Caitlin Smith sacrificed everything, including her savings, car, and family home, to start Simple Mills. After ten years of hardship, she sold the company for nearly $800 million.
In the fast-moving world of startups, determination often wins over glamour. Few represent this better than Caitlin Smith, a former management consultant who sold her car, maxed out her credit cards, and relied on her strong will to create her natural food startup: Simple Mills.
Her journey began in 2012 in a small kitchen in Atlanta. Over time, her company became one of the leading clean food brands in the United States. In early 2025, the large company Flowers Foods announced its acquisition of Simple Mills for $795 million, one of the biggest deals in the health food sector in recent years.
From Muffin Mix to Supermarket Shelves
At 36, Caitlin Smith was running one of the most recognized brands in America’s healthy snack industry. Her beginnings were modest—working mornings at Deloitte and baking grain-free mixes in the evenings. Her goal was clear: to change supermarket aisles with natural, minimally processed, and nutrient-rich products.
In 2012, healthy eating hadn’t yet become widespread, and the market was filled with sugary and artificial products. But Smith saw a chance to offer better options using ingredients like almond flour and sunflower seeds.
“I started by making muffin mixes in my kitchen, then rented an inexpensive commercial kitchen about an hour away,” she said on the How I Built This podcast. She worked nights and weekends to meet the growing demand.
This effort paid off quickly. Within a year, her mixes were sold at Whole Foods and became a top seller on Amazon. However, this rapid success came with significant challenges.
Bankruptcy Loomed
As demand soared, Smith’s resources began to fade. After putting in $70,000 of her savings, she faced a financial crisis. She decided to take bold steps.
“I sold my car. I maxed out all my credit cards. Even my parents had to mortgage their house to help me,” she told Forbes in 2018.
Unlike many founders with venture capital and elite networks, Smith depended on her own determination and a personal support system. Self-funding was a necessity for her.
“Remembering those times when we struggled to pay salaries still gives me goosebumps,” she said. “Things could have gone wrong at several points, but we pushed through. And maybe, we were lucky.”
However, she believes that luck comes from hard work: “The harder you work, the more chances you have of getting lucky.”
The Breakthrough: $2 Million in Seed Funding
By 2014, after two years of seeking investors, Smith secured over $2 million from institutional backers.
This funding allowed her to move out of her bedroom office, hire a small team, and boost production. She launched new products like almond flour crackers, cookies, and healthy baking mixes.
The company relocated to Chicago and entered over 30,000 stores across the country, including Target, Kroger, and Whole Foods, becoming a recognizable name in the clean eating movement.
Resilience: The Most Powerful Weapon in the World of Entrepreneurship
When asked about overcoming tough times, she quickly pointed to resilience.
“I believe that resilience is what an entrepreneur needs to secure funding,” she said. She often reminded herself, “Keep going, no matter what,” which motivated her during times of doubt and fear.
This idea reflects the views of many successful entrepreneurs. Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, has talked a lot about the importance of perseverance. His book, Smart Startups, highlights perseverance as a key trait among 18 successful founders.
“Perseverance isn’t a luxury; it’s essential for anyone who wants to build a real company,” says author James Sherman.
The Deal of a Lifetime: $795 Million
In January 2025, Flowers Foods, which owns brands like Nature’s Own and Dave’s Killer Bread, announced its acquisition of Simple Mills for $795 million.
This deal represented not just financial success, but also a formal recognition of Smith’s tough journey. She didn’t build the company with massive funding or elite contacts, but through careful stages of brand building and product focus.
Unlike many companies that quickly fail, Simple Mills grew gradually—step by step, and quietly.
What’s Next?
While the details of her role after the acquisition are still unclear, Smith has hinted in interviews about wanting to explore other areas like education, sustainability, or mental health.
Whatever she chooses next, her story will continue to inspire others about what passion can accomplish when paired with perseverance, especially in a challenging environment for entrepreneurs.
Her story isn’t just about a big sale—it’s about rising against the odds, creating opportunities from scratch, and staying committed until success is achieved.
