What do you think?
I Bottled My Mother: Grit, Grime & Growing a Business. The Mrs. Meyer's Story
Monica Nassif didn’t just build a brand—she bottled a legacy.
I Bottled My Mother is the gritty, hilarious, heartfelt origin story behind Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, the cult-favorite cleaning line inspired by Monica’s real-life mom, Thelma a whip-smart, no-nonsense Midwesterner who raised nine children with little more than elbow grease, common sense, and a garden full of geraniums.
Part startup manual, part memoir, this is the candid story of how one woman turned domestic skills into corporate strategy, and a small soap company into a household name. From a chaotic Iowa childhood to a career in brand building and product development, Monica brings us inside the messy business of entrepreneurship—one that began on her kitchen floor and grew into a national retail presence with shelves in Target, Whole Foods, and beyond.
Told in short, sharp chapters with warmth and wit, this is a story about motherhood, business, and the power of building something honest, authentic, and good. For anyone who’s ever “How do I make my way in the world using what I already have?”—this book is your bottle of encouragement.
I Bottled My Mother is the gritty, hilarious, heartfelt origin story behind Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, the cult-favorite cleaning line inspired by Monica’s real-life mom, Thelma a whip-smart, no-nonsense Midwesterner who raised nine children with little more than elbow grease, common sense, and a garden full of geraniums.
Part startup manual, part memoir, this is the candid story of how one woman turned domestic skills into corporate strategy, and a small soap company into a household name. From a chaotic Iowa childhood to a career in brand building and product development, Monica brings us inside the messy business of entrepreneurship—one that began on her kitchen floor and grew into a national retail presence with shelves in Target, Whole Foods, and beyond.
Told in short, sharp chapters with warmth and wit, this is a story about motherhood, business, and the power of building something honest, authentic, and good. For anyone who’s ever “How do I make my way in the world using what I already have?”—this book is your bottle of encouragement.
216 pages
Published April 28, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 12, 2026
3.5 stars
Recommend
To me, the title of the book, "I Bottled My Mother," indicated that she was going to talk about the family, background, and development of the Mrs. Meyer's products.
But the subtitle, "Growing a Business," was more about what the book was about, including the start-up. This was a missed opportunity, as the gold was Mrs. Meyer herself (she is Monica's mother)!
If you want to learn about start-ups or can overlook the start-up part and focus on Mrs. Meyer herself, then this is the book for you!
For a more detailed review, check out my blog - booksbydorothea: https://tinyurl.com/54u594a9
Recommend
To me, the title of the book, "I Bottled My Mother," indicated that she was going to talk about the family, background, and development of the Mrs. Meyer's products.
But the subtitle, "Growing a Business," was more about what the book was about, including the start-up. This was a missed opportunity, as the gold was Mrs. Meyer herself (she is Monica's mother)!
If you want to learn about start-ups or can overlook the start-up part and focus on Mrs. Meyer herself, then this is the book for you!
For a more detailed review, check out my blog - booksbydorothea: https://tinyurl.com/54u594a9
June 19, 2026
This is a fun and quick read. Although it may appear to be a business book, it is a unique blend of memoir coupled with startup guidance with a bit of family philosophy. The book isn't physically divided amongst these trifecta, rather interspersed which adds to the easy reading pace.
The book chronicles Monica's life from early childhood through present day through which she learned life lessons in the watchful (but not helicopter parent styled) eyes of her mother. Those life lessons in and around the family room, work during teenage years, professional employment, business fits and starts, and eventually a successful exit and beyond demonstrate a rich life, lived in a loving family.
The business lessons are structured as short lessons that can be read linearly once and referred to individually in subsequent reads. Presented as bulleted lists of what to do, how to plan, how to think types of activities, the lessons are easy to absorb and can be incorporated into formal practice.
The personal lessons can be seen as child rearing, family nurturing, nostalgia, or memoir-styled reflections and stand individually on their own. They provide a glimpse into the life of a rural Iowa family whose products grace so many kitchen pantries.
The philosophical reflections are few and non-preachy. They are reminiscences of a time that molded lives of not just the author but also her siblings. The employers, neighbors, community, employees and more are all interesting characters in this life story.
A fun read by an engaging author and speaker (I watched her speak at a conference in 2025 and was summarily impressed)
The book chronicles Monica's life from early childhood through present day through which she learned life lessons in the watchful (but not helicopter parent styled) eyes of her mother. Those life lessons in and around the family room, work during teenage years, professional employment, business fits and starts, and eventually a successful exit and beyond demonstrate a rich life, lived in a loving family.
The business lessons are structured as short lessons that can be read linearly once and referred to individually in subsequent reads. Presented as bulleted lists of what to do, how to plan, how to think types of activities, the lessons are easy to absorb and can be incorporated into formal practice.
The personal lessons can be seen as child rearing, family nurturing, nostalgia, or memoir-styled reflections and stand individually on their own. They provide a glimpse into the life of a rural Iowa family whose products grace so many kitchen pantries.
The philosophical reflections are few and non-preachy. They are reminiscences of a time that molded lives of not just the author but also her siblings. The employers, neighbors, community, employees and more are all interesting characters in this life story.
A fun read by an engaging author and speaker (I watched her speak at a conference in 2025 and was summarily impressed)
September 4, 2026
The Parenting chapter was the best chapter to me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews