The Breaking Point
It was a sweltering Florida afternoon in 1998, and Sara Blakely stood sweating in a department store dressing room. She had an important cocktail party that evening, but her cream-colored pants clung awkwardly to the seams of her pantyhose.
Frustrated, she did something radical—she grabbed the scissors from her purse and snipped off the feet of her pantyhose. The result? A smoother silhouette under her pants.
But when she searched stores for footless shaping undergarments, she hit a wall: They didn’t exist.
That moment of frustration would ignite a $1.1 billion empire—but not before years of struggle, rejection, and sheer stubbornness.
The Underdog Who Refused to Quit
Sara wasn’t a fashion insider. She was a door-to-door fax machine salesperson, hauling a 50-pound demo unit across office parks while wearing pantyhose in 90-degree heat (“Dress code required them—I hated it”).
Her résumé read like a list of failures:
- Bombed the LSAT twice (ending her law school dreams)
- Got rejected from Disney World (too short to be a Jungle Cruise skipper)
- Struggled for seven years in sales (“I was terrible at cold calls”)
Yet, she squirreled away $5,000—her entire life savings—to solve a problem millions of women faced but no one talked about.
The Dark Years: Rejection After Rejection
1. The Patent Hustle
With no legal background, Sara spent nights at her local library, studying patent law. To save money, she:
- Hand-drew designs on notebook paper
- Used the term “footless pantyhose” (avoiding expensive trademark searches)
- Filed the patent herself (later admitting, “I had no idea what I was doing”)
2. The Factory Shutdowns
Hosiery mills—all run by older men—laughed her out of meetings:
“Sweetheart, women want sexy, not practical.”
“This will never sell.”
One manufacturer finally agreed—but only if she pre-paid $5,000 upfront (wiping out her savings).
3. The Make-or-Break Pitch
Neiman Marcus’s hosiery buyer refused to see her. Undeterred, Sara:
- Camped in the store lobby for three days
- Cornered the buyer in an elevator
- Demonstrated Spanx in the bathroom (hiking up her pant leg to prove the smoothing effect)
The buyer ordered 8,000 units on the spot.
The Big Break: A Handwritten Note to Oprah
In 2000, Oprah’s team called: “We found Spanx in a boutique. Can you overnight samples?”
Panicked, Sara:
- Had no finished inventory (just prototypes)
- Rushed to a local seamstress for last-minute stitching
- Included a handwritten note (“I’m just a regular woman who hated pantyhose. I hope this helps you too.”)
When Oprah held up Spanx on national TV, calling it her “favorite thing,” orders exploded overnight.
The Unconventional Rules That Built an Empire
1. “No” Is Just a Question in Disguise
- When manufacturers said “Women won’t buy this,” she surveyed strangers in malls.
- When stores refused to stock Spanx, she sold directly to sales associates (who then pressured buyers).
2. Scarcity Breeds Creativity
With no ad budget, she:
- Wrote jokes on packaging (“Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to twirl”)
- Sent free pairs to celebrities’ assistants (who then told their bosses)
- Used nude packaging when competitors used pink (standing out on shelves)
3. The Power of the Beginner’s Mind
“Not knowing ‘how things are done’ let me rewrite the rules.”
- No fashion experience? → No outdated assumptions.
- No retail connections? → No fear of breaking protocol.
The Hidden Lesson: Her Father’s Dinner Table Question
Growing up, Sara’s dad asked one question every week at dinner:
“What did you fail at this week?”
If she had nothing to report, he’d say:
“Then you didn’t try hard enough.”
This reframed failure as proof of effort—a mindset that carried her through:
- 20+ manufacturer rejections
- Being mocked on Shark Tank (as a guest, pre-fame)
- Years of 18-hour days
Your Turn: The Spanx Mindset
Sara’s story isn’t about luck. It’s about:
🔹 Spotting everyday frustrations (even “small” ones)
🔹 Starting before you’re ready (she had no fashion degree)
🔹 Turning constraints into advantages ($5,000 forced creativity)
What’s your “cut-the-feet-off-pantyhose” moment?