Sara Blakely on Resilience The founder of Spanx opens up about what drives her -- and the critical life lesson she learned early on.

By Teri Evans

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Sara Blakely is a soft-spoken businesswoman with steel will. In the 1990s, she spent seven years selling fax machines, often so terrified of approaching prospects that she burst into tears and had to drive around the block to regroup. But she persisted, always thinking one day she would dream up her own product to sell. That day came in 1998, while putting on pants in front of the mirror and not liking her rear view. She decided to wear her usual control-top pantyhose underneath -- but cut the feet out. The svelte difference led Blakely to patent her own footless body-shaping pantyhose. Two years later, she founded Atlanta-based Spanx Inc., which went on to introduce more than 200 types of body-shaping garments -- ranging from Mama Spanx to swimwear and, most recently, Spanx for Men. Today, Spanx is a multimillion dollar company with 105 employees, selling its slimming garments in nearly 10,000 retail locations around the world.

In the edited interview excerpts that follow, Blakely, now 40, offers insight on the resilient mindset that let to her entrepreneurial success.

Spanx founder Sara Blakely with her lucky red backpack, which served as the presentation bag when pitching her body-slimming undergarments to retailers.
Sara Blakely with the lucky red backpack she carried everywhere she went.
Photo courtesy of the company

'Aha' moment: When I cut the feet out of my pantyhose that one time, I saw it as my sign. I had been visualizing being self employed prior to this happening. It was my mental preparation meeting the opportunity in that moment.

Roots of resilience: I listen to motivational tapes and my favorite is an early series by Wayne Dyer, How to Be a No-Limit Person. When I was 16, I saw my good friend get run over by a car and killed. Around the same time, my parents separated, and my dad handed me that series, and said, 'I wish someone gave this to me when I was your age instead of having to discover it when I was 40.' I memorized all 10 tapes. It's my go-to gift for people I care about.

Earliest entrepreneurial memory: When I was 7, I came up with the idea of 'charm socks.' My mom would take me to buy bags of plastic charms, we would sew them on frilly white socks, and I sold them at school.

Life lesson learned as a child: My dad encouraged us to fail. Growing up, he would ask us what we failed at that week. If we didn't have something, he would be disappointed. It changed my mindset at an early age that failure is not the outcome, failure is not trying. Don't be afraid to fail.

Best cold-calling tip: Try to make them laugh or smile. If you can do that, you always get another 15 seconds. Spend it saying why you're better than the other options. Differentiation in those first moments is crucial. When I invented Spanx I heard 'no' for two years. It didn't faze me. I didn't have a special ability, it was sheer drive and telling myself to keep going.

Instant attitude adjustment: Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' is my go-to song to pump myself up if I'm having a tough time or if I get really nervous right before a speech.

If I knew then, what I know now… I would have done better due diligence on key manufacturers from the beginning. In the early years, one of my manufacturers went under and gave me only about four days notice.

Secret quirk: I'm obsessed with Japanese steakhouses. My favorite is Nakato in Atlanta. When I'm in town, sometimes I'm there three nights in a row.

'Uh-oh' moment: On the BBC, I was asked what Spanx could do for women in the U.K. I said, 'It smoothes and separates your fanny.' The interviewer looked mortified. I had no idea what was going on, so I kept rambling on about fannies until he stopped me and said, 'I think you mean bum.' The word fanny means vagina in England. I had never used the word fanny before then. I guess I thought it sounded very English. (Laughs.)

I'm inspired by… people who create something out of nothing. Richard Branson and Oprah had nothing handed to them and made their own way.

Sara Blakely with Virgin Group founder Richard Branson at the 'Give A Damn' party to launch the Sara Blakely Foundation.
Sara Blakely with Virgin Group founder Richard Branson at the 'Give A Damn' party to launch the Sara Blakely Foundation.
Photo Credit: Ben Rose Photography

Renegade or Realist: I'm much more renegade.

Favorite pastime: I recreationally think. [Before I launched Spanx,] hours would go by just sitting on the couch thinking and asking myself a lot of important questions to assess what I was good at.

Lucky charm: I found my lucky red backpack from college in my mom's attic and became determined that it was going to change my path for Spanx because I kept hearing no, no, no. It went with me every step of the way, to the point of being made fun of because I went to Neiman Marcus headquarters with this old backpack as my presentation bag. Now, with the Sarah Blakely Foundation, every woman we send to college or help start a business receives a lucky red backpack. They're usually more excited about that than the money, which I totally get. The backpack is a symbol of their potential.

Wavy Line

Editor's Pick

She's Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She's on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.
Lock
I Helped Grow 4 Unicorns Over 10 Years That Generated $18 Billion in Online Revenues. Here's What I've Learned.
Lock
Want to Break Bad Habits and Supercharge Your Business? Use This Technique.
Lock
Don't Have Any Clients But Need Customer Testimonials? Follow These 3 Tricks To Boost Your Rep.
Why Are Some Wines More Expensive Than Others? A Top Winemaker Gives a Full-Bodied Explanation.

Related Topics

Business News

California Woman Arrested For $60 Million Postal Service Scam

Lijuan "Angela" Chen faces two charges that each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Science & Technology

'We Were Sucked In': How to Protect Yourself from Deepfake Phone Scams.

Phone fraudsters are using AI to clone the voices of loved or trusted people to rip them off. Here's how to detect if the phone is real or robot.

Business News

Apple Just Unveiled Its VR Headset. What You Need to Know.

The Vision Pro is Apple's first major product launch since AirPods.

Marketing

5 Things You Can Do Now to Improve Email Marketing

Abide by these simple tricks to help your campaigns gain more visibility and generate revenue in the process.

Leadership

The Return to Office Movement is Causing a Mental Health Crisis. Employers Are Part of The Problem — But They Can Be Part of The Solution.

Employee mental health substantially worsened with the return to office demands, and it's causing disengagement and low morale. The solution demanded by employees is the answer.