Sara Treleaven Blakely

Born: 1971

Country of Birth: USA

Nationality: USA

Ethnicity: White

Florida State University BA Communications

""I did not have the most experience in the industry or the most money, but I cared the most." (forbes.com); "Every person in their life has had a million-dollar idea. . .The goal of the first prototype is to bring your idea into the world and then study its strengths and its weaknesses. . . And then, the idea and the reason you get the first prototype made is because you want to bring your crude concept into the physical world. You want to see that it can be made. You wanna see that it can be done. And then you want to educate yourself on the strengths and the weaknesses of your prototype. And you do that by comparing it to what else is available in the marketplace.” (masterclass.com); “It’s really important when you’re starting out as an entrepreneur to create a board of advisors that’s your support system,” she says. “So I’m talking about the people that make you feel good, that can give you the energy and the pep talks that you need. And know who they are. Write ’em on a piece of paper. I wrote down the four or five people in my life that make me feel the most confident, make me feel the best. And they didn’t even really know they were on my board of advisors, but they were. And they were the people when I was hitting the valleys, which happen often as an entrepreneur, the times I wanted to give up or the times that I thought I cannot do this anymore, I would pick up the phone and call them.”(masterclas.com); “It’s important to know your purpose when you’re on an entrepreneurial journey,” she says, “because if you start with why and you stay connected to the why, that’s gonna fuel you through this very intense, very difficult journey. I mean, you wanna talk about a rollercoaster? You’re up, you’re down, you’re on the biggest high ever, you just landed the deal, then you just lost the deal. Then you just invented something, and then somebody else came out with it—it is one big wild ride. But if you have a purpose, and it’s bigger than yourself, and you’re connected to the why, you’ll survive the ups and downs.” (masterclass.com); "Whether soaring through triumph or navigating through challenges, always pause to count your blessings, and extend a hand of kindness to a stranger, for in that fleeting gesture lies the potential to brighten a weary soul's day with a glimmer of hope and warmth." (sara-blakely.com); "Failure is not the outcome-failure is not trying. Don't be afraid to fail" (julienflorkin.com); "

— Sara Treleaven Blakely

Field of Study: Entrepreneur; Inventor; Philanthropist

Institution/Corporation: Spanx LLC; Sara Blakely Foundation; Blakely Enterprise LLC; Sneex; Florida State University; The Atlanta Hawks

Degrees & Memberships: Member: Delta Delta Delta;

Awards: 2012 named 1 of 100 Most Influential People in the World, Time magazine; 2014 listed as the 93rd Most Powerful Woman in the World, Forbes; 2025 Women Making History Award, National women's History Museum

Achievements: inventor of Spanx 2000; founder of Spanx LLC & Blakely Ventures LLC; 2006 launched the Sara Blakely Foundation to help women through education and entrepreneurial training; with Richard Branson launched The Red Backpack Foundation in Atlanta in 2006; a training program for female entrepreneurs in Rwanda; founder of Sneex 2024