Hardware Podcasts

Spanx: Sara Blakely

How I Built This · 12 Sept 2016 · 26m

What this episode covers

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, explains how she used $5,000 in savings to launch a footless control-top pantyhose after struggling to find undergarments that eliminated panty lines under cream-colored pants. She details her DIY approach to prototyping, patenting the product herself, and securing her first major retail account at Neiman Marcus by demonstrating the product's effect in the store's bathroom. Blakely also discusses her unconventional marketing strategies, including paying friends to buy the product to create buzz, sending items to Oprah Winfrey, and appearing on QVC to drive massive sales volume.

Most relevant to

founders before launch

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Neiman Marcus, QVC, Bergdorf Goodman
Products
Spanx
Also
Oprah, USPTO.GOV

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