Sara Blakely (born February 27, 1971) is an American businessperson and
founder of Spanx, an American intimate apparel company with pants and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2012, Blakely was named in Time magazine's "Time 100" annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. As of 2014, she is listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
Although she initially planned to become an attorney, she reconsidered after failing the Law School Admission Test; she instead accepted a job at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where she worked for three months. She also occasionally worked as a stand-up comedian during this period.
After her short stint at Disney, Blakely accepted a job with office supply company Danka, where she sold fax machines door-to-door. She was quite successful in sales and was promoted to national sales trainer at the age of 25. Forced to wear pantyhose in the hot Floridian climate for her sales role, Blakeley disliked the appearance of the seamed foot while wearing open-toed shoes, but liked the way that the control-top model eliminated panty lines and made her body appear firmer. For her attendance at a private party, she experimented by cutting off the feet of her pantyhose while wearing them under a new pair of slacks and found that the pantyhose continuously rolled up her legs, but she also achieved the desired result (the original pants are now enshrined at Spanx headquarters).
At age 27, Blakely relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, and while still working at Danka, spent the next two years and $5,000 savings researching and developing her hosiery idea. Upon inquiring, she found that there were no female patent lawyers operating in the entire state of Georgia. Unwilling to spend the $3,000-$5,000 quoted in legal fees, she instead wrote her own patent after purchasing a textbook from Barnes & Noble.
Blakely then drove to North Carolina, the location of most of America's hosiery mills, to present her idea. She was turned away by every representative, however; used to dealing with established companies, they did not see the value of her idea. Two weeks after arriving home from her North Carolina trip, Blakely received a call from a male mill operator based in Asheboro, North Carolina, who offered to support Blakely's concept, as he had received strong encouragement from his two daughters. Blakely further explained in 2011 that the experience of developing her idea also revealed to her that the hosiery manufacturing industry was overseen solely by men who were not using the products they were producing.
Blakely was born February 27, 1971, in Clearwater, Florida. She is the daughter of a trial attorney and an artist. She attended Clearwater High School and graduated from Florida State University with a communication degree. and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority at FSU.
In 2008, Blakely married the co-founder of Marquis Jet. Jesse Itzler at the Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, Florida, U.S. The wedding was attended by actor Matt Damon and featured a surprise performance by singer Olivia Newton-John. Blakely has four children.
 |
| Sara Blakely |
Although she initially planned to become an attorney, she reconsidered after failing the Law School Admission Test; she instead accepted a job at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where she worked for three months. She also occasionally worked as a stand-up comedian during this period.
After her short stint at Disney, Blakely accepted a job with office supply company Danka, where she sold fax machines door-to-door. She was quite successful in sales and was promoted to national sales trainer at the age of 25. Forced to wear pantyhose in the hot Floridian climate for her sales role, Blakeley disliked the appearance of the seamed foot while wearing open-toed shoes, but liked the way that the control-top model eliminated panty lines and made her body appear firmer. For her attendance at a private party, she experimented by cutting off the feet of her pantyhose while wearing them under a new pair of slacks and found that the pantyhose continuously rolled up her legs, but she also achieved the desired result (the original pants are now enshrined at Spanx headquarters).
At age 27, Blakely relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, and while still working at Danka, spent the next two years and $5,000 savings researching and developing her hosiery idea. Upon inquiring, she found that there were no female patent lawyers operating in the entire state of Georgia. Unwilling to spend the $3,000-$5,000 quoted in legal fees, she instead wrote her own patent after purchasing a textbook from Barnes & Noble.
Blakely then drove to North Carolina, the location of most of America's hosiery mills, to present her idea. She was turned away by every representative, however; used to dealing with established companies, they did not see the value of her idea. Two weeks after arriving home from her North Carolina trip, Blakely received a call from a male mill operator based in Asheboro, North Carolina, who offered to support Blakely's concept, as he had received strong encouragement from his two daughters. Blakely further explained in 2011 that the experience of developing her idea also revealed to her that the hosiery manufacturing industry was overseen solely by men who were not using the products they were producing.
Blakely was born February 27, 1971, in Clearwater, Florida. She is the daughter of a trial attorney and an artist. She attended Clearwater High School and graduated from Florida State University with a communication degree. and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority at FSU.
In 2008, Blakely married the co-founder of Marquis Jet. Jesse Itzler at the Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, Florida, U.S. The wedding was attended by actor Matt Damon and featured a surprise performance by singer Olivia Newton-John. Blakely has four children.
Comments
Post a Comment