The Story

Sara Blakely was not only an ordinary woman, but also a hilarious one. While getting dressed for a party, she realized that the only options for undergarments were uncomfortable and unsightly. As she wriggled around trying to get her pantyhose to stay in place, she had a moment of pure genius - she decided to cut off the feet of her pantyhose to create a smoother, more comfortable look. And voila, Spanx was born!

Sara knew she had a great idea, but she had no idea how to turn it into a business. She started researching and found that there were no other products like Spanx on the market. So, she decided to take a leap of faith and invest her life savings of $5,000 to create a prototype and test the product on herself and her friends.

As she went around showing her friends and family the prototype, they couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of it all. But, once they put on the Spanx, they were converted. They couldn't believe how comfortable and flattering the undergarment was.

Sara then decided to pitch her product to big department stores. She went to New York City with her prototype and, after being rejected by many, finally landed a meeting with a representative from Neiman Marcus. She showed him how Spanx worked, and he placed an order for 3,000 units.

From there, Spanx took off. Sara quit her job selling fax machines and started working on her business full-time. She even appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, which helped her sales skyrocket. The talk show host famously said that Spanx made her look like she had lost 10 pounds.

Despite the success, Sara never lost her sense of humor. She once said, "I failed the LSAT. Basically, if I had not failed, I'd have been a lawyer, and there would be no Spanx. So, I think failure is nothing but a stepping stone to success."

Today, Spanx is a household name, and Sara Blakely is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Her story is not only a testament to the power of a great idea and determination, but also to the power of humor and not taking oneself too seriously.

Lessons from Sara

1. Identify a gap in the market: Sara recognized a gap in the market for a comfortable, flattering undergarment and created Spanx to fill that void.

2. Believe in yourself and your idea: Sara invested her own money in Spanx and persisted even after being rejected by multiple department stores.

3. Embrace failure: Sara saw her failures, like failing the LSAT, as stepping stones to success. She used setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow.

Favorite Quote