Sara Blakely facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sara Blakely
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Blakely in 2014
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| Born |
Sara Treleaven Blakely
February 27, 1971 Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Florida State University |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Known for | Founder and owner of Spanx Minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks |
| Spouse(s) |
Jesse Itzler
(m. 2008) |
| Children | 4 |
Sara Blakely, born on February 27, 1971, is an American businesswoman and a kind-hearted giver. She is famous for starting Spanx, a company that makes comfortable clothing like pants and leggings. Spanx began in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2012, Time magazine named Sara one of the 100 most important people in the world. Later, in 2014, Forbes magazine said she was one of the most powerful women.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sara Blakely was born in Clearwater, Florida. Her mom, Ellen, was an artist, and her dad, John, was a lawyer. Sara went to Clearwater High School. After that, she studied communication at Florida State University. She was also part of a sorority called Delta Delta Delta.
Starting Her Career
Sara first wanted to become a lawyer. But she changed her mind after not doing well on a test for law school. Instead, she got a job at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. She worked there for three months. Sometimes, she also performed as a stand-up comedian.
After Disney, Sara worked for a company called Danka. She sold fax machines by going door-to-door. She was very good at selling things. By age 25, she became a national sales trainer. For her job, she had to wear pantyhose in the hot Florida weather. She didn't like how they looked with open-toed shoes. But she liked how they made her body look smoother. One day, she cut the feet off her pantyhose to wear under pants. They kept rolling up her legs, but she saw the idea for her future product.
The Idea for Spanx
When Sara was 27, she moved to Atlanta. She still worked at Danka, but she also worked on her idea. For two years, she used her $5,000 savings to research and develop her new hosiery.
Sara then drove to North Carolina, where many hosiery factories were located. She tried to show her idea to different companies. But they all said no. They were used to working with big, known companies. Two weeks later, a factory owner from Asheboro, North Carolina, called her. He decided to help Sara because his three daughters really liked her idea. Sara later realized that men mostly ran the hosiery industry. These men didn't even wear the products they made.
It took about a year to create the first sample of her product.
Sara then went to a lawyer to finish her patent application. A patent protects new inventions. She paid $750 for this help. After sending in the application, she worked on the product's packaging.
She used her credit card to buy the name "Spanx" for $150. She bought it from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Sara got a meeting with a buyer from Neiman Marcus. To show how good her product was, she changed into it in the ladies' restroom. The buyer was impressed. Because of this, Spanx was sold in seven Neiman Marcus stores. Soon, other big stores like Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue also started selling it. Around this time, Sara sent a gift basket of her products to Oprah Winfrey's TV show. She included a card explaining her new idea.
Sara did everything for her business at first. This included marketing and shipping. She wanted Spanx to be sold near shoes in stores, not just in the hosiery section. Later, her boyfriend quit his job to help her run the business. Sara even called friends and asked them to look for her products in stores. She would send them a check as a thank you.
In November 2000, Oprah Winfrey named Spanx one of her "Favorite Things." This made Spanx very popular, and sales went way up. Sara then quit her job at Danka. Spanx made $4 million in sales in its first year. In its second year, it made $10 million! In 2001, Sara signed a deal with QVC, a TV shopping channel.
In 2012, Sara Blakely was on the cover of Forbes magazine. She was the youngest woman to become a billionaire on her own.
In 2013, Sara said she wanted to design the most comfortable high-heel shoe before she retired. Forbes listed her as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world.
In 2015, Sara and her husband, Jesse Itzler, joined a group that bought the Atlanta Hawks basketball team. They paid $850 million for it.
In 2021, a company called The Blackstone Group bought most of Spanx. The company was valued at $1.2 billion. Sara stayed on as the leader. Forbes estimated she was worth $1.3 billion after the deal. To celebrate, Sara gave each of her 750 employees $10,000 in cash. She also let them buy two first-class plane tickets to any place they wanted!
Television Appearances
In 2005, Sara was a contestant on a TV show called The Rebel Billionaire. She came in second place. On the show, she met Richard Branson, a famous businessman. He later helped Sara with her business and charity work. Sara also appeared as a judge on the TV show American Inventor.
She was a guest investor on several episodes of Shark Tank. This show helps new businesses get funding.
Sara also had a very short appearance as herself on the TV show Billions.
Helping Others
In 2006, Sara started the Sara Blakely Foundation. This foundation helps women through education and business training. Richard Branson gave Sara a $750,000 check to start the foundation.
The Sara Blakely Foundation has given scholarships to young women in South Africa. In 2006, Sara appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show again. She gave $1 million to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. In 2013, Sara became the first female billionaire to join the "Giving Pledge." This is a promise by the world's richest people to give away at least half of their money to charity. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett started this pledge.
In 2019, Sara bought the black pants worn by Olivia Newton-John in the movie Grease at an auction. She paid $162,500 for them. The money went to Olivia Newton-John's cancer treatment center in Melbourne, Australia.
In 2020, Sara promised to give $5 million to help small businesses run by women. This was during the coronavirus pandemic.
Personal Life
In 2008, Sara married Jesse Itzler. He is a co-founder of a company called Marquis Jet. They have four children together. Sara also converted to Judaism.
See also
In Spanish: Sara Blakely para niños
- Women in business
