SavvySugar

The Surprising Billionaire: 8 Interesting Facts About the Creator of Spanx

Emily Co — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:15:07 PST

Spanx is a word that most women are familiar with. It's a type of shapewear that helps to smooth away lumps and bumps and also leaves no trace of a panty line. The creator of this product, Sara Blakely, has been inducted to this year's Forbes billionaires list, which was released yesterday. Spanx, an international undergarment company, is worth an estimated $1 billion. Here are a couple of interesting facts about her from a Forbes feature:

She learned how to write her own patent from reading a Barnes and Noble book and she saved $3,000 in legal costs.
She worked at Disney World for three months and spent eight-hour days buckling customers into a ride.
She's the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.
She has never spent money on advertising.
She owns 100 percent of the company.
She went from just having $5,000 in savings when she was 29 to owning a billion-dollar company at the age of 41 today.
She has her eccentric moments, and her husband describes her as "50 percent Lucille Ball, 50 percent Einstein." Some of her goofiest moments include wearing a boot on one foot and a Christian Louboutin heel on the other in Bloomingdale's, and wearing stretchable candy necklaces and bracelets (bought from a nearby candy store) to the Screen Actors Guild Awards because she left her jewelry at the hotel.
She witnessed a car run over her best friend when she was only 16, and facing mortality at such a young age has driven her. "I think that when you witness death at age 16, there's a sense of urgency about life," Blakely says. "The thought of my mortality - I think about it a lot. I find it motivating. It can be any time that your number's up."

Little-Known Facts About 20 Well-Known Forbes Most Powerful Women

Tara Block — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:37:25 PDT

The Forbes list of 100 most powerful women is out, and this year it was all about global influence and social media. For the fifth time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken the No. 1 spot as the most powerful woman, with White House women Hillary Clinton (2) and Michelle Obama (8) coming in close behind. There were a handful of execs from Facebook, Google, Yahoo!, and Twitter on the list, and the youngest powerful woman is 25-year-old Lady Gaga, who edged out Oprah Winfrey (14) just slightly by ranking 11th. There are big names in the pool, but here are some surprising tidbits on the most well-known women in this year's Forbes list.

9 Techies on the Forbes List of 100 Most Powerful Women

Kelly Schwarze — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:44:44 PDT

Forbes's list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women has been released, and we're excited to see quite a few techies in the group.

Forbes selects candidates within six categories: billionaires, business, lifestyle (including entertainment and fashion), media, nonprofits, and politics. From those categories, each person is ranked upon three metrics: "dollars, a traditional and social media component, and power base points."

Nine women with technology connections made the prestigious list. Find out who they are and their rankings below.

5. Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook - According to Forbes, Sheryl has helped to grow active Facebook users to represent 11 percent of the world's total population. She is also an outspoken advocate of empowering women in the workforce.
6. Melinda Gates, cofounder and cochair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - A computer scientist in her own right, Melinda Gates now focuses on the foundation named after her and husband. In the last year alone, the organization gave away $2.4 billion in global charitable contributions with an emphasis on immunizations.
16. Susan Wojcicki, SVP of Advertising, Google - Dubbed "the most important Googler you've never heard of," Susan was the one to rent her legendary Palo Alto garage to the Google founders. She currently oversees AdWords and mobile advertising products and is responsible for bringing in 96 percent of the company's total revenue.
20. Cher Wang, cofounder and chair, HTC; VIA Technologies - As cofounder of Taiwan-based HTC, Cher has grown the company to be the maker of more than out of every five smartphones.
37. Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo! - As CEO of the Internet search engine, Carol has made Yahoo! into a leading digital media group with an audience reach over 700 million.

The remaining four most powerful women with a tech focus after the break.

Guess Which Supermodel Earned the Most Last Year?

Emily Co — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:21:51 PDT

Supermodels live a glamorous lifestyle with their photo shoots around the world, and the lucky beauty elite have salaries that are off the charts as well. It takes a lot to get to the top, so don't dismiss these ladies for their pretty faces.

We're always keen to find out the salaries of the rich and famous, perhaps because we're wondering how these celebrities afford their lavish lifestyles. Let's see how good your guessing skills are! Find out who's the top-earning supermodel in 2010 by taking my quick quiz.

Take the Quiz

The Positives and Negatives of the Forbes Billionaire List

Emily Co — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:55:51 PST

The web has been buzzing about the recently released The World's Billionaires list by Forbes, and this made me think about if the data really matters to us since our lives are so far removed from people who have a net worth of more than 10 figures. Further, the list isn't totally accurate - there are apparently a lot of billionaires that didn't even make it to the list, because there are a number of people who keep their money in privately owned assets.

On the plus side, it's also great to have data and records, because it creates a culture of transparency. And as a bonus for the billionaires, Bill Gates once said that the Forbes list is a nice Rolodex to use when he's knocking on doors, trying to convince the other uber rich to be more philanthropic. It's also interesting to see who the most successful people in the other countries are, and it's a good indicator of how fast a country is developing. Case in point: China doubled its number of billionaires this year.

However, one of the main drawbacks is that the list almost seems like a public display of flaunting for the rich. The US economy is still recovering, and people are still feeling the bite of the recession. Perhaps a better list would be a list of billionaires who are doing the most for their country. This will send a message to people that although becoming extremely successful is something to be proud of; using that money to create visible social impact for society is even better.

Bill Gates was the richest man in the world for 17 years before dropping to second place in 2010 and this year, but he would have received the top spot if it weren't for his charitable donations. According to Reuters, Gates would have actually had $88 billion (topping Carlos Slim's $74 billion) if he didn't give so much money to his philanthropic causes. Thanks to his wealthy support, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest in the US.

What do you think of the Forbes billionaires list - should we have a list of billionaires who are doing the most good rather than a who's who of the richest people in the world?

College Dropout or Not: The Billionaire Edition

Emily Co — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:20:11 PST

There's been a lot of talk about college being an unnecessary expense. Personally, I think education is a very important investment, but to each his own. Obviously, these successful executives thought otherwise, and their decision to drop out literally paid off. Guess whether these billionaires dropped out of college.

Take the Quiz

Michelle Obama Vs. Oprah: Who Has the Bigger Effect?

Emily Co — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:00:36 PDT

Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey are definitely forces to be reckoned with. Companies see huge returns when one of them endorses their product. An analysis by the Harvard Business Review showed that stock prices of a clothing company would soar whenever the first lady wears its products. The author of the findings, professor David Yermack, estimated a $14 million value for an appearance by Michelle wearing the retailer's outfit.

On the other hand, Oprah's influence is so large that it even has a name: the Oprah Effect. Countless studies and documentary have been done on Oprah's wide-reaching influence, and we've seen plenty of unknowns skyrocket into fame. She creates primetime TV personalities (Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz to start with), sends books straight to best-seller lists, and gives firms a 1,000 short-term percent growth whenever they receive a mere shout-out from her.

Forbes recently ranked Michelle as the most powerful woman in the world and ranked Oprah as third. I'm wondering if you agree with the Forbes list, and I want to know who you think makes the bigger impact - Oprah or Michelle?

An Author, a Spice Girl, and the Queen Are UK's Most Influential

Annie Scudder — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:30:23 PDT

Michelle Obama might be the most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes, but in the UK she has to compete with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. To celebrate its 100th birthday, the National Magazine company revealed its list of most influential women in the UK. The queen came in at number three, dethroned by Rowling (number one) and former Spice Girl and current style icon Victoria Beckham (number two).

So how does the UK-specific list stack up to Forbes's recent ranking? In the UK, stylish people like Posh, Vivienne Westwood, and Kate Moss fill out the top 10. On the Forbes list, Beyonce Knowles is the only credited "fashion designer" to crack the first 10. On the UK list, first lady Samantha Cameron comes in at ninth place, so apparently having the ear of the country's leader doesn't make you as influential in England as it does in the US. And while author Rowling tops the list in the UK, the most influential female author according to Forbes is Chelsea Handler, who placed number 33 overall.

Which list do you think comes closest to defining influence?

8 Ways to Be a Forbes Most Powerful Woman

Colleen Barrett — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:30:50 PDT

Today Forbes released its annual list of the most powerful women in the world. Michelle Obama, who ranked 40 last year, jumped to the top spot, knocking Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel off her lady throne. In between, the list is lined with policymakers, CEOs, pop culture icons, and at least one "political maverick and commentator."

Seems like influential may be a better word than powerful, so let's see what it really takes to make the list.

Be a multitasker: Beyonce (singer, fashion designer), Angelina Jolie (actress, UN goodwill ambassador), Madonna (singer, fashion designer), Heidi Klum (producer, model), Rachael Ray (talk show host, author, chef), Sarah Jessica Parker (actress, designer), Lady Gaga (performance artist, singer), Gisele Bündchen (fashion designer, model), and Martha Stewart ("lifestyle guru") all got on by doing more than one thing well.
Have a gig in politics: Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are just a few of the political heavyweights on the list.
Start a blog empire: Tina Brown (Daily Beast), Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post), and Nikki Finke (Deadline Hollywood) are now all powerful enough.

See the rest below.

Speed Read - Michelle Obama Is World's Most Powerful Woman

TresSugar — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:40:30 PDT

Michelle Obama tops Forbes most powerful women list - Forbes
Democrats in close races tout pro-choice credentials - New York Times
Nobel Prize for Literature goes to Mario Vargas Llosa - Daily Beast
Lifetime orders Russian-American version of Jersey Shore - Hollywood Reporter
More women bringing home six-figure incomes - Washington Post
Student loses scholarship after appearing in Internet porn - Nerve
Glee stars top The Beatles for most number ones from a nonsolo act - PopSugar
More street style straight from Paris Fashion Week - Fashionologie