Helping Women in Business Chase Their “Joy”
Business Solutions There's clearly no stopping home shopping megastar Joy Mangano. These days, the Miracle Mop inventor and restaurant owner can add movie producer to her resume.

When Joy Mangano received a phone call from Oscar-nominated director David O. Russell, she couldn't believe it. Although, years earlier, TV producer Ken Mok had mentioned wanting to make a film about her rise to fame, Mangano had no idea that dinner conversation would lead to an actual deal.
Screen play
“David took the ordinary and showed how extraordinary the ordinary can be,” says Mangano. "I consider the movie a love letter to me. It's an emotional journey that everybody can identify with in one space or another.”
The Brooklyn-born Mangano was stunned after learning Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence would play her in the film “Joy,” which is loosely based on Mangano's life. Her first chat with the legendary Robert De Niro was also unforgettable. Mangano praises all three artists for giving her confidence in the project.
“They are brilliant, caring, amazing human beings, aside from being monster talents,” she glows. “I think the movie will inspire so many people.”
The road up
Before hitting it big, Mangano tirelessly toted her mop and bucket to boat shows and parking lots for demonstrations. She says having the support of family was crucial, crediting her beloved grandmother, a waitress, for helping shape her resilient personality.
“Even when she was much older and I was a single mom with three little kids, she used to get on the bus, then the subway and the train and then get on a bus to get to the house to be there with me and the kids,” Mangano recalls. “She had this positivity and determination in life that really kind of transcended into me."
Secret to success
For women wanting to advance their careers, Mangano says, “You have to be grounded and realistic. You have to be capable. If you've trusted your instincts and they've worked in the past, then you should do that. If they haven't, then you have to rethink things.
“I've found the most important thing to be successful in business is the way you make your decisions,” she explains. “The risk taking—where you take the risk and where you don't.
Mangano continues: “Don't separate your personal life ethics and principles and your business ethics and principles. I've always run my business with the same conscience and principles of honesty and loyalty, and that's so significant in the success I've had around me.”