Spanx founder Sara Blakely turned her $5,000 savings from selling fax machines into a shapewear empire. By keeping her idea secret early on, hustling inside department stores, and never taking outside investors, she built the brand entirely on her own terms. Her scrappy, rule-breaking tactics ultimately paid off—culminating in a $1.2 billion payout when she sold the company in 2021.

Building the next-big-thing requires entrepreneurs to make a lot of bets—on their idea, starting team, and even business name. But for Spanx founder Sara Blakely , the ultimate bet came from betting on herself.

“Don’t ever underestimate the importance of storytelling. You are your greatest competitive advantage,” Blakely tells Fortune . It’s a mantra that helped her take her $5,000 in savings from sellin

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