So I talked about social media a lot and how I don't think I'm particularly good at it. I don't particularly love it, or it doesn't come that naturally to me. I remember having an assistant who said I had to get on Twitter. It was in the beginning when really just Ashton Kutcher was talking about what he was eating every day, and it wasn't what it is now, and I thought the craziest thing in the world would be to tell everybody what I was doing, where I was an oddly private and it's never come totally naturally to me. So I've been public about my confusion and lack of comfort when it pertains to social media. I sometimes I don't understand what I'm supposed to post, and things that do well are not necessarily things that I want to post, and things that I really like posting then don't do well. And are we doing it to do well and get likes, because then it's sort of just looking for approval and it's just a strange thing. I would just assudent not do it at all. I mean, maybe once in a while a picture of something that's funny to me, or my dogs do something cute, but I just don't love it. It's just not natural to me. It's something that I do strictly for business. Even if I'm not posting about business, it's something I'm ultimately doing strictly for business. I was never on Facebook posting pictures of things that I found interesting. It's just not something I'm inclined to do. So I don't follow a lot of people I know and a lot of my friends on social media because I talked to them or I text them, and most of the things that are posted on social media are what people want people to see their lives as. So I have friends, I mean real friends, people that I've spent time with recently, and I see their social media and it's sort of this picture perfect Christmas card. It's like the Christmas card that comes every year of their family or what they're doing. But I know that they're going through personal issues, or they're having trouble selling their home, or they got fired from their job but they can't have kids, or something's going on. So I don't find social media to be an accurate portrayal of what's going on in people's lives. Therefore, I don't really follow all of my friends, and I don't follow the people that I work with either, because I talked to them every single day. So if you're doing it because it's sort of like you have to do it because you have to be on the list of their likes, then it's sort of phony and it reinforces everything that I hate about it. So recently I started seeing all these different press articles coming up because Kyle Richards, who I've known for years, was asked, I'll watch what Happens Life by a viewer quote unquote. But those those questions are always vetted by producers and you know, people at the show. So she was asked why she unfollowed me on Instagram and I didn't know that she unfollowed me on Instagram, And she said, because she unfollowed me, And I don't want to keep up with someone who doesn't want to keep up with me. I don't know when that's tracked, and I don't know when I n followed her on Instagram. It certainly wasn't recently. It could have been a long time ago. I remember a long time ago, I was following hundreds of people and I was like, oh my god, I just don't want to look at all this, And so I had myself down to like fifty people I was following, and then I like home design and jewelry and watches, so I'm sure I've I've taken that back a lot more, and I arbitrarily followed some people and I just haven't gotten around to on following them. It's not a science for me. I don't really care. I don't look at my phone all the time. When you look and it says how long you're on your phone, mines really low on social media. It's high on texting people I work with about the thirty categories I'm in business, but it's low on just like browsing around what people are doing. So I was asked why she unfollowed me on I guess it was Instagram. This was all over and all the press. Now. The thing is, I didn't realize she was gonna talk about this. How could I? I I didn't even know I had followed her, she had followed me. No one has to follow me like. But it's not like I don't buy people birthday gifts because they bought me a birthday gift. I buy people birthday gifts because I know it's their birthday and I want to buy them something, and if one year I forget their birthday or I don't buy them something, then that's what happens. But I don't follow people because they followed me. In fact, this past week, after seeing this in like ten different publications, I realized that Katie Kirk follows me and I don't follow her, but I followed her back, you know, but she doesn't seem to care. There was a time I think with Kelly Rippo followed me and I didn't follow her, and then I realized because I saw it, says follow it back, like, but this all seems like a bunch of bullshit, and talking about it on a TV show that is designed to create conflict between women meant that I had to read about this all week. But I have very good friends that I don't follow on Instagram or text because I can call them a text and Kyle, I texted her to say Happy Mother's Day. That's less interaction we had because I wanted to say happy Mother's Day. But also, if it doesn't have to mean your friends are not friends. For example, Kyle's uh working on the Housewives, and maybe she posts uh a lot of stuff about the show, or just everyone looking perfect and promoting stuff, and maybe maybe I don't need to see that. So it's not that I'm not keeping up with her. I if I want to talk to Kyle, I'll talk to her herself, and the same thing with many of my friends. So that's something that has been in a lot of press, and I want to clear things up here so I could give you a real perspective instead of just sort of pull quotes. I think that's a very interesting part of social media, Like I'm following you because you're following me, Okay, so who starts it? It's weird. I don't think about this kind of stuff. Like the way I feel about it is like who has time to think about who's following and not following them? Maybe that's why I don't have so many followers. And listen, for those of you listening to this podcast, if you're not interested and what I'm posting, maybe you shouldn't follow me. And if you are, then you should. And if you want me to post different things, or if you'd like to hear about different parts of my life, then maybe I'll post them. You know, if I get more feedback about what should be posted. It's sort of like when I write a book. I write a book based on what people have said they want to hear about. So now I'm writing about really granular like a business memoir, like with a bunch of crazy, crazy business stories that have happened to me. I may call it mention at all, and may be called the Bethany clause. But yeah, I don't just I don't spend a lot of time and energy thinking about who's following and I'm following me And I don't follow people because they follow me. And who I follow and who I don't follow is absolutely no indication of who I'm friends with and who I like or who I don't like. That's the thing too. I don't really follow my friends because my friends I talked to all the time. So what am I gonna do? Go look at what my friends are doing on social media? Just seems weird. What do you all think about this? What do you at home think about this? Are you finding out from your good friends through social media? Are they posting things that are so shocking to you that you wouldn't find out by just texting or talking to them? Or are you your friends posting the picture perfect Christmas card version of themselves and you're sort of just rolling your eyes because you know the real then. Bernie Jenner, no idea why you know. I'm following him because I watched The Hills reboot or whatever that was. I thought it was interesting. David Lasher and Jill Lasher. I I know David Lasher. He's an actor and I know him from years ago when I think he asked me to do something about a movie. Yeah, it's like all random, totally random. A lot of watch people, right, Okay, I'm following Hillary Clinton. I follow Hillary Clinton. I bet she doesn't follow me. I'm not gonna unfollow her because she doesn't follow me. I'm not following her because she's following me. I'm following her because she was on my show and I'm interested in the throwback pictures she sent last week. La La La la vast was his followed in me. We're not friends at all. She came up my talk show years ago. She probably followed me years ago just because she was on my talk to Christina Aguilar, I doubt she's following me. She's ten billions of follow back. Oh okay, Christina Aguilar, I don't know you were following me. This is funny, Nicki minag. There's no fucking way Nicki majags following me. See she's not. I'm still following you, Nicki Minaj. It's okay if you're not following me. You may not be interested in the bag of bullshit on peddling, but I'm interested in your long ponytails, so I'm following you. It's okay if you don't follow me. I'm not gonna un follow you because you're not following me. You're also Nicki Minaj. But still, that's how I roll. Let me know what you guys think. My guest today is Joy Mangano, the famous inventor known for such products as Miracle Mop and Forever Fragrant. So you may know of her and you don't even know you know of her things that you've bought, the huggable hangar, that mop that you know doesn't get your hands dirty, that rings out the dirty and clean water. Joy and Gone is basically synonymous with hs N for many people. She was frustrated with household mopping. She invented the Miracle Mop, which served as a launchpad for success. After she appeared on hs N, she didn't perform at all. It didn't do well at all until she got on and did it herself. So you know what they say about if you want to get something done and done right, do it yourself. She went on to invent several other products, and she sold her company, which has hundreds of millions in sales, to HSN. And we talk about why a no is not a know, the importance of trusting your instincts and pursuing products that are timely, how you need to have the courage to shift your skis, and why you need to lean into your natural skills. She is incredibly inspiring and aspirational and I have wanted to talk with her for ages. I think you're going to love this one. Um. I'm just fascinated and excited to talk to you. And I don't know how much you know about this show, but we've had some pretty major game changers on here. So I usually start by figuring out what your parents were like, and what was instilled in you as it pertains to work, and if you thought about money Like as a child, I didn't think about money. I experienced different things about money and having and not having, but I didn't really think about money. And I think that kids now think about it. Yes, I agree. I agree with you. Well, as a child, UM, I felt like I was always the parent from the very beginning. It's a very interesting thing. I had an older brother that was three years older, and both my mother and father were interesting. You know. My father ran a business he and he aspired to run Long Island bus company at the time, and my mother us coming from an Italian family, very Italian family. My mom was home cleaning, cooking, you know whatever. But it was very interesting because I always had the role of kind of pulling the family together. So even as a young girl, UM, whenever there would be a fight between them, or they didn't get along, or my father would get mad at my brother, I was the protector of my brother and I was the one who kind of pulled it all back together. So as long as I can remember, I was kind of always the parent of the family. And as well, as long as I can remember, I've always worked, no matter what I did, even if it was at school and I ran the raffle. I mean, I always ran things right. So you know, I think I've been working since I have a history of memory. But that's not something that someone said to you to do. It's who you are. You're saying, this is who you are. Absolutely absolutely so I guess, you know, if we're talking about childhood that way. I was very studious, very meticulously studious. I was always either you know, in classes and helping other children. I remember, you know that I had a girlfriend that remained a girlfriend through life, and she said, I'll never forget when I couldn't understand my math in elementary school and everybody went out to play, you stayed in there and help me with my math. So I always felt like, you know, I feel like there are caretakers in life, and I've always been kind of one of those people. So I was very studious and very into sports. I've been skiing since some five. I even went to high school in Vermont to train for the Olympics. I always loved sports and academics. So um competitive, that's yeah, but with a lot of empathy, right, I don't. I think if you don't have empathy in life for for the people around you, when you're in business, for for everything, there's a lot lost there, right, So I do everything with that heart and mind. The customer even today and always is in my heart. I think of them first I dream about them when I'm inventing a product. So nonetheless, going back, I you know, I always worked. I worked through college. I was in the personnel office. You know. It was I never stopped working, and when I graduated kind of, you know, I was always kind of making things and creating things and working at things as I was growing up. But I never had a traditional job like working in a fast food place or anything. I was always part of something creative. When I was training for skiing in Vermont, I went to um a place that did woodworking, and I was helping them do woodworking with doors. I was this whole creative thing. But it never registered in my brain that that's the kind of thing I was doing, because remember I come from this Italian family, and all I thought about ultimately in life is that I was going to grow up, get married and have children, right and cook. Well, that makes sense, that makes sense. I worked in a bakery in high school just to be able to pay for this big party I wanted to have. I was a hot walker at the race track, walking horses. I wanted to do every cupcake lemonade stand. I've always been a worker, but like you, the word entrepreneur started ten years ago. I mean, no one talked about themselves as an entrepreneur. The word brand was not around the same way, and it was just not used. So you just were working and successful or not, or you were a millionaire, you were rich, or you weren't. But as a kid, same as you, I never thought about that. I was just always hustling, and I grew up with the racetrack, so I'm familiar with that, but not familiar with how academic you are. How because being so academic and being such an athlete is very structured, and it sounds like you are structured, but it usually doesn't sound like someone who's such a sort of entrepreneurial, fearless Maverick. That's like an interesting intersection that's different. You're absolutely right. Therefore when I you know, I never in my mind, you know, associated the things that I created growing up, and even at sixteen years old, went to work at an animal hospital and saw that the most serious injuries were dogs and cats being hit by cars. So at sixteen years old, I invented a fluorescent flea. Color didn't exist then, so it was I said, what do animals have to have on all the time it was flea colors, and then I said, let me make it reflective so they won't get hit by a car and they would be saved. I had veterinarians meat, and I presented the idea sixteen years old and never followed through with it because it was then, of course, raising money. I wasn't savvy enough. A year later, Hearts Mountain came out with the first ever fluorescent flea color. So I moved past that and graduated college, and I said, well, now what am I going to do? So I went to work for Eastern Airlines at Kennedy Airport and I worked there, I met my husband and got married, and I had three children. One year after the other. I had my daughter. Then a year later I had my son, and then a year later I had my other daughter. Because you know, like anything else, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this. So you know, it was very interesting because my husband, who I had met in college, and if you've seen the movie Joy, Uh, he was kind of I was ready and I was focused, and I knew the road that I wanted to be on, but he was kind of behind that a few steps. He wasn't quite ready for that. So it wasn't on the program. I call that the program. You had a program and you this was your program, and he wasn't on the program right exactly so, and you kind of don't even really absorbed that fully when you're going through it and you're young and you're almost following this kind of life path that your grandmother and great grandmother and mother always said you should be on. Right quite frankly, after my third child, I was so I had, you know, one right after the other, and in between that I was nursing them. Me joy, my body just said time out. This is like way too much. You're not sleeping, you're not eating, you have no help. You've had three children in three years, and your body needs a time out. So I got really sick. And at that time I said to myself, I'm never going to let myself be that vulnerable again, risk my own health, you know, my own well being, you know, and risk my family's well being. So it was really that point in time that I think, you know, I call it the courageous Joy, that the courageous joy came out and said, what is it you're doing with the life? You know, what is it you want to do. You have to be strong. Is this the life you want? And you know, at that point I realized, you know what, it might be easier for me to raise them on my own and not have to worry about when is this person and coming back home and all, you know, the nonsense of that kind of marriage. So I think really the biggest pivotal decision in my life with three little children was to break up that family. For me to make the decision, this can't be anymore. You know that the guilt and the ingrained upbringing that I had, you know, it's family is everything standby no matter what. So that was the beginning of the courageous joy. And then I sat back and I said, what is it that I really do? And it was at that point in time, you know, that's really the time that I started to create and the miracle mop. And you know, it wasn't even until years later when I stepped on stage at QVC and launched this mop and had it just the phones broke down. It was just so wildly successful. So I'm thirty something and it finally dawned on me that I create product. I had been doing it my whole life. But you know. It's like if somebody had said to one of my children, what does your mom do, and they said, oh, she's an inventor, they would have thought that I was not so the jo we're crazy. But wait, wait, I want to slow this down because you said a lot of things that are perceived that so more importantly than that to me, which is the recipe for that is that you were effectively saying you had this box that you were supposed to be in with this tradition of your mother, your grandmother, etcetera. And you ended up leaving a marriage where you had a quote unquote partner. Whether he was away a lot or not, you still had a partner. So you had somebody to quote unquote Lena to help you with the lawn or whatever it is when you need something or you know. But the courage that you had to walk away from that and become a single mom made you stronger, which is when women feel the weakest. That's when they feel like, oh God, I'm alone, no one's gonna love me, who's gonna help me? I have friends at saying to me, you're lucky you have someone will help you when you have a problem in the house or something's broken, or you gave yourself this courage to jump and then you flew. So I feel like that's even before all of this, Like you you went with your gut and you did what you felt that was just propelling you. It feels like you just had to do it. There was nothing in your body that was going to not do it. Yeah, you know that's very insightful of you, by the way, because I always say that until you discover your own strength. Right. You know, there's so many people that go through life and not I'm not saying that one is good one is bad. But for me, you know, to have had this thought that I always have to depend on somebody else for my happiness, for my success, for any kind of validation, a validation thank you for me to get to a point in life and really dig deep and find the sense of I love myself. I have to be able to depend on myself. I have to learn how to depend on myself because I'll make a better the person for anybody that I would be within the future. Right, But you also believed it. You believe that when other people didn't believe it, it was in your body. And I feel like it sounds like an unshackled you like once you know, we stay with people, stay with jobs, we're afraid and it seems like the logical idea and not until you jump, Like I always say to people, you fly, you're gonna it's gonna work out, like you gotta just but if you feel it in your body, So people listening, if you're an entrepreneur, if you have an idea, if you just are feeling uncomfortable, sometimes a little discomfort is good. It's like yoga. A little discomfort is okay, but like pain is not. You know, when you have to just have the courage to do it. But you've felt it in your body and it like, let's set you free. It sounds like that's right. And for anybody listening, I think the most important thing is courage. You have to be realistic, right. I don't want anybody selling their house and you know, giving up, right, But if you believe in something, and I don't care what it is, because when I look at life, I look at life through product. I mean our families a product of products, a product, our job is a product. Everything is product to me. That's how I view life before anything else. And you have to have the courage too. I say, shift your skis sometimes, right, you know, being a skier, That's what I say. You have to be able to shift your skis. There's nothing wrong with that. If you are somebody that's driving by the beach every day and you are I'm gonna make it up doing accounting, and every time you pass by that surf shop you say, gosh, I I would love to have a surf shop. I mean, that is my dream in life. I say, stop what you're doing, or try to figure out how you go and become your passion, because I think they're one thing my life and who I am is what I do and for me, that's the recipe for success. It has nothing to do with money, It has nothing to do with anything else except if you are living your passion. There's nothing better. The only thing better is that I'm living that passion with the people I love. Right, So my children work with me, and in the past when I was starting, my best friends but you know who were brilliant at this and that would work. You know, I say that that there's everything okay about that. To to lean on people around you and for me to do what I love with people I love it doesn't get better than that, right, But let me ask you a question, how do you control yourself? Because I'm an idea hamster, so people around me have to say, but do you want to be, you know, own a frozen yogurt store for example. Let's say there are different places that I know would kill it with something. That doesn't mean I'm supposed to be doing that. There are five inventions I can tell you right now, but I think are amazing ideas, but like that's not really People have to have an r o I on their time and their money. Meaning I call it the bucket theory. I want six buckets full, twelve half full, because then your asses in forty two places, and you know that better than anyone. So I want to hear your perspective. But you've got to pick the things where it's like, Okay, I'm gonna kill myself on that one thing, but that's gonna have a big r o I personally, professionally, it's going to save lives. But then people get sucked into all these different things you probably do with your plans with your friends. So we have to sometimes also know what things to do and not do and how to pick them so I want to hear that from you. You're exactly right, you say it in a great way as well. So that's why I say, you have to be realistic about it, right, And I often say you can't even look at the whole picture. You're right, you know, if there are three projects, right, or there are three things that you're looking at doing, you have to have it be in your mind. What is the one that I really want to do that's number one? But what is the one as well that makes sense to bring to enable me to do the other two? Right? So you know, so like right now. For example, I was with HSN and QBC for thirty years, right, and I picked this moment in time to step back and create. My dream was to be laser focused on best in class health and wellness products that I literally saw an immediate benefit to the consumer. So for me, I started again, right, So I shifted my skis and I started a line, a product line called clean Boss right, the world's most powerful botanical disinfectant and cleaner and odor eliminator, among other products. And it is, you know, so satisfying to me. Again, I dream about that customer and actually when I talk about that product, and this line. I was thinking about it and started working on it, like ten years ago, and what's happening in our lives the last two years, right, well, my god, now that's crazy. So it was like a foreshadowing, right, So ten years ago I was thinking about this, but I was I said, I must focus on it because I must bring it to fruition right now. And so I took and I shifted all my energy into that so I could impact in my own way as an inventor of products the world as it is today, because like everyone else, I want to send my family back out into the world in the safest way that I can. You know, so you do have to weigh and you have to be able to lean into the things that are timely. I might have not been doing that right now if it wasn't for what happened. But because I had started a history with that, I knew I had to finish that. And the world slowed down so you had a minute to process it a minute a minute. But um, so you're obviously successful. You've made money. It's not about the money. Afterwards, I want to talk about managing people and finding good people and keeping it together. But have you ever cracked, Have you ever wanted to get off the ride? Or has the pressure ever been too great? You know that's interesting. The honest answer is no. And I'm gonna tell you why, because I have this philosophy. I have a book by the Way, Inventing Joy that and one of one of the principles of that book is a no is not a no. And I still to this day here no several times a week. The no can be in the form of all sorts of forms. And so a lot of what I do in life is sit back and say, Okay, why is that a no? Why is that an obstacle? And how do I turn that into a yes? Or what do I have to do to change that to make it become possible? And so I am a glass half full person. And when even you know, even what seems insurmountable, I will wake up in the morning and I will have solved it in my brain. I really I will. You know, I really don't believe you may not you know, what you start out with may not be what you end up with. But still I don't mean that way. I mean, I don't mean the idea that you can't getting made Because I have the same philosophy place of yes. But I mean when things get bigger, you've got a bigger infrastructure, You're managing so many things, You're being pulled in different directions. I mean, did you ever feel at certain points like is this worth? It? Is this crazy? I have enough money? It's too much going on like that way? I mean, like just life balance. So remember go back to my first statements at my lowest point, when I was after three kids and really my body said time out, you got to take a break. I said, I would never get vulnerable like that again. So what did I do? So? I built this business up in many forms. I took my family with me in it, right, So I'm surrounded by my children every day. So my business and my family is all one, and I always look forward. I never look behind me, and I never sit and wallow because you know, I cannot tell you, Bethany, you have to be able to relate, and how many people listening can relate to this. I can start off a day and get the worst news, and then through the course of the day they'll be like fifteen other inputs and it ends up being the best day. There you go, right, every every day is like a different path, right, or the day can start off with the best news and it could go downhill. And I will tell you there are sometimes when I say I'm not taking one more call. That's it. I have enough for today and we'll deal with it tomorrow. Right, every day literally has ups and downs, and really, you know, I think the thing that you have to be a depth at among many things, but is where you take the risks and where you don't, what you act upon and what you don't, what you pay attention to, what noise you pay attention to, and what you don't because eventually some noise will go away, some noise you have to address, you know. So it's challenging, But then I'm gonna go back again and make full circle. If you love what you do and you're surrounded by good support, like who do you trust? You know? Who do I trust more than my children? And I you know. My son's a lawyer. He used to work for Caret Swain and more. I stole him from one of the best law firms. My daughter is a brilliant product sourcer for me for fifteen years. My son in law as a producer who talked in my ear for twenty years. I mean, I have all this talent around me now, it's amazing. Are you in the weeds? Um? So I get thrown out of the weeds by the people around me all the time, but I I managed to find my way back in there. I've gotten better. I have to say I've gotten better because you know, now we have a lot of things going on. And by the way, congratulations on the big Shop. Congratulations because we are starting. You know, we are launching a TV show this fall, America's big deal with NBC Universal, and I know the work involved is amazing, is an amazing They call it production because it is a production. So so congratulations, Bethany, thank you. So you still have the hunger, that's clear. So what's your how much on air selling do you do now? Actually that's a great question. So I took a break to develop Clean Boss. Right, So for thirty years prior, ten years on QBC, twenty years on h s N. Why that shift? Why QBC? I've been on QVC. I'm I'm like an hs N person now and it's a totally it's the same big company as you know, but for people listening, there are two different brands, different customers, different shopping styles, it's psychologically different, and I'm fascinated by the patterns and the psychology of the bye. So tell me about moving from QBC to hs Well, let me tell you so the historic story and then we'll get into exactly what you're talking about. So I started on QBC. Obviously, first time I ever stepped on stage was with the Miracle mop. The only class that I ever cut in college was public speaking, so go figure. So nonetheless, I was there for ten years, and it was when Barry Diller was CEO and running QVC. When he left, and you know, he had Ticketmaster, Expedi dot com, he bought Home Shopping Network at the time, and other entities. He said, Joy, I want you to come to HSN and I said, no, very loyal person, Barry, you know, and he said, well, I'm going to buy your company. So he bought my company and brought me to hs N. I became an executive there. I was an on air personality. I was the only UH division that sourced product literally make created and sourced product. And I as well, aside from being on once or twice a month for an entire day, we started to get requests to design and manage other hands. You're saying you were doing two ts is a month, Is that what you're saying. Yes, for those listening, when I do a T S nhs N, it's Today's special and you're on all You start at night, which Joy's favorite time going on is midnight, and that's why she was a darling there and I'm always kicking and screaming and then you're you're selling the whole next day. And not until I realized how this whole thing works and the machine of people buying at those hours. Am I now you know, really leaning more into this. You know, cult life I'm living. But I have to speak to you about this. This is unbelievable. So go ahead. You were working twice a month doing ts IS selling all day for thirty years. No, God, that's you're talking about a very long time. But add to that. Now, I took on Iman so I. We designed with Iman for ten years. We designed for Chef taught English. I launched the first non stick ceramic non stick cookware in the world, in the world so Um, I designed product with Randy j Accon, Keith Urban, Serena Williams, Paula Abdul so this was some machine. Yeah, it was so. And I was there for every one of their t s is as well. So it was a very big education in the culinary world. We'll think about that right now though. In the pandemic, how amazing it's been for home shopping in general. And for those of you who haven't watched those types of shows, like you have to understand it is so intense. Joy knows way more than I do. But you'll do one of those ts is and you'll be talking about your products for two hours, three hours. You're like, I could have been on a plane to Florida by now. I'm still talking, Like my mouth is still moving. What am I talking about? You? You zone? You can't even believe you're still speaking right, No, It's true three hours for me. A lot of times it was a launch was from eleven to two am. But let me give you a nice big secret here. I will be going back to hs N to launch the clean Boss line and as other things on July one, right around the corner here. So it's midnight Friday night, Saturday morning, July one, and I'll be on all day. You can see what Bethany's talking about. So having been there for thirty years. I feel like I'm going home. I love it. I love it, and I've always loved being able to talk to the consumer and explain member. I'm an inventor, so what better thing for an inventor to explain the product? You know, features and benefits. And you know, Gayle King once said to me, she said, you're not selling me. You're just telling me all the details I need to know to make a decision to buy. And that's what it is. You know, it really is that true because you love the product. So I was launching swim I'm not under skinny Girl because I did not think skinny Girl was the right name for a swim line, and I wanted it to be an elevated line and I wanted to be called Bethany. And w w D did an article on me and all of this stuff with a big, big, multibillion dollar partner, and it goes on and on, and I was on a Zoom months ago and there were some problems with it that it wasn't correct for me. And then a couple of weeks ago I tried on the product and it wasn't correct for me. The day of I'm going on to an Instagram live. Five minutes before I put the bathing suit on. It's it's it's ill fitting, it's not doesn't fit right, like it's out to here. Now you know this, We're it's millions of dollars that goes on here, crazy stuff. It's here. So I start freaking because I can and your reputation because it's you. But you know, I'm doing a bigger deal with ag said, I'm getting into multiple categories. You're trying to think of fifty things at the same time while you're like you're building a plane, while flying, going on the air, launching, swim w W D article Yippi. So fine minutes before I try this on and it just doesn't fit me right. But I'm not everybody, so I have to degrade my whole staff and say to every single person, all shapes and sizes, please do me a favorite. Put a bathing suit on. Everybody put a bathing suit on. They're like, uh, they put the big and I could tell no one wants to tell me, but no, because they all don't want me to like blow up my thing with h send. Five minutes before, called my business manager, etcetera. I say, I'm not doing it. I'm not selling like this has been the law, this is the launch like, I'm not doing it. I emailed ahead of hs N while I have to do an Instagram Live. I said, get me something else. I'll wear my jeans and wear my glasses. And I told the people on Instagram Live there's a product I don't feel comfortable with it. I'm not selling it. I will not sell you something that I don't like. So long story short, it just I was like, of course, yes, of course, yes, we never want you to sell something that you don't actually love. And I wasn't worried about the money or anything or the problems. I just it made me feel good. It made me feel strong because my business manager was yelling at me, and I was like, I don't care. I'm not going on. I'm not selling this thing. I cannot tell you how not only proud I am of you, Bethity, but you so did the right thing, because you know, as well as I know, to the customer today is the smartest customer ever ever, and they know when something's not right. And that's why you know you absolutely did the right thing. And I certainly hope did. You're gonna fix it and launch it because now I want to see what this is all about. No, we're gonna launch it in the fall and it's gonna be great. But I was like, yeah, but I felt good, good, thank you. I felt strong. I felt like everyone screaming at me and I'm like, effort, I'm not selling. No. I heard from the people at hs N that the people in the back, the models and the stylists, I don't you know. I've met them all, but I don't know what goes on back there. They all applauded me because they were like, look at how she protects her brand. Like it ended up seeing the story. Yeah, so anyway, I just needed to tell that story. But you were the perfect person. And that's so important because when you stand up there, you a person are representing your brand. It's not like it's you know, a company. You are that authenticity and the trust factor. You know, for thirty years, I built a foundation to have that, you know, that brand trust people by product before they even know what it is, they just know it's a new product. Well, because you've built that one at a time, one brick, you can't be like, here's this other crappy thing don't never buy another thing. You go to a restaurant, you have a bad meal, You're never going back again. Yep, yep. There isn't anything to second guess. You pented the right thing, thank you, But you know how brutal that was. You know, Oh yes, oh yes, trust me, trust me. I've been there. I've been there. So what about being so successful, so strong? And is there a price in relationships like for you personally and maybe even family relationships. You're all talking about business. You're all in the business. You've given a lot of people a lot of success. But I talked to a lot of people on here are the guy Jamie Simonov who created the ring And if there's no one I haven't talked to about relationships, what about successful relationships? And how do you wave that into this whole equation. Yeah, So it's interesting because I just recently had this conversation. You know, we are so busy now with most franchise, the there's a musical, the TV Network show on USA, with NBC Universal, you know, um, just everything going back to hs N now and you know, everything that's going on. I have grandchildren and my family works with me, were with each other every day. And it was interesting because I said, I just don't know what kind of person could be come in and be part of this whole life hurricane of life. Right. And it's funny because you know, I got to a point and this is what I talked about. It's almost like we're circling back. When you feel the security and the love for yourself and you don't have to have somebody else to define you. That's a place that I hope everybody can get to because it changed my life. So now will I tell you that it wouldn't be phenomenal, you know when you put your head on the pillow at night to say, you know, what do you think about this? Or you know? Then it to have a beautiful relationship is fantastic. I mean that would be like the complete candles on the cake, right. But it has to be right and it has to work, and if that happens, that would be wonderful. I have no idea where i'd even meet somebody, because I have no social life. I'll tell you where to go. I met my fiance who is Prince Charming online. Yes, congratulations on your own engagement, My goodness, thank you. So two more questions one is you have the hunger, you have the drive. It's undeniable. For people at home, in the simplest way possible, what's your process? Now, you, like me, can tell five people to befind me someone to make this or test this and get that. I p and we know that. But like for someone at home, from idea to execution, what should be the process? And I guess what is your process? Maybe it's not that different. The first thing you have to sit back and think is there's something that I have been saying to myself that I wish I could do that, I'd want to do that I'm not doing right. Whether it's a product, whether it's opening a stand, uh, making you know, veggie drinks, it doesn't matter what it is. It doesn't matter what it is. If there's something that really ignites you, I say, you have to begin that process. You have to begin it and you may not end up doing it, but you you're never going to do it if you don't begin it right. And I think that for me everything was a learning process. So two more questions. One is are you ever called tough or a bit? You know, tough? Yes, a bitch? No? No? Good good no? Because do you think that if you were a man, you would be called tough or you just be a man? It's a successful I think I am. And I don't mean what it was. I mean I I always laughed. I always said, you know, I always thought when I was younger that I thought more like a man, right, you know, I approach things in that way. Now today's a different day. But that's because the way where you were programmed, living in an Italian family. But that's exactly. But you're you're a woman, and it's okay to be strong as a woman. But I've had friends say to me, you're basically a man. Now. I'm like, no, I'm not. I'm a woman exactly. And I think for me, the most beautiful thing that I have seen throughout my career is not only women, but young people in the industries and people from everywhere in the world. My biggest you know aids in the sense of you know, brain power, have been somebody right out of college having my female workforce, male workforce, people from around the globe saying we do it this way. What do you think about? And I'm like, I never thought of that. That's great. So when you get input from everywhere. You know. It's so funny. Somebody was talking to me about how do you view your customer. I love everybody. My customer is everybody. I never you know, I never decipher about anything, so you know, and that's what I talk about when I say empathy. You have to have empathy for everybody, and you know, and it's just I just feel so fortunate because you know, when you give that energy out, it certainly comes back to you. And I say another thing I say about a principle. I surround myself with light, bright people, people that are good thinkers, that look at how can we how can we do this? Not oh we can't do this, it's how can we do this? So for anybody out there, I don't care if it's you make the best amazing knitted scarf in the world or the best pie or whatever it is, or you want to open, you know, a little shop or a business or a digital site, you absolutely can do it. You can do it. You just start. You start, you know, because if you don't start, you'll never do it. But at LEAs if you start, you will learn along the way, and you things may change and you may not end up with what you exactly what you started to do. But you know what that will be the better thing? Well, that was Stacy's Pea chips here because she was running a sandwich card and she ended up selling the Peter Chip business in two thousand and six two and fifty million dollars. So there you go. And that's why I didn't know if the mop was really your biggest idea or just the one that popped off. That and the hangar you made even did was more successful. So I'm sure you had fifty things in between that you were equally as passionate about, but those are the ones that popped off, right, Yeah, exactly. This was amazing. I've been wanting to have you on for a long time and connect with you. It's fascinating. You created a world and industry and you're a successful woman by anyone's standards, in your own right, on your own terms. So I'm so grateful for your time, for the conversation and the education for people at home, and I thank you and you as well. I'm proud of you. One day we will have some coffee. I drink coffee so well, I'm in awesome. Have a great day. Thank you so much. You do by Bethany. Something occurred to me while I was talking to Joy and why I think people are having a different experience on this podcast because Joy was telling her story and it was jumping ahead to the mob when I realized something how she had left a relationship which was very courageous for especially with the way she's been raised, with the sort of morals and imprint on what she's supposed to be doing. That was a big deal. But her unleashing and unshackling herself was what ended up giving her the courage to do what she needed to do and to be successful. So that's what the show is sort of about. It's not really about oh and I went on stage and I sold millions of dollars of mops. It's really like who are you? What choices did you make? What changes did you make? What courage is moves did you make along the way that really made it happen. So I think that the conversation, as you know, they're always different, but there's a lot to take away. She's a strong woman who, of course, like myself, has thought of herself as being more like a man, which is the problem. You know that I'm not more like a man, I'm just a strong woman like her. That was a great conversation. I think there's so much a take home. And you know, it's funny because I do reading about people and then I write questions, and today I really only had like five questions because I just knew it would go on forever, and this would have gone on the longest. This and Kelly Ripple went on forever. I'm finding that there's just more and more I want to talk to these people about. And even Cheryl Sandberg, who was running Facebook, had to be pulled with the hook off because she's got to go run Facebook. But we couldn't stop because people want to tell their story and share it with you, like what who they are? They're forgetting who they are. They forget all these things that have happened. I forget half the things that have happened. You know that make me why I am. I had a conversation today with a staff today about how I used to work and like literally worked twenty four hours a day and never sleep and kill myself to get here. So it's great. I thank you for listening. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe, and have a great day. Just Be is hosted an executive produced by me Bethany Frankel. Just be as a production of the Real Productions and I Heart Radio. Our managing producer is Fiona Smith and our producer is Stephanie Sender. Our EP is Morgen Levoy. To catch more moments from the show, follow us on Instagram and just fee with Bethany