The Spanx Story

This is the Spanx Story!

Report by: Isabella (Age 12)

Where the idea came from: 

When she was going to go to a party, she had nothing comfortable to wear, so she looked around and saw her pantyhose. She had an idea. If she cut the feet off of it, it might work. She did that and it was perfect! Little did she know that this was the solution to her worries in the future and also leading to the creation of a new business! 

What she did before making Spanx: 

Although she had cut her pantyhose and first thought of her idea, she hadn’t taken it any further. And when she needed to get a job, she tried a lot of jobs, but they weren’t right for her. One of them was going to Disneyland and dressing up as one of the characters. It made some money, but she wasn’t happy doing it. The last job she tried was selling fax machines. People usually slammed doors in her faces or said no. But there was a fair amount that said yes. Doing that still didn’t make much money, and she wasn’t that happy with doing it either.

When she took off on her idea: 

Sara realised that she wasn’t getting anywhere, and even if she was, she wasn’t going well. Then the idea of the cut pantyhose came to her mind, and so she thought about it. 

Why she named it Spanx: 

She was thinking of a name to call her brand, she liked the sound ‘k’ to put in her brand, so she did. She came up with Spanks or Spank, but then changed it to Spanx.  

How she perfected Spanx and the ideas that she came up with: 

Sara was thinking of a motto for one of her products. Although at the time, mentioning butts was silly, she wanted to include that in it. So, she made up one. “Don’t worry, we’ve got your butt covered.” Also, there was “We can make the world a better place. One butt at a time.”  

Events: 

In 1998 she cut her pantyhose, which is where the idea came from.  

In 2000 she creates a prototype for Spanx. Also, Spanx is on the list of “Oprah’s Favorite Things”. 

In 2002 she brings a CEO, Laurie Ann Goldman. Also, Spanx reaches $8 million, which is 30 percent of their revenue. 

In 2003 Spanx launches and starts selling in the UK. 

In 2006 Oprah says she only wears Spanx on her show, making Spanx have 20,000 orders in ONE DAY. 

In 2008 Spanx launches Bra-llelujah, an instant hit. 

In 2010 Spanx starts selling men's clothes as well. 

In 2012 Sara appears on the cover of the Forbes magazine, as the youngest self-made female millionaire.  

In 2013 Sara promises to give half of what she earns to charities.  

In 2016 Sara comes back and is now Spanx CEO. 

In 2017 Spanx invents Arm tights, like tights for your arms. 

In 2020 James Corden says his new year's resolution is to do one show without wearing Spanx. 

My thoughts:

What I learnt from the story, was that you should never give up on doing something that will help you, because it can become a big achievement and can even get you lots of money. 

Lastly, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to make lots of money or become successful. Anyone who is dedicated to making the effort.