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Like so
many women, I bought clothes that looked amazing in a magazine or on
the hanger, but in reality magnified every panty line and
imperfection — clothes that eventually made their way to the "maybe
one day I'll be flawless" section of my closet where they remained
unworn.
With
$5,000 in savings out of the back of my apartment, a whole lot of
internet research, patent writing, cold-calling, less-than-shy
demonstrations for buyers, and a call from Oprah...Spanx was born!
Sara
Blakely's story*
Working as a sales trainer by day and performing stand-up comedy at
night, I didn't know the first thing about the pantyhose industry
(except I dreaded wearing most pantyhose). Also, I had never taken a
business class which made the process even more challenging. As a
result, I had only one source to operate from...my gut.
First the Patent
I read several books on trademarks and patents and researched
pantyhose patents at the Georgia Tech Library at night after work. I
then approached several lawyers who thought my idea was so crazy
that they later admitted thinking I had been sent by Candid Camera.
To keep costs down, I wrote the patent myself and later found a
lawyer who helped write the claims. My patent was approved and I
successfully trademarked the name SPANX online!
Finding a Manufacturer
For months I researched hosiery manufacturers on the internet and
made several calls. Taking a week off of work, I drove around North
Carolina begging mill owners to help make my idea. They always asked
the same three questions: "And you are?" "And you are representing?"
"And you are financially backed by?" When I answered Sara Blakely to
all three, most of them sent me away, not to mention they thought
the idea "made no sense, and would never sell." Two weeks later I
received a call from a mill owner who said he "decided to help make
my crazy idea." When asked why he had the change of heart, he said,
"I have two daughters." Turns out they didn't think the idea was
crazy at all. The prototype took a year to perfect because as
someone who wanted to wear the product everyday I was obsessed with
comfort.
Naming the Product
I knew that Kodak and Coca-Cola are the two most recognized names in
the world, and they both have a predominant "K" sound in them. Also,
from doing stand-up comedy, it is a known secret that the "K" sound
makes people laugh. So for good luck, I wanted my product's name to
have the "K" sound in it, and SPANKS hit me like a lightning bolt. I
immediately knew it was perfect! At the last minute I changed the
"KS" to an "X" after doing research that made-up words do better for
products than real words (and are easier to trademark). Spanx is
edgy, fun, extremely catchy, and for a moment it makes your mind
wander (admit it). Plus it's all about making women's butts look
better, so why not?
Packaging
 Pantyhose
packaging has been the same for years — boring. It was time for a
change. I took a bold new approach with a red package and three
illustrated women on the front. It's fresh, new, and for ALL women.
Having no idea what legally needed to be on the package, I went to
the store and bought ten different types of pantyhose and spread
them across the floor of my apartment. If the same thing appeared on
all of them, I remember thinking "must be legal" and added it to my
package. Then, at the last minute after consulting our moms to test
the offense factor (they laughed hysterically), we added our tagline
"Don't worry, we've got your butt covered!"
SPANX in Stores
Once I had a perfected prototype in hand, I called the buyer at
Neiman Marcus and introduced myself over the phone. I said I had
invented a product their customers would not want to live without,
and if I could have ten minutes of her time, I would fly to Dallas.
She agreed! I put the prototype in a zip lock bag from my kitchen,
threw it in my good-luck red backpack, and was on a plane. During
the meeting, I had no shame... I asked her to follow me to the
ladies room where I personally showed her the before/after in my
cream pants. Three weeks later SPANX was on the shelves of Neiman
Marcus! I then called all my friends and begged them to go to
Neiman's and make a huge fuss over the product and buy them up. At
just the moment I was running out of friends, Spanx caught on and
the rest is history. I did the same thing with Saks, Nordstrom,
Bloomingdales, and all my other retailers!
How I Spread the Word
 I
had no money to advertise, so I hit the road. For the entire first
year, I did in-store rallies about Spanx with the sales associates,
and then stayed all day introducing customers to Spanx. I became
notorious for lifting up my pant leg to every woman walking by. (My
mom always said as long as I lifted my pants up and not down to show
my product then I had her blessing!) My friends and I also called
newspapers, magazines, and TV stations and got Spanx significant
coverage in the media.
It has been a dream come true to see my products featured on The
Oprah Winfrey show, The Today Show, The View, The Tyra Banks Show,
CNN, and countless other television programs and news channels, as
well as in the pages of Forbes, Fortune, People, Entrepreneur, In
Style, The New York Times, USA Today, Glamour, Vogue, and many
more.
Taking A Leap of Faith
In the fall of 2004, I reached a new height in my entrepreneurial
adventure: 10,000 feet! That's the elevation of the hot-air balloon
I had to climb so I could have tea on top of the balloon with one of
my business heroes, Richard Branson. The crazy thing is that I am
terrified of heights. But it was all part of a
business-meets-hair-raising-stunts Fox TV show called The Rebel
Billionaire: Richard Branson's Quest for the Best. I joined the cast
of The Rebel Billionaire to get the opportunity to meet my business
hero, Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin. But I had no idea what
the journey would involve. I got to do business tasks in China,
London, and South Africa, and even got to spend an afternoon with
Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Mandela.
From Reality to Dreams
Everyone thought I was crazy for
leaving Spanx for three months to be on a reality TV show, but I
trusted my gut. Something told me that this would be a chance of a
lifetime, and it was. Sir Richard Branson traveled
 with
us around the world, which gave me the opportunity to talk with him
about Spanx, his experience with Virgin, and his new global
foundation Virgin Unite. I was really interested in learning how to
set up a foundation, because this had been a dream of mine, even
before starting Spanx. I was very touched by our visit to a poor
village in South Africa, and I wanted more than ever to find a way
to help women who do not have the same rights as we do in America.
At the conclusion of the show came a
huge surprise. In a completely unexpected twist, Branson handed me a
check for $750,000 - his paycheck from Fox for the show - for me to
start my own foundation to help women! He joined me in Atlanta in
2006 to launch
The Sara Blakely Foundation,
which is dedicated to helping women globally through education and
entrepreneurship.
From SPANX to ASSETS
Nearly six years after starting Spanx, I was still pinching myself
when I thought about how far we had come! Spanx has become a
Hollywood secret and a red-carpet must for celebrities from Gwyneth
Paltrow to Oprah. We are still a small company of women, obsessed
with inventing and improving comfortable undergarments. Now we have
more than 100 styles, and we sell SPANX in fine boutiques and
upscale department stores like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth
Avenue, and Bloomingdales, and in the U.K. and Canada.
But I couldn't just stop there! I wanted to find a way to share my
slimming secrets with women everywhere.
And that's when Target came knocking at my door. They wanted Spanx
to bring the shapewear revolution to Target. So, we created
ASSETS,
because we believe all women deserve the opportunity to make the
most of their assets!
The "Bottom" Line
I created ASSETS to give better undergarment choices to women
everywhere, and to give back. A portion of all ASSETS and SPANX
purchases will go to the
Sara Blakely Foundation,
which focuses on supporting and empowering women around the world. I
feel very blessed to have had my "ah-ha" moment in America, where
women are free to start their own business. I want women around the
world with their own "ah-ha" moments to have the same opportunity to
follow their dreams!
My energy and inspiration comes from inventing and enhancing
products that promote comfort and confidence for women. Customer
feedback is one of the key drivers of our business. For example,
SPANX Power Panties
and
SPANX High Falutin' Footless
were created in response to suggestions from our customers. And even
more great things are ahead in the future!
*Bio is
from Sara Blakely's web site, http://www.spanx.com
For more
information on how to book Sara Blakely or ask about fees, please
contact FIVE STAR Speakers & Trainers at 913.648.6480 or
grow@fivestarspeakers.com.
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