She Lost $75,000 on a Startup—Then Built Mrs. Meyer’s Into a Category-Defining Brand

Monica Nassif reflects on her brand’s enduring appeal and her most hard-earned entrepreneurial lessons.

BY ALI DONALDSON, STAFF REPORTER @ALICDONALDSON

Before Monica Nassif built her cleaning products company Mrs. Meyer’s into a household name, she built up an eclectic résumé. She trained as a nurse, worked in retail, lost $75,000 launching a watch company, and eventually started her own marketing and design firm, Kilter. Finally, Nassif decided to channel her marketing prowess into her own brand. So she founded Caldrea, a high-end cleaning company that uses plant-derived formulas, in 1999. Two years into scaling, a conversation with her mother, Thelma, sparked the idea to develop a second cleaning brand with more mass-market appeal. Enter Mrs.........

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