The 3 Best Tips on How to Succeed from the Woman Who Inspired the Movie Joy

Joy Mangano and Her new Book: Inventing Joy
Photo: Courtesy

By now, you know the gist of Joy Mangano’s story as the resilient inventor who inspired Joy, a major motion picture starring Jennifer Lawrence. While the film captured a slice of Mangano’s life and what it was like for her to succeed as a determined, female inventor, it certainly missed a few juicy details. And Mangano is now giving the world a full picture in a new book: Inventing Joy: Dare to Build a Brave & Creative Life.

When we caught up with this inventor and founder of multimillion-dollar company, Ingenious Designs, LLC, this summer, she promised the book would read “better than a romance novel” filled cover-to-cover with her triumphs, and more importantly her struggles. “I didn't want to gloss over all the obstacles I faced in my career,” Mangano wrote in a follow-up email. “I wanted to share that yes, there were some difficult moments, but I got through them, and so can you!”

This page-turner ends with Mangano’s “blueprint” to success, featuring mantras, principles that she lives by, and lessons she’s learned on tiles ready to be cut out and pasted wherever you can see them best.

“I think [the book] is my best product yet because it’s going to touch so many people and impact them to live a more joyful, braver, creative life,” Mangano told InStyle this summer.

She sees it at a mix of memoir and how-to guide, carrying readers along through all of her “light bulb” moments from start to finish. Mangano said via email that she hopes aspiring inventors will find the courage to build their own businesses. She also narrowed down her 25 tips from Inventing Joy to the three that she believes are the keys to achieving budding business dreams.

Read on for Mangano’s top tips, and snag a copy of her book from Amazon for $17, here.

Inventing Joy Book Cover
Courtesy

1. A No is Not a No.

“Don’t let ‘no’ stop you before you get started."

2. Always Try to Circle Back.

“Because relationships that may not work in one form may work in another, and there is usually always something to save.”

3. Everything Happens for a Reason.

“If you believe this, if you deeply believe this, even the most difficult moments can be turned into something that can help you push forward.”

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