When Something I Can't Control

I'd Get Kicked Out Of Buildings All Day Long, People Would Rip Up My Business Card In My Face. It's A Humbling Business To Be In. But I Knew I Could Sell And I Knew I Wanted To Sell Something I Had Created. I Cut The Feet Out Of Those Pantyhose And I Knew I Was On To Something. This Was It.

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.

When I Was Growing Up, My Dad Would Encourage My Brother And I To Fail. We Would Be Sitting At The Dinner Table And He Would Ask, 'so What Did You Guys Fail At This Week?' If We Didn't Have Something To Contribute, He Would Be Disappointed. When I Did Fail At Something, He'd High-five Me. What I Didn't Realize At The Time Was That He Was Completely Reframing My Definition Of Failure At A Young Age. To Me, Failure Means Not Trying; Failure Isn't The Outcome. If I Have To Look At Myself In The Mirror And Say, 'i Didn't Try That Because I Was Scared,' That Is Failure.

I Got A Call From The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah Had Chosen Spanx As One Of Her Favorite Products In 2000. I Had Boxes Of Product In My Apartment And I Had Two Weeks Notice That She Was Going To Say She Loved It On Tv And I Had No Shipping Department.

What I Most Identify With Is Effortless Fashion, Looking As If Someone's Not Put A Lot Of Effort Into Their Look.