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sara blakely

founder of spanx, the global apparel brand built from a door-to-door fax machine sales background and a single pair of cut-off pantyhose.

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bootstrapping

sara blakelyspecial profile
spanxjul 5, 2026

Sara Blakely Turned $5,000 and a Pair of Scissors Into a Billion-Dollar Company

“No fashion background, no business degree, and a patent she drafted herself. The idea was cheap; the persistence wasn't.”

She was selling fax machines door to door when she cut the feet off a pair of pantyhose. Spanx launched in 2000, and by 2012 Blakely was the world's youngest self-made female billionaire.

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