Joy Mangano

Obviously, you have to find the confidence within yourself to pursue your ideas, but there's nothing wrong with having people around you who are going to say, 'I think that's a great idea,' or, 'I think you're doing the right thing.'

As natural as it is for a parent to talk about their child, it is for me to talk about my product.

Inventing is something that has always come very natural to me. As a child, I was always fiddling with things, making contraptions. I'd see something, go home, and try to make something even better.

Overcome obstacles one at a time: Sometimes the end goal becomes too daunting, so take things one step at a time and overcome each obstacle as you get to it.

Robert De Niro, I have loved this man forever. I mean, I think I have seen the 'Godfather' 300 times, but he is so special.

Each time I invent something and have it manufactured, it's so incredibly exciting that I can't imagine ever wanting to stop. Envisioning new products is easy for me. I just don't have enough time in the day to design them all.

I told myself the next time I had a good idea, I would bring it to market.

Early on, QVC was the most appealing medium for me because it allowed me to share the stories behind my products and directly communicate the features and benefits.

As single-mom female inventor, there was no path for that, so really I don't think people took me seriously for a really long time. Certainly the Miracle Mop being my first successful product, people started to pay attention, and I guess now they really pay attention.

There is something special when creative people get together.

When I'm talking about a product, before it was a product, it was in my brain. So if I have an inspiration, I will literally get up in the middle of the night, and I'll dream about my customer... I don't feel like it's selling. I feel like it's talking about my children.

Your destination might not end up being exactly what you envisioned to start with, but if you stick it out and work through the challenges, what you end up with will be far better than you could have ever imagined.