When the universe conspires to bring the person you are writing about…

I’m at my granddaughter’s soccer game, chatting with my daughter Alexis about my Sneex post from SellIt2025, and who ends up sitting right next to me? None other than Sara Blakely.

 

I told her I wore Spanx and Sneex at a SERHANT convention. We laughed and swapped war stories, me as a former copier salesperson getting escorted out of buildings, her as a fax machine salesperson having people rip up her card in front of her. 😱 Rejection, rejection, rejection. It either breaks you or it builds you.

 

Here is a woman who has inspired me from day one. She is our first female Atlanta Hometown Hero💕🎈🎁

 

Atlanta has no shortage of hometown heroes, but Sara Blakely stands apart as the first self-made female billionaire under 40, a woman who built an empire on persistence, humor, and grit.

What makes her story extraordinary:
She was the first woman to hit billionaire status at such a young age without inheritance, purely through entrepreneurship.

 

Before Spanx, before Forbes lists, before being hailed as one of the most successful self-made women in America, Sara was selling fax machines door-to-door. She faced slammed doors, constant rejection, and more “No’s” than anyone should have to endure. And yet, she never quit. 

 

With just $5,000 in savings and a crazy idea to cut the feet off her pantyhose, Sara created Spanx and revolutionized an industry. She turned “Why not me?” into a billion-dollar brandall while raising four children with her husband, Jesse Itzler.

 

Sara never forgot the struggle. Through the Blakely Foundation, she empowers women, funds education, and supports entrepreneurs who need that same shot she once had. She even signed the Giving Pledge, committing half her wealth to philanthropy.

 

And because Sara doesn’t sit still, she’s back at it with Sneex, her fresh new shoe line. (Yes—I already own a pair and love them!) It took her 10 years to launch Sneex. They said it couldn’t be done, but they didn’t know Sara. She never takes “No” for an answer.

 

What I admire most is not just the billions or the brand, but the attitude: she laughed at the “No’s,” pushed past rejection, and built something bigger than herself. Sara Blakely is living proof that resilience, courage, and a sense of humor can change the world.

 

Thank you, Sara for the inspiration💟from a Raving Fan👩🏻🦰🇮🇹💃🏼

 

#sarablakely #spanx #sneex #Jesseitzle r#atlantahometownhero🎉#atlantastoryteller🍑