Sara Blakely
Founder of Spanx
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1971, Clearwater, Florida
- Company
- Spanx
- Spanx founded
- 2000
- Industry
- Fashion & Retail
- Company
- Spanx
- First investment
- $5,000 of her own savings
- Launched
- 2000, with footless body-shaping pantyhose
- Big milestone
- Youngest self-made female billionaire (Forbes, 2012)
Early Life
Sara Blakely was born in 1971 in Clearwater, Florida. She grew up near the beach, and from a young age she was the kind of kid who paid close attention to small problems other people just put up with.
She went to Florida State University and studied communications. The plan after that was law school. But the LSAT, the big test you take to get in, did not go her way. She took it, scored too low, and the lawyer dream quietly closed.
Selling Fax Machines
Instead of a courtroom, Sara ended up selling fax machines door-to-door. For seven years she knocked on office doors and got told no, over and over, by people who didn't want to talk to her.
Most people would have hated every minute. Sara learned something from it. She got comfortable hearing no, and she stopped letting rejection stop her. That turned out to be the most useful skill she ever picked up.
The Idea
In 1998 Sara had a pair of white pants and nothing smooth to wear underneath them. So she grabbed a pair of control-top pantyhose, cut the feet off, and wore them like that. The look worked. The cut-off bit kept rolling up her legs, which annoyed her enough to wonder if she could make a real version.
She spent two years figuring it out while still working her full-time job. She poured in her $5,000 in savings. She even wrote her own patent application, reading library books to learn how, because hiring a lawyer cost thousands of dollars she didn't have.
Building Spanx
Spanx launched in 2000 with footless body-shaping pantyhose. Sara gave it a fun name, fun packaging, and product names that made people smile instead of cringe. Then a piece of luck arrived. Oprah Winfrey named Spanx one of her Favorite Things that same year, and sales took off.
Sara held on tight to her company. She took no outside investors for years, which meant she kept full ownership and got to run things her own way. By 2012, Forbes named her the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.
In 2021 she sold a majority stake to a firm called Blackstone, a deal that valued Spanx at around $1.2 billion. To celebrate, she handed every single employee two first-class plane tickets and $10,000 to spend on a trip.
What Sara Teaches Us
Sara started the Sara Blakely Foundation and signed the Giving Pledge, a promise to give most of her money away to help others. She talks a lot about how failing the LSAT and getting rejected for years actually built the person who could start Spanx.
Her story says something simple. A problem nobody else bothered to fix can become a whole company, if you're stubborn enough to keep going after the word no.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Spanx?
Spanx was founded by Sara Blakely, an entrepreneur from Clearwater, Florida. She came up with the idea in 1998 and launched the company in 2000. For years she owned the whole business herself.
How did Sara Blakely start Spanx?
She needed something smooth to wear under white pants, so she cut the feet off a pair of control-top pantyhose. That homemade fix became her product idea. She spent two years developing it while working full-time, then launched Spanx in 2000.
How did Sara Blakely become a billionaire?
She built Spanx into a hugely popular brand and kept full ownership for years, taking no outside investors. As the company grew, so did the value of her stake. In 2012 Forbes named her the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.
What is Spanx?
Spanx is a clothing brand best known for body-shaping underwear and footless pantyhose that smooth out how clothes fit. Sara Blakely launched it in 2000. It started with one product and grew into a whole line of clothing.
How much did Sara Blakely sell Spanx for?
In 2021 she sold a majority stake in Spanx to a firm called Blackstone. The deal valued the company at around $1.2 billion. To celebrate, she gave every employee two first-class plane tickets and $10,000.
How old was Sara Blakely when she started Spanx?
Sara was born in 1971 and launched Spanx in 2000, so she was around 29 years old. She'd had the idea two years earlier, at about 27, while working a full-time sales job.
What did Sara Blakely do before Spanx?
Before Spanx, she sold fax machines door-to-door for seven years. She faced constant rejection and learned to keep going after hearing no. She had also planned to become a lawyer, but did poorly on the LSAT and never went to law school.
Where is Sara Blakely from?
Sara Blakely is from Clearwater, Florida, in the United States. She was born there in 1971 and later studied communications at Florida State University.
How much was Sara Blakely's first investment?
She started Spanx with $5,000 of her own savings. To save more money, she wrote her own patent application instead of paying a lawyer. That small amount was enough to get the business off the ground.
Is Sara Blakely a billionaire?
Yes. Forbes named her the youngest self-made female billionaire in 2012, and the 2021 Spanx sale valued the company at around $1.2 billion. She has since signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away most of her wealth.
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