Why Mrs. Meyer's founder sold her company and retired at 53

Monica Nassif, who founded Caldrea and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, sold her brands to SC Johnson in 2008 and retired from the company in 2010 at 53. She called the decision "really bittersweet" and said, "I had to sell my mother," a reference to the brand's inspiration.

Nassif said scaling difficulties drove the choice: "It deserves to be in the hands of people who can scale this much better than we can." The Mrs. Meyer's scents traced back to Nassif's mother, Thelma Meyers, an avid gardener whose basil, lavender and lemon inspired the products.

Early promotions included a trailer designed like Thelma's kitchen where people lined up for samples and bottle signings. Nassif launched Mrs. Meyer's and the upscale Caldrea in 1999 and saw Caldrea reach specialty gift stores while Mrs. Meyer's expanded into mass-market retailers such as Whole Foods.

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