Failed Law Student/Saleswoman Creates Successful Business Around Her Own Fashion Line
Sara Blakely had been selling fax machines and office copiers door-to-door for seven years when she had an idea for a clothing line that would transform her from an employee into a successful entrepreneur. In a moment of inspiration, Blakely, frustrated with her “unsightly panty lines,” cut the feet off a pair of panty hose that she could wear under her white pants with a pair of open-toed sandals—and voilà, a primitive version of Spanx was born.
Blakely, who had originally hoped to be a trial attorney before failing the LSAT, knew she was onto something. After that, Blakely says, her biggest decision was to simply follow her gut instincts. During the next two years she plowed $5,000 of her own money into getting a prototype made. In 2000 she began selling Spanx in major department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Not long after, she got the call of a lifetime— Oprah Winfrey…had fallen for the body slimming, toeless panty hose and wanted to feature Spanx on her annual favorite things show.