Whatever Works: Where Product is King

Four years after the sale of Dr. Leonard’s, the partners discovered they missed the catalog business— with Brown missing it most of all. They knew what they were doing, and with their philosophy of low overhead and good margins, understood how to make a profit. At a hardware show in Chicago, they saw numerous exhibits of pesticides, cleaning products and outdoor merchandise. They decided this was a niche in which they could sell products that everyone needs—pest control, and problem solvers for homes and gardens.