The inventor of the self-wringing Miracle Mop and space-saving Huggable Hangers answers herphone with the same high energy and enthusiasmyou see as she sells her products on Home Shopping Network.
"Oh, I am so excited to be coming to Louisville," said Joy Mangano. "They are keeping me very busy while I'm there."
So what are this self-made billionaire's secrets for turning simple ideas into a financial empire?
You'llfind outFriday, Nov. 10 when the 61-year-old entrepreneur visits the Frazier History Museum,829 W Main St., as part of the Leadership LouisvilleCenter’s Thought Leadership Series.
Background:Inventor of Miracle Mop, Joy Mangano, to speak at Frazier Museum
Since the early 1990s, when she first appeared on QVC with her first invention,the Miracle Mop,Mangano has continued to inventproducts intended tomake our lives easier.
She said she sees everything as a potential product, and with more than 30 years of experience, Mangano has learnedhow to capitalize on a good idea.
There'sthe Spinball Luggage wheel system, My Little Steamerand the phenomenally popular Huggable Hangers – just to name a few.
Mangano holds100 patents and trademarks for her inventions and has generated over $3 billion in product sales. During her first appearance with the Miracle Mop on QVC in 1992,18,000 were sold. Since then, she's sold millions.
While selling her products on QVC and HSN, Mangano became a popular pitch personto fans of televised home shopping shows, but it was Louisville's own Jennifer Lawrence who introduced Mangano to the rest of the world.
In 2015, Lawrenceplayed Mangano in the Golden Globe Award-nominated film "Joy."
(She ended up walking away with the"Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy" statuette).
"I don't have to tell you that Jennifer is an incredible talent," Mangano said. "The first time I saw the film, I sat in the theater with goosebumps the entire time and truly I have never been able to come up with the words to describe what it feels like to have your life portrayed as a movie."
But "Joy" was only told a small part Mangano'sAmerican success story.
This month, Mangano launches her book "Inventing Joy: Dare to Build a Brave and Creative Life," ($26) which she said is the rest of the story.
"After the movie came out, people kept telling me they wanted to know the secret to my success and so I wrote this book, which gives away ALLthe secrets to living a joyful and successful life at any level," she said.
Like one of those great Netflix series you watch in one sitting, Mangano's binge-worthybook is hard to put down.
The first 237 pages take the reader through the break up of Mangano'smarriage, to the deck of her dad's boat, where she mops up a spilled drink and realizes she wants to create a mop that you don't have to wring out with your hands.
Mangano writes about her "light-bulb" moments and the difficulties she navigatedwhile bringing them to the marketplace. She hopesreaders can avoid duplicating some of her own mistakes by reading "Inventing Joy."
"I was a single mother with three kids and I was working on my idea out of my dad's auto-parts garage," said Mangano. "Today there are so many resources available to people who are starting small businesses and trying to get a product sold but you have to be sure you know what they are and then use them."
More on Joy:'Joy' shines spotlight on home shopping
More than a resource for turning your ideas into popular products, Mangano highlights the personal principles, friendsand family who became important to her success.
"Very early on, I made an important decision.It was one of the best decisions I ever made, and it has shaped my life to its core, even today," she writes in the book. "I decided thatno matter what, my children and I would always be a team."
The four called themselves "The Core Four" and through the tough times and the successes of Mangano's company,they have remained a tight inseparable unit.The last part of the book includes 14 pages called "The Blueprint," with easy to read lessons Mangano learned navigating her path to success.
"If I can enlighten anyone's path and help them find their passion and give them all my lessons that I have learned, that's something I can do for everyone out there," she said.
To date, Mangano's most popular and lucrativeinvention is the Huggable Hanger – 800 million have been sold – but her favorite product is the gift she is now sharingwith anyonelooking to unlock a happy, successful life.
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"I have lived an incredible life and being able to share it with anyone who cares to create a brave, full life is why I have written 'Inventing Joy,'" she said.
Mangano's book is availablethrough Carmichael’s Bookstore and at www.carmichaelsbookstore.com, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Jennifer Lawrence Art Fund.
Reach Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.
IF YOU GO
WHAT:Leadership Louisville Center will host an opportunity to meet and hear Joy Mangano in support of her book, "Inventing Joy: Dare to Build a Brave and Creative Life."Following her talk and Q&A with the audience, Mangano will be available for book signing.
WHERE: Frazier History Museum, 829 W. Main St.
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 10.Doors open 8 a.m., with program and book signing from 8:30-9:30 a.m.
COST: Free forLeadership Louisville Center members; $25 for guests.
MORE INFORMATION:Attendees must registerat leadershiplouisville.org or by calling 502-561-0458.
