Sara Blakely is an American billionaire businesswoman, and founder of Spanx, an American intimate apparel company with pants and leggings.

Sara Blakely wanted footless body shaping pantyhose to wear with her cream-colored pants and open-toed shoes, but she couldn't find them anywhere. As a frustrated consumer turned entrepreneur, Blakely took $5,000 in savings and began her adventure in the $2 billion male-dominated hosiery industry. Two years later, with her first pair of patented footless pantyhose in hand, Blakely cold-called and landed the top retail stores across the country. Selling over 50,000 pair in its first three months from the back of her apartment, Blakely's SPANX revitalized an industry in a ten-year slump. Her SPANX footless pantyhose even captured the attention of Oprah and landed on The Oprah Winfrey Shows Favorite Things list.

Remaining self-funded and profitable ever since Blakely started the company, SPANX continues to show increasing profits, celebrating more than $100 million in retail sales in 2006. SPANX are sold in Americas finest upscale stores and boutiques in the US, including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, and Parisian, as well as upscale boutiques and retailers in Canada and the UK. With the launch of ASSETS by Sara Blakely, a new brand exclusive to Target, the shapewear revolution will reach new heights, giving better underwear options to women everywhere and giving back. A portion of each ASSETS purchase will go to The Sara Blakely Foundation, dedicated to supporting and empowering women around the world. In 2007, Blakely donated $1 million to The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation.

In 2012, Forbes announced that Sara Blakely is the youngest self-made female billionaire, and she was named in Time magazine's "Time 100" annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. As of 2014, she is listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

Sara Blakely's story and SPANX products have been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, Forbes, E!, and Glamourto Vogue, People, InStyle, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, WWD, and USA Today. Sara has been named Ernst & Youngs Southeast Regional Entrepreneur of the Year and Georgias Woman of the Year.

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