managing, and Exiting Your Business

The Silverton Publishing Business Book Series · 12 Volumes

Get Notified at Launch
MILE MARKER 12 · THE JOURNEY

No guardrails. No shortcuts. Just the road ahead.

The Million Dollar Highway — US Highway 550 — is one of the most dangerous and perhaps the most beautiful drive in America, perhaps in the world. Carved into the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado by an entrepreneur named Otto Mears in 1882, it connects the mining towns of Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, and Durango through hairpin turns, sheer cliffs, and very few guardrails against a backdrop of unmatched beauty.

Building a business is the same drive. The Million Dollar Highway 12-volume series is your road map — covering nearly every legal, financial, and operational challenge you'll face from formation through exit. Written by a lawyer and entrepreneur who has formed and run multiple businesses and advised founders and business leaders for more than three decades, and a fintech executive who builds and scales companies from the inside.

12
Volumes
200+
Chapters
Frameworks
1
Complete Journey
MILE MARKER 25 · THE ROAD MAP

Twelve stretches. One complete road.

Each volume covers a distinct legal or business discipline — read the one you need now, or drive the whole highway.

VOL 01
Business Structure & Jurisdiction
How to form, where to form, and how to protect what you build
VOL 02
Contracts & Legal Foundations
Every clause, every deal, every risk — decoded
VOL 03
Tax Planning & Accounting
Keep more of what you earn; survive every audit
VOL 04
Business Insurance & Risk Management
What to carry, what to avoid, how to protect everything
VOL 05
Building Your Team
Classification, hiring, compensation, and the legal foundation
VOL 06
Managing Your Team
Performance, discipline, complaints, and termination without lawsuits
VOL 07
Technology, AI & Digital Business
Build, protect, and scale a digital business legally
VOL 08
Intellectual Property
What you own, how to protect it, what to do when it's stolen
VOL 09
Business Financing
Debt, collateral, lenders, and the loan you can actually get
VOL 10
Buying a Business
Due diligence, deal structure, financing, and integration
VOL 11
Selling Your Business
Timing, valuation, buyers, taxes, and closing
VOL 12
Offshore Business, Tax Havens & International Trusts
Kendall Mountain, Silverton.
MILE MARKER 40 · REAL ADVICE

Sample the Million Dollar Highway's content and practical advice.

Before the series launches, we're publishing practical answers to the legal and business questions entrepreneurs search for every day. No jargon, no hedging — just what you need to know.

Business Structure & Contracts — Books 1 & 2

Do I Actually Need a Business Lawyer, or Can I Just Use LegalZoom?

Should you hire a business lawyer or use an online service like LegalZoom? A practicing attorney breaks down when you actually need legal help — and when you're fine on your own.

Read the Answer →
Business Structure & Jurisdiction — Book 1

LLC vs. S-Corp vs. C-Corp: Which One Should You Actually Pick?

A plain-language guide to choosing between an LLC, S-Corp, and C-Corp for your new business. Covers taxes, liability, flexibility, and which entity structure fits your situation.

Read the Answer →
Contracts & Legal Foundations — Book 2

What Should Be in Every Business Contract? A Founder's Clause-by-Clause Guide

The 12 clauses every business contract needs — from performance and payment terms to indemnity, limitation of liability, and dispute resolution. A plain-language guide for entrepreneurs.

Read the Answer →
Intellectual Property — Book 8

How to Protect Your Business Name: Trademarks, Domains, and What Most Founders Get Wrong

Registering a business name isn't the same as protecting it. Learn how trademarks, domain names, and common law rights actually work — and what most founders get wrong about business name protection.

Read the Answer →
Tax Planning & Accounting — Book 3

Business Tax Deductions Most Small Businesses Miss

The difference between an average small business owner and one who understands the tax code is often $5,000-$15,000 in lost deductions every year. Here are the legitimate write-offs most owners leave on the table.

Read the Answer →
Contracts & Legal Foundations — Book 2

How to Read a Commercial Lease Before You Sign

Commercial leases are among the most consequential documents a small business owner will sign — and they're frequently signed without the scrutiny they deserve. What to examine before your signature binds you for years.

Read the Answer →
Technology, AI & Digital Business — Book 7

20 States Have Data Privacy Laws. Your Small Business Probably Isn't Compliant.

Twenty states now have comprehensive data privacy laws with no federal standard. Texas is already running enforcement sweeps. Here's what small businesses actually need to know.

Read the Answer →
Managing Your Team — Books 6 & 7

Do You Need an Employee AI Use Policy? What It Covers and Why It Matters

Most small businesses adopted AI without deciding to. A written use policy preserves trade secret status, keeps you inside your own confidentiality obligations, and gives you something to point to when a customer or insurer asks.

Read the Answer →
Intellectual Property — Books 2 & 8

Who Owns the AI-Generated Work Your Contractor Delivers?

Your assignment clause transfers an existing right. If the contractor generated the deliverable with AI, there may be no copyright to transfer — the clause is drafted correctly and moves nothing.

Read the Answer →

“A road has to go somewhere worth going. And somebody has to be crazy enough to build it.”

THE ORIGINAL ENTREPRENEUR'S ROAD

MILE MARKER 55 · THE DRIVERS

About the Authors

Mark Stetler

J.D. · BBA Finance · Attorney & Entrepreneur

Mark Stetler has formed and run multiple businesses and advised founders and business leaders for more than three decades. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law and a BBA in Finance from Baylor University, both with honors. This series distills what he's learned building, advising, and sometimes digging businesses out of trouble — into a practical road map for founders at every stage.

Mason Stetler

BBA Finance & Marketing · COO, Vaulted.com

Mason Stetler is the COO of Vaulted.com, a precious metals investment platform with significant assets under management. He holds a BBA in Finance and Marketing from Baylor University with honors. Mason brings a next-generation perspective on business operations, fintech, and the intersection of technology and financial services to the series.

MILE MARKER 70 · SILVERTON AHEAD

Be the first to hit the road.