In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Monica Nassif, an entrepreneur and founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, as well as author of “I Bottled My Mother: The Mrs. Meyer’s Story: Grit, Grime, and Growing a Business”. 

[0:14] Monica Nassif: Entrepreneur, Career Changer, and Creator of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day 

[0:36] Monica's Background, From Nursing to Marketing 

[2:42] The Eureka Moment: Reinventing Cleaning Products 

[5:28] The Real Mrs. Meyer: How Monica’s Mother Inspired a Brand 

[7:44] Savings, A Second Mortgage, and Credit Cards: When Entrepreneurs Go All In 

[11:14] The Founding of Caldrea  

[13:22] “Sawing Off The Branch” and Launching Mrs. Meyer's  

[16:26] Building Mrs. Meyer's Retail Presence 

[18:14] Growth Strategy and Lessons from Williams-Sonoma and Target 

[28:12] Being an Entrepreneurial Working Mother 

[35:37] The Decision to Sell 

[39:21] The Acquisition Process: Vetting PE Firms and Choosing SC Johnson 

[42:24] Life after the Sale 

[44:15] The Book I Bottled My Mother — Part Love Letter to Monica's Mom, Part Startup Manual 

[46:33] Lessons for Entrepreneurs 

[52:38] On Resourcefulness: “Creativity Lies in Your Hands" 

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