How Monica Nassif Built Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day — and Bottled Her Mother’s Grit | North Star Live
Before Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day became a household name, Monica Nassif saw something the cleaning aisle was missing: beauty, scent, emotion and a brand story people could connect with.
At this North Star Live event with Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Allison Kaplan, Nassif shares how she helped transform the household cleaning products industry – first with Caldrea, then with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, the beloved brand inspired by her mother, Thelma Meyer.
Nassif traces her grit, creativity and entrepreneurial drive to Thelma, now 93, the “real” Mrs. Meyer and the hero of Nassif’s new book, “I Bottled My Mother.” In this conversation, Nassif reflects on the power of hard work, smart branding, family influence and knowing when to disrupt your own success.
This North Star Live conversation was recorded on May 7 in Minneapolis as part of the Minnesota Star Tribune’s North Star Network event series, moderated by Allison Kaplan.
0:00 How Monica Nassif changed the cleaning aisle
2:05 The woman behind Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day
5:40 Thelma Meyer’s lessons in grit
10:15 Spotting a problem no one else saw
15:05 Taking on the household cleaning industry
20:10 The branding magic behind Mrs. Meyer’s
25:20 Why scent, names and packaging mattered
30:05 The bold move to knock herself off
35:10 What “I Bottled My Mother” is really about
38:25 Monica Nassif’s advice for entrepreneurs
42:35 Audience Q&A
47:30 Final lessons from Monica and Thelma
Sign up for the Minnesota Star Tribune’s North Star Insider newsletter, dedicated to news and insights about the state’s business community: https://www.startribune.com/newsletters.
_______________________________________________________________
👉 Dive deeper into the issues and stories that matter most: https://www.startribune.com/
👉Follow the Minnesota Star Tribune:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/StarTribune
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startribune
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@startribune
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startribune/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/star-tribune
X: https://x.com/StarTribune
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/startribune.com
