8 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MAY 2018
COVER STORY
JOY MANGANO:
By RUTH BASHINSKY
“When you are passionate and
love what you do you keep doing
more and more of it, so I just don’t
stop,” says Joy Mangano speaking
enthusiastically to the Press from
her sprawling home in St. James.
Clearly, for the inventor, designer
and home shopping queen, that
could not be more true.
For nearly 30 years, Mangano
has been living her dream by
simplifying everyday challenges
with smart, innovative products
that make a difference to millions of
people. Her breakout product was
the Miracle Mop®, the first-ever selfwringing
cotton mop that enabled
one to wash and bleach the mop
head for reuse, followed shortly
by her velvety non-slip Huggable
Hangers, selling more than a recordbreaking
billion units. The obstacles
she overcame as a single mother
raising three children early in her
career proved so inspirational that
in 2015, a Hollywood movie called
Joy, based on her real-life story and
starring Jennifer Lawrence, was
made.
Now a grandmother, she is
continuously reinventing herself.
During our interview, the mother
of invention talked about many
of her other products — My Little
Steamer®; Forever Fragrant®, and
Memory Cloud Pillow®, to name a
few — her next product launch, and
her new book, Inventing Joy, that
gives readers a blueprint for success.
Long Island Press: How do you
define success?
Joy Mangano: My definition of
success has nothing to do with the
money. It has to do with achieving
what you love to do and to set out to
do a goal and complete that. I have
reached success on different levels
and at different times. If you keep
on putting one foot in front of the
other, you will have success.
Joy with her three children: (l to r.) Jacqueline, Christie and Robert Miranne.
LIP: You overcame incredible odds
to get where you are and you are a
role model. What can you share?
JM: The difference between myself
and someone else, who may not
have achieved what they wanted
to, is to have the courage to keep
going forward. You have to have
that ability to believe in yourself.
My path changed all the time
drastically. Even though you have
this one goal, I ended up on TV with
a product, which was never my goal.
I wanted to be in Kmarts across the
country. I followed wherever that
path went and just kept on going.
LIP: Was that drive instilled in you
as a child?
JM: It was not. It was something
that I had to bring out. To this day I
keep on having to bring it out. I have
a famous saying in the principles
in my book, “A no is not a no.” I
still hear “No” every day even as a
successful businesswoman. A no to
me is a starting point. It is a place
to step back and say, “OK, what do
I have to do to turn that around
to a yes? Is there something about
the product or something I need to
adjust?”
LIP: Tell us a little bit about the
early years of building your empire.
JM: When I needed people to work
I went to the local church. They
would ride their bicycles and today
they drive beautiful cars to work. I
still have the manufacturing facility
and offices here so everyone who
worked for me can always work for
me. I have had people with me for 25
years, and some of those are family.
And let me tell you, when you have
success, you have to look around
you, because the people around you
help to make that success.
LIP: You could live anywhere in the
world. What made you stay on Long
Island?
JM: I was born in Brooklyn and
I grew up in the Huntington area
and raised my children out here
in Smithtown. My business was
built on Long Island. It is home.
There were many times when it
was fortuitous for me to move the
business between QVC or HSN in
Florida but it was always part of my
deal with anybody that my business
remain on Long Island because I
will never forget where I started.