The other morning as I poured myself a glass of orange juice, I was momentarily distracted by a news story on the television. Next thing I knew, there was a puddle of OJ on the floor. After berating myself, I grabbed a mop and cleaned up the mess.  

Cleaning is not high on my list of enjoyable pastimes, but the mop—with its self-wringing head and adjustable length handle—makes the job less disagreeable. I also like the fact that the head is detachable and can be thrown in the washer. As a bachelor, I’ll take all the improvements to cleaning tools that I can get! 

This small glitch in my morning got me thinking about the inventor of the mop (it’s the Miracle Mop™, by the way, if you hadn’t guessed). Joy Mangano invented it in 1990, out of frustration with the mops on the market at the time. 

Initially, Joy had the mop produced in her father’s body shop, and she sold it only at trade fairs and a few local businesses near her home. During those early days, she didn’t exactly strike it rich. Yet… she persevered. Eventually, she landed a consignment deal with QVC for 1,000 mops. And the rest, as they say, is history. By the year 2000, QVC was selling $10 million worth of Miracle Mops per year.

A movie was made about this part of Joy’s life and if you haven’t seen Joy, I think you’d enjoy it. There are also a multitude of interviews of her that you can find online if you want to learn more about her. And there is an e-book of her story, too, as well as a hardcover book.

To me, Joy Mangano is a great example of an inventor and entrepreneur. I hope you’ll find her story helpful and inspiring as you make your own path.

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Godspeed!

Your fellow-dreamer and doer,
Bruce D. Clark
If I can do it, anyone can!