The School of Greatness 893 Sara Blakely: SPANX CEO on Writing Your Billion Dollar Story
Dec 25, 2019
Sara Blakely, founder of SPANX and the youngest self-made female billionaire in America, shares her inspiring journey of turning struggles into success. She recounts her years of selling fax machines and the numerous rejections she faced before launching SPANX. The conversation touches on mentorship from Richard Branson, the challenges of balancing motherhood with entrepreneurship, and the importance of resilience. Blakely emphasizes that embracing failure is essential for growth and encourages others to share their unique stories on the path to greatness.
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Spanx Origin
- Sara Blakely's idea for Spanx came from personal frustration with existing undergarments.
- She cut the feet out of her pantyhose in 1998 to create a smoother look under white pants.
Early Career
- Before founding Spanx, Sara Blakely sold fax machines door-to-door for seven years in Clearwater, Florida.
- She even tried out to be Goofy at Disney World but was too short.
Path to Entrepreneurship
- Sara Blakely failed the LSAT twice before finding her entrepreneurial path.
- She wrote in her journal, "I'm going to invent a product and sell it to millions of people that will make them feel good."
