She has adorned the covers of Forbes, Inc. Her appearances include shows like 60 Minutes, Shark Tank, and The View. By the age of 41 in 2012, she made history as the world’s first self-made female billionaire, achieving this milestone without any inheritance or spousal support. Meet Sara Blakely, the visionary behind the shapewear brand Spanx.
Prior to her success, she had aspirations of becoming a lawyer, played a character at Walt Disney World as a chipmunk, and sold fax machines door-to-door. Ultimately, she conceived the idea that transformed her life, a remarkable tale that has been recounted numerous times.
“The media’s tagline for the past two decades has been, ‘Sara cut the feet out of her pantyhose, and then Spanx was born,’” says Blakely. “But the story starts long before that.”
In a heartfelt interview featured on The Tony Robbins Podcast, hosted by the renowned life and business strategist, best-selling author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Blakely shares invaluable insights from her journey in creating Spanx, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Here are the key takeaways:
1. Her first lesson came from loss, but it wasn’t the only one.
At 16, Blakely faced tragedy when a friend was killed by a car while biking. Shortly thereafter, her parents separated, and her father left the family home. Before departing, he gifted her a cassette collection titled How to Be a No-Limit Person by Wayne Dyer.
This collection sparked a journey towards self-discovery and urged her to seize each moment, understanding the fleeting nature of life. Experiences of loss—whether tangible, emotional, or spiritual—can either hinder or motivate someone. For Blakely, such losses became pivotal drivers.
2. Door-to-door sales taught her about human behavior.
Blakely spent seven years selling fax machines directly to consumers. For those familiar with cold calling, it’s a challenging business. She observed that individuals tend to fit into one of four categories: socializers, relaters, directors, and thinkers. As a director and socializer, she found it difficult to engage thinkers, who demanded excessive information before reaching a decision, viewing that as a significant waste of time.
Adjusting to varying personality types became essential, particularly in sales. This skill led her to obsess over customer satisfaction while developing Spanx, using customer insights and organic advertising to pivot and thrive in her business—and, of course, we all know how that tale concludes.
3. Embracing failure became part of her upbringing.
Blakely’s father played a crucial role in instilling an enterprising mindset. He not only valued the lessons of failure but celebrated them with enthusiasm. Each day after school, he would inquire about her failures of the week.
“If I had not experienced a failure, he would feel disappointed,” Blakely recalls. “At the time, I didn’t recognize it, but he was redefining failure for me…It was less about the results and more about the willingness to try.”
4. Tony Robbins taught her about the power of positive self-talk.
Every entrepreneur faces self-doubt at some point. The entrepreneurial journey is fraught with risk, and when challenges arise, our instinctive protective mechanisms often seek to shield us from continued failure, disappointment, and embarrassment. Mastering positive self-talk is crucial to counteract negativity that could stifle a nascent venture faster than dwindling profits.
“How did you confront [negative self-talk]?” Robbins inquires during the discussion. “You,” responds Blakely.
Robbins was instrumental in helping Blakely understand that fears, discomfort, and self-doubt are surmountable through the mindset and language we apply to ourselves.
5. Ignorance of the conventional way can be advantageous.
Blakely did not attend business school, never took courses in business mastery, and lacked any experience as a business owner. Yet, Spanx quickly secured shelf space in the prestigious Neiman Marcus. How did she achieve this? She picked up the phone, call after call, then flew down to Dallas, Texas, to pitch her product by trying it on in the overhead restrooms. Typically, one would expect rigorous marketing efforts, countless trade shows, and extensive groundwork before attracting the attention of a buyer from Neiman Marcus.
“When you’re unaware of the conventional methods, you approach things differently,” Blakely notes.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs have brilliant concepts that falter because they adhere to traditional methods of operation. Blakely emphasizes the importance of trusting one’s ignorance and lack of experience.
“If you follow the conventional path, you’re not innovating or creating change,” she asserts.
