I'll mix a lot of things. I'll wear a Temperley dress with flip flops, or I might be in head-to-toe Gucci and have on a ring that I got from a gumball machine for 50 cents. Sara Blakely More Quotes by Sara Blakely More Quotes From Sara Blakely I always joke and say I want to invent a comfortable stiletto and then retire. Sara Blakely stilettos retiring want I started thinking about joy. Everything in our society is so purposeful. Let's bring joy back to the experience. Sara Blakely our-society joy thinking I didn't like the way it looked in white trousers, and I couldn't find anything to work underneath them. Sara Blakely trousers white way I grew up in a house where my father encouraged my brother and me to fail. I specifically remember coming home and saying, 'Dad, Dad, I tried out for this or that and I was horrible,' and he would high-five me and say, 'Way to go.' Sara Blakely dad brother father My husband is such a healthy eater. Except when it comes to sweets. He never consumes anything except fruit until noon. And then from noon on he might have some brown rice and some tofu, and then, come eight or nine at night, he orders three mud-pie double-chocolate pieces of cake and eats all three of them. Sara Blakely husband sweet night My saddlebags are why Spanx exist! Now that I have a baby I also have a muffin top. Sara Blakely muffins spanx baby I didn't want women to walk out of the dressing rooms feeling depressed and wanting a cocktail. Sara Blakely empowering feelings inspirational Everything about my journey to get Spanx off the ground entailed me having to be a salesperson - from going to the hosiery mills to get a prototype made to calling Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. I had to position myself to get five minutes in the door with buyers. Sara Blakely fifth-avenue journey doors Within the first year of launching my company, Spanx, I decided to go over to England and cold-call Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and Selfridges the same way I had cold-called Neiman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's here in the United States. Sara Blakely united-states way years Don't solicit feedback on your product, idea or your business just for validation purposes. You want to tell the people who can help move your idea forward, but if you're just looking to your friend, co-worker, husband or wife for validation, be careful. It can stop a lot of multimillion-dollar ideas in their tracks in the beginning. Sara Blakely validation husband moving When I was 7, I came up with the idea of 'charm socks.' My mom would take me to buy bags of plastic charms, we would sew them on frilly white socks, and I sold them at school. Sara Blakely mom ideas school I took a Fear of Flying class, and I always missed the class, because I was always flying. Sara Blakely fear-of-flying flying class What I most identify with is effortless fashion, looking as if someone's not put a lot of effort into their look. Sara Blakely effort fashion looks Where I get my energy is: 'How can I make it better'? Sara Blakely energy I've always leaned toward a feminine, funky style, even in business settings. I used to paint my nails blue in 1993, before it was mainstream. Sara Blakely nails style blue It's important to be willing to make mistakes. The worst thing that can happen is you become memorable. Sara Blakely important mistake memorable Courage is doing something despite the fear, and I've worked hard on being a courageous person. Sara Blakely despite courageous persons I have this system where if I buy three or four new things, I give away three or four things. Sometimes, it's a very painful system, but shopping is even better when you know that someone else who needs it will be getting. Keep the clothing karma going, I say. Sara Blakely karma shopping giving I pledge to invest in women because I believe it offers one of the greatest returns on investment. I am committed to the belief that we would all be in a much better place if half the human race (women) were empowered to prosper, invent, be educated, start their own businesses, run for office essentially be given the chance to soar. Sara Blakely race running believe Whatever you can think, you can create; just have a very clear vision... Once you have your snapshot, work on filling in the blanks to get to that place. Sara Blakely snapshots vision thinking