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 February 27, 1971) is an American businesswoman. She is also a kind person who helps others, known as a philanthropist. Sara is famous for starting her own company called Spanx. This company makes special clothes like pants and leggings. She started Spanx in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2012, Sara Blakely was chosen for Time magazine's "Time 100" list. This list names the 100 most important people in the world. Later, in 2014, Forbes magazine said she was the 93rd most powerful woman in the world.
Contents
Sara Blakely's Early Life and Education
Sara Blakely was born on February 27, 1971. Her hometown is Clearwater, Florida. Her mom, Ellen, is an artist, and her dad, John, is a lawyer. Sara also has a brother named Ford, who is an artist too.
She went to Clearwater High School. After high school, she studied at Florida State University. She earned a degree in communication there. While in college, she was part of a group called Delta Delta Delta.
How Sara Blakely Started Her Career
Sara first wanted to become a lawyer. But she changed her mind after getting a low score on a test for law school. Instead, she got a job at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. She worked there for three months. During this time, she also sometimes 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 sales job, she had to wear pantyhose. It was hot in Florida, and she didn't like how the pantyhose 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 them under pants. This gave her the smooth look she wanted. Even though they rolled up her legs, she saw a new idea!
The Story of Spanx
When Sara was 27, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia. She still worked at Danka, but she spent her free time on her new idea. For two years, she used her $5,000 savings to research and create her hosiery product.
Sara then drove to North Carolina. Many hosiery factories are located there. She tried to show her idea to different companies. But they all said no. These companies usually worked with big, well-known businesses. They didn't see the value in her new idea.
Two weeks after returning home, Sara got a call. It was from a factory owner in Asheboro, North Carolina. He decided to help her. His three daughters had strongly encouraged him to support Sara's idea. Sara later shared that she realized the hosiery industry was mostly run by men. These men didn't even use the products they were making!
It took about a year to create the first version of her product.
Sara then went back to a patent lawyer. She needed help to finish her application for a patent. A patent protects new inventions. The lawyer agreed to help her for $750. After sending the online application, she worked on the product's packaging.
Sara used her credit card to buy the name "Spanx." She bought the trademark for $150 from the USPTO website.
She managed to get a meeting with a buyer from Neiman Marcus Group. To show how good her product was, Sara changed into it in the ladies' restroom. The Neiman Marcus buyer was there to see it. Because of this meeting, Spanx was sold in seven Neiman Marcus stores. Soon, other big stores like Bloomingdales, Saks, and Bergdorf Goodman also started selling Spanx.
Around this time, Sara sent a basket of her products to Oprah Winfrey's TV show. She included a card explaining her new invention.
At first, Sara did everything for her business. This included marketing and shipping. She wanted Spanx to be sold near shoes in stores, not in the hosiery section. Later, her boyfriend, who worked in healthcare, quit his job to help her. 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 grew a lot. Sara then quit her job at Danka. In its first year, Spanx made $4 million in sales. In its second year, sales reached $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 by starting her own business.
In October 2013, Sara said her dream was to design the most comfortable high-heel shoe before she retired. Forbes magazine 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 the team.
In October 2021, a company called The Blackstone Group bought most of Spanx, Inc. The company was valued at $1.2 billion. Sara kept her job as the Executive Chairwoman. Forbes estimated her wealth to be $1.3 billion after this 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!
Sara Blakely on Television
In 2005, Sara Blakely was a contestant on a TV show called The Rebel Billionaire. She came in second place. On this show, she met Richard Branson. He later helped Sara with her business and her charity work.
She also appeared as a judge on ABC's TV show, American Inventor. She judged alongside famous people like George Foreman.
Sara was also a guest investor on some episodes of Shark Tank.
She made a very short appearance as herself on an episode of Billions in 2018.
Sara Blakely's Philanthropy
In 2006, Sara Blakely started the Sara Blakely Foundation. This foundation helps women through education and business training. Richard Branson was a mentor to Sara. At the end of The Rebel Billionaire show, he surprised her with a $750,000 check to start her foundation.
Since it began, the Sara Blakely Foundation has given money for scholarships. These scholarships help young women at the Community and Individual Development Association City Campus in South Africa. Sara also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006. 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 started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. The world's richest people promise to give at least half of their money to charity.
In 2019, Sara paid $162,500 at an auction. She bought the black pants worn by Olivia Newton-John in the movie Grease. The money from this sale went to Olivia Newton-John's cancer treatment center in Melbourne, Australia.
In 2020, Sara promised to give $5 million. This money was to help small businesses run by women during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sara Blakely's Personal Life
In 2008, Sara Blakely married Jesse Itzler. He is one of the people who started Marquis Jet. Sara and Jesse have four children together. Sara also became a follower of Judaism.
See also
In Spanish: Sara Blakely para niños
- Women in business
