Humble beginnings, big ambitions
American Sara Blakely founded Spanx7 for her own need for shapewear that could be worn discreetly under tight clothing. She used US$5,000 of her own savings to get the business off the ground, and today it is valued at over US$1.2 billion. Her advice for budding entrepreneurs? “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.”8
Across the pond, Britons Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker founded online marketplace Not On The High Street9 back in 2006 from their kitchen table on a shoestring budget. Today it has more than 200,000 products from independent sellers. The pair can celebrate their success now, but it hasn’t always been that way. "Women tend to be their own worst critics," Sophie said. "I wish I could say to my younger self, 'Stop beating yourself up. Trust yourself.'”10
Elsewhere, Nomvuyo Treffers launched Swimma11 in 2016, which specializes in silicon swim caps to accommodate all hair styles: dreadlocks, braids, afros, long hair, and weaves. Treffers’ thinking shifted quickly from being a small business serving a local market, to a global company with clients all over the world. She attributes the quick success to a number of things, but first and foremost was the immediate demand from international customers.