
Spanx founder Sara Blakely turned $5,000 in savings into a $1.2 billion shapewear brand by relying on bold marketing and what she called "unhinged" tactics.
"Ideas are the most vulnerable the moment you have them," Blakely said on the "School of Hard Knocks" podcast. She told host James Dumoulin that early criticism such as "Why hasn't anyone already done it?" or "The big guys will knock you off in six months" might have discouraged her.