Sara Blakely

Sara Blakely was born in Clearwater, Florida, United States.⁠[1]

She graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications.⁠[1]

She briefly worked at Disney before selling fax machines for Danka and advancing into sales training. This door-to-door sales experience preceded her founding of SPANX.⁠[2]

She cut the feet off pantyhose to wear beneath white trousers, prompting development of footless shapewear. The brand identifies this clothing experiment as the starting point for SPANX.⁠[3]

She launched SPANX from her apartment, bringing her product idea to market. She initially financed the business herself.⁠[4][2]

According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, her first QVC presentation sold eight thousand units in five minutes.⁠[1]

She appeared on Richard Branson’s The Rebel Billionaire. Her foundation states that Branson subsequently provided $750,000 to support establishing a charitable foundation.⁠[5]

She established the Sara Blakely Foundation to support programs involving women’s education, entrepreneurship and the arts. The organization later adopted the name Red Backpack Foundation.⁠[5][1]

She married entrepreneur Jesse Itzler in Boca Grande, Florida.⁠[2]

Forbes estimated her net worth at $1 billion and identified the forty-one-year-old as that year’s youngest self-made female billionaire. The figure was the magazine’s estimate at the time.⁠[2]

The Giving Pledge records her joining in 2013. Participants commit the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.⁠[6]

An ownership group led by Tony Ressler acquired the Atlanta Hawks. Its named investors included Blakely and her husband Jesse Itzler; Ressler served as principal owner and board chairman.⁠[7]

The Belly Art Project: Moms Supporting Moms was published, featuring paintings on pregnant women’s bellies. It combined creative photography with maternal-health philanthropy, with author proceeds supporting Every Mother Counts.⁠[8]

She was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame in recognition of her shapewear inventions and entrepreneurial career.⁠[4]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she committed $5 million to the Red Backpack Fund in partnership with GlobalGiving, providing $5,000 grants for one thousand women-led small businesses.⁠[9]

Blackstone announced an agreement to acquire a majority stake in SPANX at a $1.2 billion company valuation. Blakely would retain a significant stake and become executive chair at closing. The valuation was not her personal net worth or proceeds.⁠[10]

SPANX and Blackstone announced completion of the transaction and disclosed participation by investors including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Whitney Wolfe Herd.⁠[11]

SPANX announced Cricket Whitton as chief executive and Jeanne Jackson as executive chair. The announcement identified Blakely as its founder.⁠[12]

She launched SNEEX, a footwear brand combining high-heel styling with sneaker design. Its initial range comprised three styles and ten colorways; comfort claims were made by the brand itself.⁠[13]

She was interviewed by School of Hard Knocks.⁠[14]

She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, whose record identifies U.S. patent 6,276,176.⁠[1]

SNEEX introduced the Ballerina, extending its hybrid high-heel and sneaker approach to another silhouette. The company described it as made in Italy and initially offered in five colorways.⁠[15]

Florida State University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, and she addressed its commencement ceremony. The degree was honorary.⁠[16]

SNEEX released the Charlie Hy-Heel Sandal, extending its hybrid footwear designs to an open-toe sandal. The company described its INNERPLAY support and cushioning system.⁠[17]

Interview resources link to her personal Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sarablakely/ (opens in a new window) and LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarablakely27/ (opens in a new window). The Twitter link on James Altucher’s interview page points to the SPANX brand account.⁠[18][19]