Sara Blakely
Sara Blakely | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 27, 1971 Clearwater, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, philanthropist |
| Known for | Founder of Spanx |
Sara Treleaven Blakely (born February 27, 1971) is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. She is the founder of Spanx, a company specializing in shaping undergarments such as pants and leggings, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2012, Blakely was included in Time magazine's prestigious "Time 100" list, recognizing the world's most influential individuals. By 2014, Forbes ranked her as the 93rd most powerful woman globally.
Early life and education
Born on February 27, 1971, in Clearwater, Florida, Blakely is the daughter of Ellen (née Ford), an artist, and John Blakely, a trial lawyer. She has one brother, Ford Blakely, who is also an artist. Blakely completed her high school education at Clearwater High School and earned a degree in communications from Florida State University, where she was affiliated with the Delta Delta Delta sorority.
Early career
Originally intending to pursue law, Blakely altered her path after receiving a low score on the Law School Admission Test. She briefly worked at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for three months and also performed as a stand-up comedian during that period.
Following her time at Disney, she joined Danka, an office supply firm, selling fax machines through door-to-door sales. Demonstrating strong sales skills, she advanced to become a national sales trainer by age 25. Although required to wear pantyhose in the warm Florida climate for her role, she disliked their seamed foot design but valued the body-shaping effect of the control-top. To improve comfort and appearance under slacks, she experimented by cutting off the pantyhose feet but encountered issues with them rolling up her legs.
Spanx
At age 27, Blakely relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, dedicating two years and investing $5,000 to develop her hosiery innovation. She visited North Carolina—the hub of U.S. hosiery manufacturing—but initially faced rejection from mills accustomed to established clients. Eventually, a mill owner in Asheboro agreed to collaborate after encouragement from his daughters. Blakely observed that the hosiery industry was predominantly male-driven and lacked insight into consumer needs.
Developing the prototype took approximately one year. She engaged a patent lawyer for $750 to complete her patent filing and secured the "Spanx" trademark online for $150. Blakely arranged a meeting with Neiman Marcus by demonstrating the product in their restroom, which led to placement in seven stores. This success was followed by deals with Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bergdorf Goodman. She also sent samples to Oprah Winfrey’s show; after Spanx was named one of Oprah’s "Favorite Things," sales surged dramatically.
Initially overseeing all aspects of the business herself, Blakely strategically positioned Spanx alongside footwear rather than hosiery within retail environments. Her then-boyfriend left his healthcare consulting position to join the company. To increase visibility in stores, she incentivized friends by paying them to locate Spanx products on shelves.
Spanx generated $4 million in revenue during its first year and grew to $10 million in the following year. In 2001, Blakely secured a contract with QVC. By 2012, she appeared on the cover of Forbes as the youngest self-made female billionaire. In 2013, she revealed plans to create the most comfortable high-heeled shoe before retiring and maintained her position as the 93rd most powerful woman worldwide according to Forbes.
In 2015, Blakely and her husband Jesse Itzler became part of a group led by Tony Ressler that purchased the Atlanta Hawks basketball team for $850 million.
In October 2021, The Blackstone Group acquired a controlling interest in Spanx at a valuation of $1.2 billion. Blakely retained her role as Executive Chairwoman and saw her net worth rise to approximately $1.3 billion following the transaction. To commemorate this milestone, she rewarded each of her 750 employees with $10,000 along with two first-class tickets to any destination worldwide.
Television
Blakely first gained widespread attention in 2005 as the runner-up on the reality competition The Rebel Billionaire, which introduced her to Richard Branson, who subsequently became a key supporter of her business and charitable ventures. She took on the role of judge on ABC's American Inventor, joining George Foreman, Pat Croce, and Peter Jones on the panel. Additionally, Blakely appeared as a guest investor during seasons 9 and 10 of Shark Tank and had a brief cameo playing herself in Season 3, episode 12 of the series Billions.
Philanthropy
In 2006, Blakely established the Sara Blakely Foundation with the mission to empower women through education and entrepreneurship programs. Her mentor from The Rebel Billionaire, Richard Branson, donated $750,000 to help launch the foundation. The organization has provided scholarships to young women in South Africa and supported projects such as the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, to which Blakely contributed $1 million in 2006. In 2013, she became the first female billionaire to join the "Giving Pledge", committing to allocate at least half of her fortune to philanthropic causes.
In 2019, Blakely acquired Olivia Newton-John's iconic black pants from the film Grease at auction for $162,500, directing the proceeds to Newton-John’s cancer treatment center in Melbourne. The following year, she pledged $5 million to assist women-led small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Personal life
Blakely married Jesse Itzler, co-founder of Marquis Jet, in 2008. Together they have four children. She has also converted to Judaism.
See also
Bibliography
- L'Ambition, ou l'épopée de soi, Vincent Cespedes, Paris, Flammarion, 2013, .
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1971 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century American businesswomen
- 20th-century American comedians
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- 21st-century American businesswomen
- 21st-century American comedians
- 21st-century American philanthropists
- 21st-century American women philanthropists
- Atlanta Hawks owners
- American billionaires
- American chief executives of fashion industry companies
- American company founders
- 21st-century American women inventors
- American salespeople
- American sports owners
- American stand-up comedians
- American women chief executives
- American women comedians
- American women company founders
- Businesspeople from Atlanta
- Businesspeople from Florida
- Clearwater High School alumni
- Converts to Judaism
- Female billionaires
- Florida State University alumni
- Jewish women in business
- Participants in American reality television series
- People from Clearwater, Florida
- Comedians from Florida
- 21st-century American inventors