You may have heard of Sara Blakely, the mastermind behind Spanx, but if you haven't, you should. In 2000, she started her business with $5,000, and 17 years later has grown to more than a billion-dollar company.
Related: Shaping Sara Blakely:Meet the Billionaire Founder of Spanx
It hasn't been an easy road. Sara worked quietly nights and weekends for two years. She had no official staff, so she relied on her friends, family and network to support her in the beginning. Sara was so committed to her vision that there was no other option.
She used her determination and creativity to her advantage. Even after two years of hearing no with suppliers, it has persisted. No one wanted to give him a chance. Then one day, a no changed to Yes . All because her supplier had three daughters he shared the idea with, and they convinced him to greenlight the project.
She then phoned Neiman Marcus. After an unconventional pitch (she invited the buyer into the bathroom with her to see the effects of Spanx firsthand), she landed Neiman Marcus. They ordered 3,000 pairs.
You would think she was successful right away; however, the supplier could not produce part of the product and she had to be creative. Again.
Related: Do you have adaptability?
Shortly after resolving the issue with the supplier, she shipped all 3,000 pairs of Spanx to Neiman Marcus (from her apartment). About a month after landing Neiman Marcus, Spanx was touted as Oprah's Favorite Product of the Year (because Sara sent a gift basket that ended up in her dressing room). The next thing she knew, she had 30,000 pairs on order, which included almost every major department store across the country.
There was only one problem. Sara had no advertising budget.
Relying on her creativity again, Sara spent two years of her life traveling doing rallies with store employees, essentially making them ambassadors of the brand for the product. But she didn't stop there. While in stores, she spoke with customers, collecting first-hand market research.
Starting a business is above all about persevering and having a clear vision. Sara and her adventure building Spanx is a great example!
While growing Spanx, Sara met her husband at an event in Las Vegas, and it turns out he also grew a business. Eventually, the couple decided to start a family and are now parents of four children.
It was when she became both a mom and a businesswoman that she learned a big lesson:to be kind with herself. She was constantly fighting when she was working in her business and not with her children. When she became aware of the difficulty of being a mother and a businesswoman, she changed the way she approached her life by remembering to practice kindness and forgiveness. It helps her stay more present.
When I met Sara, I was immediately impressed by her energy, passion and business intelligence. As smart and ambitious as she is, she's also humble, fun and doesn't take herself too seriously.
When I asked her what she was most grateful for, she simply acknowledged being born in a country that supports independence and entrepreneurship, as well as growing up at a time when women had unprecedented opportunities. She graciously pointed out that the opportunity to create a billion-dollar women's fashion brand was only possible when and where she was given.
It reminded me that each of us has opportunities, all the time, that can only happen because we are in the right place at the right time and are ready to seize them. It's up to us, however, to take the risk, work hard and be creative.
Related: 7 Ways to Persist When Everything in You Wants to Give Up
If we do, the rewards are exponential.
Building a business is all about persistence and having a clear vision. Sara and her adventure building Spanx is a great example! She was completely focused on implementing her idea, no matter how long it took, how many rejections she received, and how many hours late she had to work (while working at full time selling door-to-door fax machines).
As she told me, she realized one day that her life did not look like the picture she had imagined. She knew she had something more to offer and she followed her intuition. The result has been to bring one of the most loved and popular products to women around the world.
For more on Sara's story, listen to the full conversation we had recorded together here.
Related: 21 pieces of wit and wisdom from the woman behind the billion-dollar brand
