Born: February 27, 1971 – Clearwater, Florida, USA
Known For: Founder of Spanx, one of the world’s leading shapewear brands
Net Worth: Once the youngest self-made female billionaire (Forbes)
Story:
Before she became a fashion mogul, Sara Blakely was selling fax machines door-to-door, getting rejected every single day. She had no business background. No investors. No connections in fashion.
But she had one idea:
Footless pantyhose that made women feel confident.
She cut the feet off her own pantyhose to wear under white pants — and Spanx was born.
With just $5,000 in savings, she wrote her own patent, designed her own packaging, and cold-called hosiery mills. Most laughed at her. But one factory owner believed in her — and everything changed.
Oprah Winfrey named Spanx one of her “Favorite Things.”
Sales exploded. Sara did everything herself: marketing, PR, packaging, and even being the fit model.
And guess what?
She became the youngest self-made female billionaire — without ever taking outside investment.
In 2021, she sold a majority stake in Spanx for $1.2 billion, and immediately gifted each employee $10,000 and two first-class plane tickets anywhere in the world — to say “thank you.”
Famous Quote:
“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength.”
Legacy:
Sara Blakely proved that ideas born out of real problems, paired with determination, can reshape entire industries.
She didn’t just build a brand —
She empowered women to feel confident in their own skin.
