How Three Lollies Grew Through Amazon, Retail, and Healthcare Sampling
- Stanley Igboanugo
- 2 days ago
- 24 min read
In this episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, Jon LaClare sits down with Jim Pathman of Three Lollies, the company behind Preggie Drops and Queasy Drops, to talk about the real-world lessons that come from building a product brand over more than 20 years.
Jim shares how the business started as a passion project rooted in helping people, then grew into a nationally recognized brand available through major retailers like Walmart, H-E-B, Meijer, and Amazon. Along the way, he learned hard but valuable lessons about retail contracts, chargebacks, partnerships, and why founders need to slow down and read the fine print before jumping into exciting opportunities.
The conversation also explores how sampling became one of Three Lollies’ most powerful growth strategies. By getting products into the hands of OB-GYNs, doulas, midwives, hospitals, oncology teams, and other trusted healthcare professionals, Jim’s team built awareness through credibility, trust, and word-of-mouth.
If you’re launching or scaling a consumer product brand, this episode offers practical insight into retail growth, Amazon strategy, sampling, founder mindset, and the value of building long-term relationships.
In today’s episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, we’ll cover:
Why early business mistakes can become valuable growth lessons
What founders should understand before entering retail partnerships
How hidden retail fees and chargebacks can impact profitability
Why the right sales reps and brokers can make retail relationships stronger
How Three Lollies grew through Walmart, H-E-B, Meijer, and Amazon
Why sampling through trusted sources can drive word-of-mouth marketing
How healthcare professionals helped introduce the product to the right audiences
Why slow, sustainable growth can be an advantage for founders
The importance of relationships in building a business that lasts
You can listen to the full interview wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Or, click to watch the full video interview here!
Want to learn more about Three Lollies?
Visit threelollies.com to explore Preggie Drops, Queasy Drops, and their other natural queasiness relief products. You can also find their products on Amazon or in select retailers including Walmart, H-E-B, and Meijer.
Do you have a brand you’d like to launch or scale?
Visit HarvestGrowth.com to book a free consultation and learn how our team has helped generate over $2 billion in product sales.
Prefer reading instead of listening? Read the full transcript here!
[00:00:00]
Jon LaClare
Today's guest is the founder of a consumer product brand that's been around for more than 20 years, and has sold millions and millions of dollars of product. In this interview, we talk about what it really takes to get into major retailers like Walmart, and just as importantly, how to avoid retail deals that look exciting on the surface but can quietly drain your profits if you're not careful.
[00:00:22]
Jon LaClare
We also get into a marketing strategy that has helped them grow outside of the standard paid media playbook, and it's something that almost any consumer product company can learn from. If you're building a product brand or trying to get into retail or looking for smarter ways to drive sales without simply spending more on ads, you're gonna get a lot out of this conversation.
[00:00:42]
Announcer
Harvest the growth potential of your product or service as we share stories and strategies that'll make your competitors nervous. Now, here's the host of the Harvest Growth podcast, Jon LaClare.
[00:00:55]
Jon LaClare
Over the past 20 years, our team has helped launch and grow hundreds of consumer products, generating more than $2 billion in revenue for our clients.
[00:01:04]
Jon LaClare
On this show, we break down what actually works in product marketing. These are real stories, real strategies, and lessons that you can put to work in your business right away. So whether you're getting ready to launch or you're looking to scale what's already working, you're in the right place. All right, let's jump into today's interview.
[00:01:20]
Jon LaClare
I wanna welcome Jim Pathman. He is the president of Three Lollies dot... Well, the website is threelollies.com. Three Lollies is the company name. They've got a couple of products that you may have heard about. They are in Walmart, they're all over Amazon, they've been around for a long time , and we're gonna dive deep into what these products do.
[00:01:36]
Jon LaClare
But they essentially help you with queasiness. One is called Queasy Drops, the other is called Preggy Drops, and they've got other lines that aren't just drops as well. But Queasy and Preggy products, uh, I'm gonna have Jim ex- describe what these products are. But first, Jim, welcome to the show.
[00:01:52]
Jim Pathman
Thank you, Jon.
[00:01:53]
Jim Pathman
It's good to be here.
[00:01:54]
Jon LaClare
Thank you. All right, can you explain what are your products?
[00:01:57]
Jim Pathman
Yeah. So we have two brands under the name Three Lollies. The first is our original product is Preggy Drops, uh, Preggy Hydration. So basically all of our products in the Preggy line are made exclusively for pregnant women.
[00:02:14]
Jim Pathman
Our Preggy Drops are made for morning sickness- Which comes on in, uh, usually the first trimester of pregnancy, but could last the entire pregnancy, which is rare, but it does happen. Uh, and we also have a hydration product that we make exclusively for pregnant women to keep mom and baby hydrated throughout the pregnancy.
[00:02:30]
Jim Pathman
You can use that, you know, prenatally, you can use it after the birth of the baby. And then our second line is, that was an offshoot of the Preggy line, is called Queasy Drops and Queasy Hydration, Queasy Wristbands, and that product is more addressing general nausea. It could be chemotherapy nausea, it could be travel-related motion sickness, it could just be an upset stomach.
[00:02:55]
Jim Pathman
There are a variety of reasons that people feel, you know, chronic nausea, and so that's what the Queasy line is meant to address.
[00:03:04]
Jon LaClare
And I have to say, these products do work very well. Uh, we've got five, five friends and family members right now that are going through chemotherapy, completely different cancers, and just one of those times.
[00:03:16]
Jon LaClare
We, we certainly pray for them, but they have enjoyed your product. You know, as hard as it is to go through chemotherapy, one of the difficult things is the queasiness that comes with it, and, and the Queasy Drops especially have been extremely helpful. I know the Preggy products work very well. I've never been through that or the, or the chemo side, but, but, uh, speaking to that, it, it, these, these products do work well.
[00:03:35]
Jon LaClare
I've been thanked o-over and over again, so I wanted to make sure I mentioned that as we, as we talk today 'cause, uh, they, they definitely love the product and appreciate it. And they've been around for a long time. So you launched this business in the very early 2000s, got it off the ground I think in 2003 when you first went to market.
[00:03:51]
Jon LaClare
So over 20 years that you've been doing this and have sold millions and millions of dollars worth of these products. Can you take us back, though, into the very beginning of the business? What were you doing at the time? And, and, you know, you've got some business partners that are involved in this as well.
[00:04:05]
Jon LaClare
How did this all come to be?
[00:04:07]
Jim Pathman
Great question. Um, we have been around a long time. We, we actually started the company in 2000, and as you mentioned, the first product was actually launched two years later. It did take us some time to, to find a manufacturer, advertising, marketing, and so on. But we As a group, as a company, we are all healthcare professionals.
[00:04:27]
Jim Pathman
I'm a clinical psychologist by trade. I still practice. My partners are all registered nurses. The, the original concept came from, uh, Noni Martin, who was a registered nurse and a Lamaze instructor, and she had for many decades been teaching Lamaze and telling her-- the women that were taking her classes to go out and find a certain lozenge or lollipop.
[00:04:48]
Jim Pathman
And 'cause our original product was a lollipop called the Preggy Pop. Um, so she had had this idea, and we were sitting around one day. We all worked at a community hospital in Glendale, California, small little community, and we were kicking around ideas. Noni mentioned this idea of a Preggy Pop to use both during labor, she wanted to call it a labor lolly at the time, but also morning sickness, and so that was the beginning.
[00:05:13]
Jim Pathman
None of us had any business background, and I think that's why it took us a couple years to really get a product into the market. But, you know, in the beginning, we were packing the product from each of our homes, so every week a new partner would take over, and whatever orders came in, it was actually before Amazon, we were shipping directly to consumers.
[00:05:32]
Jim Pathman
So it was, it was fun. It was, uh... It really started as an offshoot of our desire to wanna help others. I mean, we're all in the helping profession. I certainly am in the helping profession, and all of my partners are in the helping profession as nurses. So we wanted to create a product that would continue to kinda live out that dream of continuing to help people beyond what we did for a living.
[00:05:55]
Jim Pathman
So I, I wanna say it almost started as a hobby that became a business.
[00:06:01]
Jon LaClare
And, you know, you mentioned you weren't a businessman as you started. Obviously, you, you probably s- I think you've mentioned that you still don't feel like you are but after 20 years you've mastered this, right? You've, you've learned a lot and y- you never fully master it.
[00:06:11]
Jon LaClare
We all make mistakes along the way, but you've created a very successful business. What was one of the early hurdles that comes to mind where, you know, you maybe you wish you had more experience and, you know, made a mistake early in the process that now of course you wouldn't 'cause you've, you've learned?
[00:06:25]
Jim Pathman
Well, I still might, but I have made a lot of mistakes, and I think in, in making those mistakes there was a lot of growth, although sometimes it was painful. Uh, I'd say early on not having any business experience and coming to this as a psychologist, I was very trusting. So if somebody shared a story with me or told me they could manufacture the product and asked for a deposit up front, we were gung ho.
[00:06:51]
Jim Pathman
Jumped in, didn't necessarily read the small print because there was just 100%, like, this is... We're all gonna work together. We're all a team. We're all helping people. And got, got burned a few times. Um, so now as we approach new relationships, new contracts, we go much slower. We take our time. We don't rush into something 'cause we rushed into a few relationships that didn't work out and that were costly.
[00:07:16]
Jim Pathman
So we do re- we do read the fine print now as a team. Uh, we talk about it so that we make decisions less impulsively and less from a, an excited standpoint and more, I'd say, from a business standpoint. So that's... There's been lots of opportunities for learning for sure. Um, and I, and I am grateful for those
[00:07:38]
Jon LaClare
It is one, one of the blessings of running a business is the challenges that you, you face, 'cause you overcome them.
[00:07:43]
Jon LaClare
We, we grow individually, and they're hard to go through, but as you look back, you know, likewise, I've been running my business for almost 20 years. We're a little bit behind you just by a couple of years, and man, the things I've learned along the way are, uh, are, are phenomenal. For me personally, I've grown a lot, you know, through mistakes, through challenges, et cetera.
[00:08:00]
Jon LaClare
And that's one of the reasons I love doing this podcast is it share... You know, I can share some of my learnings, of course, yours as well, some of these challenges. One of the challenges you've mentioned to me before is retail. So some early retail partnerships where you mentioned reading the fine print or not reading the fine print or not understanding it fully.
[00:08:17]
Jon LaClare
Uh, what challenges did you face in the early days in some of the retail establishments?
[00:08:23]
Jim Pathman
You know, there was one, um, opportunity that we jumped on. It was a, a national, uh, chain with thousands of stores, and there was a, a fairly large upfront cost, but their initial PO was gonna be three times the initial investment.
[00:08:39]
Jim Pathman
And so we, we got super excited about this opportunity. I actually flew cross-country to meet with my sales rep and the buyer, and we started doing business together. And we did read the fine print on this one, and what we found is that we'd ship an order, let's say it was a rough number just for fun, a $10,000 order, and the checks would come in, and the check would be $2,300.
[00:09:08]
Jim Pathman
And we just scratched our head. We really wondered, like, what was happening. And what we found out by not reading the fine print is that every time a new store opened, there was a charge. Every time they recarpeted a store, there was a charge. And the, and the vendors paid for those costs and- Uh, I definitely regret that.
[00:09:25]
Jim Pathman
Um, again, that was kind of a rush to a new opportunity that was early on in the, um,
[00:09:35]
Jim Pathman
the growth of the business. It-- And that relationship didn't last long as a result of that because we just couldn't sustain, uh, those kinds of costs or chargebacks. Um, so that was the biggest hurdle. We've, we've had some, uh, some good luck and fortune, good fortune I would say, is where a few retailers that are large came to us when they were starting, let's say, a new category in, in the baby market, baby maternity.
[00:10:02]
Jim Pathman
That was also very exciting, but we had a little more experience at that point. So we did read the fine print. Um, we actually, in that moment, those instances brought an attorney, right? So we did it the right way as opposed to just reading it and going, "All right, this looks really great. Let's just jump in and, and start sending product."
[00:10:22]
Jim Pathman
So again, some bad experiences, but also as a result, approaching, you know, new relationships better and smarter for sure.
[00:10:32]
Jon LaClare
And some of that is, you know, you have to learn through experience or certainly through, you know, obviously working with, uh, experts in the field if you have a broker that can guide your hand or answer some questions.
[00:10:41]
Jon LaClare
But sometimes you just gotta learn 'cause every, every retailer might be a little bit different, every contract's gonna be different. And, you know, with all that, you didn't give up on retail, right? It still works in the right scenario, right relationship, et cetera. So what, what are some of your bigger customers right now that you're in brick-and-mortar retail?
[00:11:00]
Jim Pathman
Um, there are a few nice brick-and-mortar relationships that we have. One is with Walmart. Uh, we've been in Walmart for over ten years, and that relationship is very positive and works very well. And, um, we're very proud of that relationship. We also have a, a wonderful sales rep who guides us through that relationship.
[00:11:17]
Jim Pathman
Uh, the other kind of grocery-type chains are H-E-B in Texas. We've also been with them for over ten years. We have a wonderful sales rep there who keeps an eye on us and takes care of us. And then also the same at Meijer. Meijer, um, I think is in the Midwest. It's Midwest to the East, and they have about 150 grocery stores.
[00:11:40]
Jim Pathman
And again, we love that relationship. They're very kind to us, and we have somebody who looks out for us. So in every, in every retail, um, chain that we work with, we have, like, somebody kinda holding our hand and keeping an eye on us, which we feel very fortunate about. And we-- these are all long-term relationships, so that's been really, really good for us.
[00:11:59]
Jim Pathman
So I would encourage, you know, as a new business owner or as a founder to make sure that you have somebody who really knows the chain, who knows the market, who knows the buyer, 'cause that is, it's a lifesaver
[00:12:11]
Jon LaClare
And they are really different from each other. So you mentioned the problems you face with one retailer, you know, and these other ones you've got good relationships with, and they don't try to hide these fees, or you know what you're getting into in advance, so you can, you can plan for those.
[00:12:23]
Jon LaClare
So part of that comes from the experience. Part of it is just dealing with, with good partners, good retailers. So Walmart's always one that people look to as a great opportunity because they're massive, right? They've got thousands and thousands of stores, and they actually can be a very good partner.
[00:12:37]
Jon LaClare
They get a bad rap because they, of course, try to drive down your pricing, right? So y- the price you get from them so they can take that value on to their customer. So there's... No one's perfect, right? But they also... I, I know every interview I do, in my experience in working with them, they can be a great partner.
[00:12:54]
Jon LaClare
Uh, they, they want to see you succeed, but they also want to see their, their customers, like the people that walk through the doors, you know, get a good value. It's, it's kind of that interplay in the relationship. But how did that originally start? So now you're in, you know, well over 1,000 Walmart stores, got a good presence there.
[00:13:08]
Jon LaClare
It's one of your biggest customers. How did that first come about 10 years ago?
[00:13:15]
Jim Pathman
That's a good question. Um, th-that was one of the chains that was starting up a new... So morning sickness is not a category. So, excuse me. We were basically laying the groundwork for a new so-called category, because the question was always, "Where do we put you?"
[00:13:32]
Jim Pathman
Right? We can't put you-- We can put you in anti-nausea, but you don't-- Women aren't going to an anti-nausea section looking for a morning sickness product. So they were starting a section that had things like pregnancy tests and ovulation kits, um So those kinds of, those were kinds of the issues and the hurdles that we had to deal with.
[00:13:54]
Jim Pathman
But they, they fortunately came to us and s- 'cause they Googled morning sickness and early pregnancy, prenatal, um, first symptoms of pregnancy. And fortunately, you know, we popped up. And so they, they contacted us and said they'd like to meet. We met. I was introduced to a wonderful rep who I s- who we still have and still work with.
[00:14:15]
Jim Pathman
And that was the, the beginning. You know, we started probably in 250 stores, and then that, that has grown, um, you know, to 500 and then to 1,000 and then to, to company-wide. So, um, again, feel very lucky to have a relationship with Walmart.
[00:14:32]
Jon LaClare
Yeah, absolutely. I, I, it's a good example. There's, you know, there's a couple of ways really to make, uh, to, to get into a big retailer like that.
[00:14:39]
Jon LaClare
One is to hit the pavement, work, work, work, and sometimes spend a year or two years trying to reach out and finally break into the door. And the other way, oft- you know, the two big buckets, is they find you. And one of the ways they do that is when you've got a successful direct-to-consumer business, it can actually feed your retail in a couple of ways that people don't think about.
[00:14:57]
Jon LaClare
One is raising awareness. So when they Google, right, they come... that you're easy to find, or sometimes they come across it in social media in their own feeds, and they see that it's successful. They can see that it's selling well maybe on Amazon, for example. You can see the number of reviews, et cetera. So success in many ways breeds success.
[00:15:15]
Jon LaClare
The other way I've seen it where direct-to-consumer success like that, that can drive presence and really, you know, sales results in retail is it increases awareness. So just like the buyer found you, that means that, that your, the customers inside of Walmart and other retail outlets are also gonna be aware of you because they see you come across in, in different marketing platforms to then find you.
[00:15:36]
Jon LaClare
So I know m- Amazon is a big part of your business as well and has been great. How, uh, I guess what, what do you find as key levers to the success on Amazon?
[00:15:50]
Jim Pathman
You know, I, I'll go back to having somebody who's-- who keeps an eye on you and who guides you. When, when Amazon first came to be, our very first rep was new to...
[00:16:02]
Jim Pathman
Well, everybody was new to Amazon, right? So we struggled with that, and they, they got us onboarded, and we kind of rode that out for a while with very little growth. And then we were introduced to a new agency that promoted products on Amazon. And so it was those relationships, people that started to really understand the whole process, um, in working with Amazon.
[00:16:26]
Jim Pathman
And, um, we've had a couple agencies now. We're on our, I think our third agency, and with each agency we've seen growth, which has been really nice. And again, it's about partnering with the right people, and I think advertising has been really important. So all of the agencies we work with have an advertising, uh, department where they're driving that.
[00:16:47]
Jim Pathman
Um, so that's really important. And then even beyond Amazon, I mean, one of the ways that we've grown the company has been really organic in that one of the things we do a lot of is we sample, right? We get our product in the hands of the people that need it. So whether it's sampling to OB-GYNs or doulas, midwives throughout the country, um, Lamaze instructors, we get requests every single day from hospitals for the Queasy Drops, from oncologists, um, um, oncology dieticians, nurse practitioners.
[00:17:21]
Jim Pathman
I mean, really anybody who's interfacing with, uh, with people who need the product. And so we, we honor that. We're very generous, I would say, in, in getting the product out to the right people. Uh, and it makes us feel good about that. Uh, you know, it's, it's a business, but it's also a passion. So, um, it has kind of two sides to the business, right?
[00:17:45]
Jim Pathman
I mean, it, you know, in many ways, Jon, it still is a hobby. You know, it's kind of, it's kind of a hobby, it's kind of a game. It's fun, and, um, we're having a good time
[00:17:56]
Jon LaClare
That's good. That's, you know, a key to success is enjoying what you do 'cause it'll get you through the ups and the downs for sure. Uh, you know, I, I wanna talk about samples a little bit.
[00:18:05]
Jon LaClare
I, I, I like how you talk about it's not always with a return on investment or ROI goal in mind when you send out 1,000 samples, how many sales are you gonna get from that? It's hard to track. But it does a couple things. One is, as you mentioned, you're helping people, especially if they're going through chemo or pregnancy too, right?
[00:18:21]
Jon LaClare
They're, they, they need this product to help with queasiness. It's helping them through a difficult time in their lives. And when you help, again, even if this isn't a directive or a, a goal that you can track, it really does help word of mouth e- especially in those communities, both in pregnancy and chemotherapy.
[00:18:39]
Jon LaClare
And when people are going through hard things, like pregnancy obviously is, ends in a beautiful way, but it's, it's hard. It's hard to go through, right? Physically. And when you're going through that, you, you... when you find solutions in your own life, you share with others. And so I, I'm sure with these samples that are going out, and, you know, even if they don't pay you for it, they're telling friends and family about it.
[00:18:59]
Jon LaClare
You know, w- whether you're getting a sample or you're buying a product, you come across it. I've found that with, as I mentioned, we've got several family members and friends that are going through cancer right now, and there's a quite a community between them. Everybody who's been through it in the past wants to help those that are going through it now, and some of that is product-based.
[00:19:15]
Jon LaClare
Um, you know, I've got recommendations on your product before you and I even met, um, for somebody who had gone through chemotherapy in the past, and they were making a recommendation for somebody else. So it's, that's... Sampling is a great way to get the word out. And when you've got a good product that helps someone, helps solve a problem, that word of mouth can be truly invaluable as well.
[00:19:35]
Jon LaClare
So I, I think there's an opportunity, and I'm sure you're taking advantage of this in some way. I, I'd just like to understand how you're doing it, I guess. But how do you, how do you educate people? So, you know, your products are perfect for the type of, you know, educational content, whether it's videos or articles or social posts or whatever it might be of, you know, the, the things to pack in your labor bag or what to bring to your chemotherapy sessions or, you know, what to keep in your travel bag 'cause it's, works so great with airline travel, car travel, et cetera, or morning sickness survival kits.
[00:20:06]
Jon LaClare
What have you done, if anything, to, to use, like, education to connect back with your product?
[00:20:13]
Jim Pathman
That's a good question. Um- I think that our product's pretty straightforward. Like, it's not complicated. That's one of the beauties of it, is we didn't throw a lot of ingredients in there and make it really difficult to understand.
[00:20:29]
Jim Pathman
It's just a very straightforward, clean, useful product that tastes great, and it, and it's pretty self-explanatory. I mean, I think the sampling, 'cause the people that are... So when we sample, right, we're, we do send it to the consumer, right? We have a-- We're, we're connected with a couple websites. One's Breast Cancer Freebies, for example.
[00:20:47]
Jim Pathman
And if you're going through breast cancer, you go on there and lots of freebies. So we send it out to consumers directly, and they can read about it on, on that website. But usually the person that's giving our product to a patient is a healthcare person, right? So it's, it's the nurse that works for the oncologist that's saying, "Hey, would you like a box of, of Queasy Drops?"
[00:21:08]
Jim Pathman
Or the OBGYN or the nurse practitioner in that practice or the doula is handing it to the patient and educating the patient. So it's coming from a reliable source, right? It's not just us just sending it out there and going, "Here you go. Give it a try." It's really people that patients trust, um, with different, different products like ours, for sure, right?
[00:21:30]
Jim Pathman
So I think that helps.
[00:21:34]
Jon LaClare
I think in the, the medical space in general does such a good job with, with sampling. It's kind of built into the marketing even for pharmaceuticals, right? You're-- When you get a prescription, you often get the first few doses for f- for free, right, in sample packs. Going to the dentist, getting a free toothbrush, toothpaste, floss.
[00:21:50]
Jon LaClare
It's very well known for that. And what you've done, I think I, I love that you've connected into that, 'cause everyone loves freebies, right? You love to get something, and it attaches credibility, it attaches trust in the product when it comes from your medical practitioner, right? Doctor, nurse, dentist, whatever it might be.
[00:22:07]
Jon LaClare
And I think that's a good challenge, I would say to our audience, if, you know, whatever business you're in, not all of the listeners, of course, are gonna be in the medical-related field, but how can you introduce sampling into your own business as well, finding a credible source? And that could be an influencer, right?
[00:22:21]
Jon LaClare
If it's a kitchen gadget or whatever. But finding that source that, that people trust, uh, can certainly help to grow it. On the healthcare front, you know, the, the fact that you and your partners were all in the healthcare field when you started, and still many of you are, um, it helped. You mentioned in a previous conversation with me where you didn't have to grow fast.
[00:22:41]
Jon LaClare
You weren't dependent on the income in the ear- very early days 'cause you all had jobs that you're running. How did that, how did that help? I guess, how was that a blessing to you in the early days of the business to not be forced to grow very quickly?
[00:22:54]
Jim Pathman
Well, I think, like, like you had mentioned, because we were all working and we had incomes, we weren't dependent on this becoming a huge success, that if we grew slowly, we could also manage it because we were all working full-time.
[00:23:09]
Jim Pathman
If we grew too quickly... We've never really brought- People to work in the company as employees to do what we've done, right? We, we still run the company. We do have a warehouse and we have employees, um, who help to pack and ship the products. But in terms of the-- on the management level, we've never done that.
[00:23:26]
Jim Pathman
So we've wanted to always keep it fairly reasonable in term, in terms of time, um, commitment. So again, um, it's nice... It, it was nice certainly in the first 10 years not to feel like we had to make every deal that came our way. I mean, sure, we made some bad deals along the way. Um, we try not to do that any longer, and we try to make deals that don't stress us out because as I mentioned to you before, you know, it's a hobby/game/business and we want it to be fun, right?
[00:23:57]
Jim Pathman
So we wanna help people, we wanna have fun, and we, we wanna make some money if we can at the same time. We'd like it to be, you know, to be profitable. So it's really about managing, and I probably sound like a shrink when I say this, but it's all about managing stress, right? When, when it becomes too stressful and you go to bed at night and you can't sleep, or you wake up early 'cause you can't sleep and you're thinking about the business or the deal or the money, it's, it stops being enjoyable, right?
[00:24:23]
Jim Pathman
And we're trying to hold onto it being fun, um, and successful at the same time
[00:24:29]
Jon LaClare
And you talked about, I think this is an amazing way to say it, that, that still feels like a hobby sometimes 20 years in. I think that gets back to the, the fact that you enjoy it. So what do you do, beyond what you've already said I guess just now, to still enjoy what you do 20 years into this business?
[00:24:46]
Jon LaClare
You
[00:24:47]
Jim Pathman
know, most of the enjoyment comes from relationships. I mean, I have relationships all over the world with people I will probably never meet in person, but I feel like I know. Like a lot of the sales reps that I work with, I've never met, but we have relationships going back 15 to 20 years, which is fantastic.
[00:25:05]
Jim Pathman
I just came back from a trade show in Las Vegas called the ABC Kids Expo. I meet people, new people and old friends there every year. Um, it's hard work, right? You're in a booth selling your wares, uh, for three days in a row. Um, but it's so much fun to, to meet people, and I also love, you know, you have booths next to you, and the people next to you oftentimes are new to the trade show.
[00:25:29]
Jim Pathman
We've been doing the trade show for 20 years, so it's great to connect with people, share information, uh, give them some direction, share sales reps. 'Cause you, you know, you want the people around you to be successful as well. But it's that just connecting, um, with people. Pretty much every day I connect with at least one or two new people, whether it's talking to an influencer or talking to a sales rep, talking to a customer.
[00:25:53]
Jim Pathman
Um, so that's, I think that's where the enjoyment comes from. It's nice to see the business grow also by doing that, but that feels like secondary to, to maintaining and creating new relationships.
[00:26:06]
Jon LaClare
That's a great answer, a great way to think about it, and I think kind of a unique perspective. But it is so true and, and oftentimes, you know, you have business partners in your business you can interact with.
[00:26:16]
Jon LaClare
Many of our listeners don't, right? So many of them are entrepreneurs that start off on their own and may have employees, but you kind of feel lonely at the top sometimes. And, you know, what- however your business is structured, with partners or without Realize the relationships you have and can build, whether it's at trade shows or marketing partners or whatever, but enjoy those relationships.
[00:26:35]
Jon LaClare
I think that perspective is, is really valuable to, to not feel alone sometimes, um, but to realize, you know, some of these relationships are fun. It's great to get to know new people, new friends, but also you're gonna learn from them, right? Even if they have a, a business that's very different from yours, they're gonna have a unique perspective that might come in and, you know, you share with them and vice versa, so you can teach and learn through these re- relationships and, and not feel so lonely at the top with, uh, an entrepreneurial venture.
[00:27:02]
Jon LaClare
Jim, this has been a lot of fun. Is there anything I didn't ask you that you think would be helpful for our audience?
[00:27:06]
Jim Pathman
No. I, uh, I think we covered a good amount. Look, I'm always happy to come back, Jon, and do a sequel.
[00:27:12]
Jon LaClare
Fantastic. Would love to have you back. This has been a lot of fun. If people wanna find your product, what's the best way to find them?
[00:27:18]
Jim Pathman
The best way to find us, probably just y- on Google or in Google put in morning sickness relief or Preggie Drops or Queasy Drops. But you can always go to Amazon or walk into a Walmart store or H-E-B or a Meijer. But, uh, probably Google is the fastest and easiest way to find us. And on our website at threelollies.com you can also find a store.
[00:27:40]
Jim Pathman
We have a zip code... Basically, a store by zip code finder, uh, that makes it easy. And, um, yeah, I think that's probab- those are all the best ways to find us.
[00:27:51]
Jon LaClare
And we didn't talk about this in this interview today, but, uh, if you go to threelollies.com, L-O-L-L-I-E-S, threelollies.com. The, this three is spelled out, too.
[00:28:02]
Jon LaClare
So threelollies.com. It, it... You don't sell from that website directly. You've got links. They can go to Amazon, go to walmart.com and other o- outlets as well to buy the products. But it is a great place to... If, if you're listening and just wanna understand more about the business, you can see all the products in one place there.
[00:28:16]
Jon LaClare
But like you said, go to Amazon, go to your local Walmart if you actually wanna buy the product. But learn more about the business. This is, uh... It's great what Jim has built here, um, in, in this, in the way that you, Jim, have, have really helped out people. Uh, uh, I'm sure everybody listening has... knows somebody that is pregnant or soon will be or potentially going through, through chemotherapy and has queasiness there or maybe you're a traveler.
[00:28:41]
Jon LaClare
My wife gets carsick, so she gets queasy when we do, go on long car trips. Whatever it might be, these are fantastic natural products that, that are very helpful. Not drug in, related, right? These are not prescriptions. These are delicious, uh, products that can, can really help with queasiness. So I'd encourage you to go check 'em out in retail or at least through the website.
[00:29:01]
Jon LaClare
Uh, Jim, thanks again for taking the time today. I do really appreciate it. I encourage everybody, please go to, to threelollies.com or to your local retailer to find out more. If y- if you're listening and you wanna take the next step in growing your own business, please visit harvestgrowth.com. There you can connect with our team and book a one-on-one conversation focused on your business.
[00:29:19]
Jon LaClare
But for day, today, thank you for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode.
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