Sara Treleaven Blakely (born February 27, 1971) is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the founder of
Spanx
Spanx, Inc. is an American underwear maker focusing on shaping briefs and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The company manufactures mainly pantyhose and other underwear for women and, since 2010, produces male underwear as well. Spanx spe ...
, an American intimate
apparel
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
company with pants and leggings, founded in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
In 2012, Blakely was named in ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine's "
Time 100
''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...
" annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
In 2014, she was listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
''.
Early life
Blakely was born on February 27, 1971, in
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...
. She is the daughter of Ellen (née Ford), an artist, and trial attorney, John Blakely.
[Forbes: "How Sara Blakely of Spanx Turned $5,000 into $1 billion" by Clare O'Connor]
March 14, 2012[My Bay City: "Billionaire Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Has Bay City Connection" by Dave Rogers]
March 20, 2012 , ''"Sara's mother is Ellen Ford, the only child of Charles Kelton and Morrow Weber Ford, of Bay City. Ellen married attorney John Blakely after her graduation from the University of Michigan. She and John Blakely, who are divorced, also have a son, Ford Blakely. Ford Blakely is an entrepreneur in California "'' She has a brother, artist Ford Blakely.
She attended
Clearwater High School
Clearwater High School (CHS) is a four-year public high school located in Clearwater, Florida, United States. It is part of the Pinellas County School System. The school's athletic teams are known as the ''Tornadoes''. Their colors are crimson a ...
and graduated from
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
with a communication degree,
where she was a member of the
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Isabel Morgan Breed, and Florence Isabelle Stewart.
Tri Delta part ...
sorority.
Career
Although she planned to become an attorney, she reconsidered after scoring very low on the
Law School Admission Test
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT; ) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. It is designed to assess reading comprehension as well as logical and verbal reas ...
; she instead accepted a job at
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
, where she worked for three months.
She also occasionally worked as a
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
during this period.
After her short stint at Disney, Blakely accepted a job with office supply company Danka, where she sold
fax machine
Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopying or telefax (the latter short for telefacsimile), is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer o ...
s
door-to-door
Door-to-door is a canvassing technique that is generally used for sales, marketing, advertising, evangelism or campaigning, in which the person or persons walk from the door of one house to the door of another, trying to sell or advertise a p ...
.
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, Blakely 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.
At age 27, Blakely relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, and while still working at Danka, spent the next two years and US$5,000 savings () researching and developing her
hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...
idea.
Blakely then drove to
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, the location of most of America's hosiery mills, to present her idea. She was turned away by every representative; these companies were used to dealing with established companies, and did not see the value of her idea. Two weeks after arriving home from her North Carolina trip, Blakely received a call from a mill operator based in
Asheboro, North Carolina
Asheboro is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 25,012 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Greensboro–High Point metropolitan area of the Piedmont Triad and is home of the sta ...
, who offered to support Blakely's concept, as he had received strong encouragement from his three 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.
The creation of the initial product
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
was completed over the course of a year.
Blakely then returned to a patent attorney to finalize her application prior to her submission to the
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
(USPTO) and he agreed to assist her for a sum of $750. Following the submission of the online application, she then worked on the packaging of her product.
Blakely used her credit card to purchase the "Spanx"
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
on the
USPTO
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
website for $150.
She managed to arrange a meeting with a representative of the
Neiman Marcus Group, at which she changed into the product in the ladies restroom in the presence of the Neiman Marcus buyer to prove the benefits of her innovation. Blakely's product was sold in seven Neiman Marcus stores as a result of the meeting;
Bloomingdales
Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the business. It became a div ...
,
Saks, and
Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son, Andrew Goodman.
To ...
soon followed.
At around this time, Blakely sent a basket of products to
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...
's television program, with a gift card that explained what she was attempting to develop.
Blakely initially handled all aspects of the business, including marketing, logistics and product
positioning Positioning may refer to:
* Positioning (marketing), creating an identity in the minds of a target market
* Positioning theory, a theory in social psychology
* Positioning (critical literacy), reader context
* Positioning (telecommunications), a t ...
, preferring the location of Spanx alongside shoes in retail outlets, rather than in hosiery sections;
however, her boyfriend at the time, a healthcare consultant, later resigned from his job and joined in the running of the
nascent
Nascent may refer to:
* '' Nascent'', a 2005 Australian dance film with choreography by Garry Stewart
* '' Nascent (film)'', a 2016 Central African short documentary film by Lindsay Branham and Jon Kasbe
See also
*
*
* Nascent hydrogen, disc ...
business.
Blakely was contacting friends and acquaintances, including those from her past, and asking them to seek out her products at select department stores in exchange for a check that she would send to them by mail as a token of appreciation.
In November 2000, Winfrey named Spanx one of her "Favorite Things," which led to a significant rise in popularity and sales, as well as Blakely's resignation from Danka.
Spanx achieved $4 million in sales in its first year and $10 million in sales in its second year.
In 2001, Blakely signed a contract with
QVC
QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Penn ...
, the home shopping channel.
In 2012, Blakely landed on the cover of ''Forbes'' magazine for being the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.
In October 2013, Blakely explained that her ambition is to design the world's most comfortable high-heel shoe prior to retirement. She was listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by ''Forbes''.
[
In 2015, Blakely and her husband were part of a group led by ]Tony Ressler
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
that purchased the Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
for $850 million.
In October 2021, the Blackstone Group
Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate b ...
acquired a majority stake of Spanx, Inc. The company was valued at US$1.2 billion. Blakely was to retain the position as Executive Chairwoman. Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
Magazine estimated her net worth after the deal at US$1.3 billion. To celebrate the transaction, Blakely gave each of her 750 employees $10,000 in cash and let them purchase two first-class plane tickets to any destination they desired to travel to.
Television
In 2005, Blakely attained second place as a contestant on ''The Rebel Billionaire
''The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best'' is a Reality television, reality show for Fox Broadcasting Company's fall 2004 season.
Premise
The premise for the series was that billionaire Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, c ...
'', a reality television series that introduced her to Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
, who later supported Blakely in her endeavors as both an entrepreneur and philanthropist. She later starred as one of the judges on ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's reality television series, ''American Inventor
''American Inventor'' was a reality television series based on a competition to be named America's best inventor. It was conceived by Simon Cowell and the producers of ''American Idol'' afteBen Hausbachappeared on Season 5 with his Cosmic Coaster ...
'', alongside George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...
, Pat Croce
Pasquale "Pat" Croce (born November 2, 1954) is an American entrepreneur, sports team executive and owner, author, and TV personality. He served as team president of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Philadelphia 76ers from 1996 to 2001 ...
and Peter Jones.
She was a guest investor on several episodes in seasons 9 and 10 of ''Shark Tank
''Shark Tank'' is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 201'Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank' returning to ABCInsider TV. Retrieved June 24, 2012 The show i ...
''.
She also appeared in a very brief cameo, as herself, on "Elmsley Court," episode 12 of '' Billions'' Season 3.
Philanthropy
In 2006, Blakely launched the Sara Blakely Foundation to help women through education and entrepreneurial training. Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
acted as a mentor to Blakely and, at the conclusion of ''The Rebel Billionaire'', surprised Blakely with a US$750,000 check to start the Foundation.
Since its launch, The Sara Blakely Foundation has funded scholarships for young women at the Community and Individual Development Association City Campus in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and Blakely appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'' in 2006, donating US$1 million to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa (OWLAG) is a boarding school for girls, grades 8–12, in Henley on Klip, Gauteng Province, South Africa. The school is a project begun by the American entrepreneur and philanthr ...
. In 2013 Blakely became the first female billionaire to join the "Giving Pledge
The Giving Pledge is a campaign to encourage extremely wealthy people to contribute a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. , the pledge has 236 signatories from 28 countries. Most of the signatories of the pledge are billionaires, a ...
," Bill Gates
William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...
and Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net w ...
's pledge, whereby the world's richest people donate at least half of their wealth to charity.[Forbes:"Spanx Mogul Sara Blakely Becomes First Female Billionaire To Join Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge" by Clare O'Connor]
May 7, 2013
In 2019, Blakely paid $162,500 at an auction for the black pants worn by Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
in '' Grease;'' the proceeds from which benefited Newton-John's cancer treatment center in Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...
.
In 2020, Blakely pledged to give $5,000,000 to support female-run small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.
Personal life
In 2008, Blakely married , the co-founder of Marquis Jet
NetJets Inc. is an American company that sells Fractional ownership of aircraft, fractional ownership shares in private business jets.
Founded as Executive Jet Airways in 1964, it was later renamed Executive Jet Aviation. NetJets became the ...
, at the Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, Florida
Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida. Gasparilla Island is a part of both Charlotte and Lee counties, while the actual village of Boca Grande, which is home to many seasonal and some year-rou ...
, U.S. The wedding was attended by actor Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...
and featured a surprise performance by singer Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
. Together, they have four children. She is a convert to Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
.
See also
*Women in business
The phrase women in business considers the historical exclusion of women in leadership roles, particularly in the field of commerce, business and entrepreneurship. Today, the phrase advocates for increased participation of women in the business, ...
References
Bibliography
* ''L'Ambition, ou l'épopée de soi'', Vincent Cespedes
Vincent Cespedes (born 14 September 1973 in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis) is a French philosopher, writer and composer.
He is the author of essays on various subjects, and he published a novel on Cheikh Anta Diop and Panafricanism philoso ...
, Paris, Flammarion, 2013, .
External links
Sara Blakely Foundation
Sara Blakely
on ''Spanx
Spanx, Inc. is an American underwear maker focusing on shaping briefs and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The company manufactures mainly pantyhose and other underwear for women and, since 2010, produces male underwear as well. Spanx spe ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blakely, Sara
1971 births
Living people
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American businesswomen
21st-century American businesspeople
21st-century American businesswomen
21st-century American comedians
21st-century philanthropists
Atlanta Hawks owners
American billionaires
American chief executives of fashion industry companies
American inventors
American salespeople
American sports owners
American stand-up comedians
American women comedians
American women company founders
American company founders
American women chief executives
American women philanthropists
Businesspeople from Atlanta
Businesspeople from Florida
Clearwater High School alumni
Converts to Judaism
Female billionaires
Florida State University alumni
Giving Pledgers
Jewish American philanthropists
Jewish women in business
Participants in American reality television series
People from Clearwater, Florida
Philanthropists from Florida
Women inventors
21st-century women philanthropists