Photo: David Shankbone / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Sara Blakely

サラ・ブレイクリー　/　さら・ぶれいくりー

American businessperson

February 27, 1971 (age 55)　・　Clearwater, Florida, United States

Florida
businessperson
stand-up comedian
patron of the arts

My Take

Sara Blakely fascinates me because her origin story doubles as a business philosophy. Before Spanx made her one of Time's 100 most influential people, she did stand-up comedy, and I am convinced that matters. Comedy teaches you to survive rejection in real time, and Blakely turned that resilience into a company built from scratch in Atlanta. Launching the footwear brand Sneex in 2024 shows her appetite has not dimmed. Add her arts patronage and philanthropy, and you get my favorite kind of entrepreneur: one who treats failure as raw material. If I had to assign one founder story to business students, hers would be near the top of the list.

Overview

Sara Treleaven Blakely (born February 27, 1971) is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She founded Spanx, an intimate apparel company with pants and leggings, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2024, Blakely created the footwear brand, Sneex. In 2012, Blakely was named in Time magazine's "Time 100" annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Sara Blakely
Name (Japanese): サラ・ブレイクリー
Reading: さら・ぶれいくりー
Born: February 27, 1971 (age 55)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Pisces / Boar
Origin: Clearwater, Florida, United States
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: businessperson / stand-up comedian / patron of the arts

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Clearwater High School
University: Florida State University

Awards & achievements

2012 Time 100

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

5. Works & records

Category	Title	Role	Year
Notable work	The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best	—
Notable work	American Inventor	—

6. Links

Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/sarablakely/
Xhttps://x.com/sarablakely
Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara%20Blakely

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