Joe Roetheli

From Squirrels to $100 Million: The Incredible Story of Greenies Inventor Joe Roetheli



How do you go from eating squirrels on a farm in Central Missouri to building a pet empire worth over $100 million? In this inspiring episode, Joe Calhoon sits down with Joe Roetheli — the inventor of Greenies dog treats — to hear his extraordinary rags-to-riches entrepreneurship journey, powered by faith, grit, and an unstoppable passion for dogs.

It all started in 1996 when Joe's wife Judy challenged him to fix their dogs' terrible bad breath. What began as a kitchen experiment turned into one of the most iconic pet products in history — Greenies — the first-ever injection-molded dog treat, a product dozens of experts said was "impossible" to make .

Joe and Judy bootstrapped the company with zero financing, zero business experience, and went 3.5 years without income — surviving on saltine crackers and water. Joe shares the key people who helped build Greenies, including a one-handed man with an eighth-grade education who solved what PhD engineers couldn't, and a college dropout who outsold every major distributor in the country for five straight years .

Now at 78 years old, Joe is back with Yummy Combs — a next-generation dental dog treat with 21 category firsts, 44% protein (vs. the industry average of 14%), patented geometry that flosses, brushes, and scrapes tartar, and four anti-choking innovations. Available at PetSmart, Chewy, Amazon, and Pet Supplies Plus .

In this episode, you'll learn:

🐾 How Greenies went from a homemade dog treat to a $100M+ acquisition

🐾 Why passion beats money as the #1 entrepreneurial driver

🐾 Joe's "3 P's" of success: Passion, Persistence & Performance

🐾 How faith and prayer guided every major business decision

🐾 The wild story of stolen wire transfer money recovered from Sweden — with a 13% profit

🐾 What Joe's Gallup StrengthsFinder results reveal about entrepreneurial giftedness

🐾 Why Joe says "impossible is just a BS word"

🐾 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs starting from nothing

Connect with Joe Roetheli:

📧 Joe.Roetheli@jjkiko.com

🛒 Yummy Combs: Available on Amazon, Chewy, PetSmart & PetSuppliesPlus

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