Imagine knocking on doors to sell fax machines—then, years later, becoming a billionaire. That’s exactly what Sara Blakely did. The 54-year-old founder of Spanx recently spoke with The School of Hard Knocks, a YouTube channel focused on financial literacy and entrepreneurial content, where she talked about how she built her own company—with money she saved up from years of selling fax machines, and with no outside investors.
“I started it with five grand from selling fax machines and self-funded the entire 21 years,” Blakely, currently worth an estimated $1.3 billion, said. “I sat down with myself and I was like, you wanna spend your five grand on a vacation? Or do you wanna try to bet on yourself?”
