Sara Blakely: a pair of tights made me a billion dollars

Using the spare room of her flat as an office, Sara Blakely sunk $5,000 of her savings into her business making 'invisible knickers'. Now her business, Spanx, is worth $1bn.

One day, 14 years ago, Sara Blakely bought a pair of unlined, cream-coloured trousers costing $89, "a sizeable investment" for a young woman then earning her living selling fax machines door-to-door, says Vogue.com. "The pants infuriated her: every undergarment showed through in most unglamorous fashion." So she hit on the idea of tackling the dreaded visible panty line (VPL) by cutting off the feet of her tights and wearing them underneath.

The experiment wasn't entirely successful "they rolled up my legs all night" but it sowed the seed of an idea. "I remember thinking, I've got to figure out how to make this.' I'd never worked in fashion or retail, I just needed an undergarment that didn't exist."

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
MoneyWeek

MoneyWeek is written by a team of experienced and award-winning journalists, plus expert columnists. As well as daily digital news and features, MoneyWeek also publishes a weekly magazine, covering investing and personal finance. From share tips, pensions, gold to practical investment tips - we provide a round-up to help you make money and keep it.