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The story begins in 1865 with Paul Watkins, born in Ohio into a family synonymous with American entrepreneurship. His Uncle J.R. Watkins had already begun revolutionizing marketing practices in the late 1860s, selling homemade ointments in Beloit, Wisconsin. Innovating with money-back guarantees and door-to-door sales, J.R.'s business model transformed a modest topical ointment venture into a widespread empire that reached across the Midwest.