Forbes recently revealed that Spanx founder Sara Blakely has joined the prestigious ranks of their World’s Billionaire list this year.
The 41-year-old entrepreneur sells shapewear products to a growing market of women who long to achieve better control of their body contours.
Blakely owns 100% of the private company, has zero debt, and has never taken outside investments or spent money on advertising.
She started out by hawking her own products 6 to 12 times a month on the home shopping channel QVC. Due to the popularity of the product line she has pared that down to once a month.
Though she was a one-woman show working from a card table in the foyer of Neiman Marcus in the early days, the company is now run by a team of 125 with only 16 of them men.
Spanx offer 200 products in 11,500 department stores, boutiques and online shops in 40 countries.
Sara is married to her “entrepreneurial twins” Jesse Itzler, 43, a former rapper from Long Island. He describes his wife as “50% Lucille Ball, 50% Einstein.”
Photo: Forbes