Latest news with #SaraBlakely
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Business Insider
I tried on shapewear from Skims and Spanx. I had no trouble picking my favorite — and it was half the price of its competitor.
First, I tried on a pair from Spanx. Growing up in the early 2000s, the name Spanx was pretty much synonymous with shapewear. Founded in 2000 by Sara Blakely (who is now worth an estimated $1.2 billion), the brand sells a variety of shapewear products in different styles and compression levels. I ordered the SPANXsculpt OnCore high-waisted mid-thigh shorts (80% nylon and 20% elastane) for $78. I really appreciated that the shorts were available in petite sizing since shapewear typically runs long on my 5-foot-2 frame. It also came in four colors and eight sizes, ranging from XS to 3XL. I ordered a petite large in the "soft nude" colorway. Overall, I wasn't impressed by the level of compression. The Spanx website advertised these shorts as providing "targeted tummy control for a flat stomach." Unfortunately, though, I wasn't impressed by the level of compression these provided. Did it suck me in a bit and smooth out my stomach? Yes. But did it make a big enough difference for me to justify wearing it all night? Not really. I also wasn't a fan of the elastic band on top of the shorts that only ran along the back half of my body. I still found the shapewear rolled down along the top as I moved, which was both uncomfortable and a bit annoying. Otherwise, though, the shapewear was fairly comfortable. The shorts part of the shapewear generally stayed in place on my legs, and I didn't feel the need to pull down or adjust the fabric. Next, I tried on a similar garment from Kim Kardashian's brand, Skims. Skims was co-founded by Kim Kardashian in 2019 and has quickly become one of the biggest names in the shapewear market. The brand is now worth billions. Many of my friends rave about Skims, but I had a disappointing experience with the brand in 2022 when I purchased my first pair of shapewear. Unfortunately, the garment ripped as soon as I put it on. However, my experience with Skims' customer service was great, and I was sent a new pair at no charge. With this in mind, I was excited to give Skims another try. So, I bought the sheer, seamless, high-waisted mid-thigh shorts (78% polyamide and 22% elastane) for $38. This pair came in six color options and nine sizes, ranging from XXS to 4XL. Petite options were not available. I was pleasantly surprised by the Skims shapewear. My first thought after pulling these tiny shorts out of the bag was that there was no way in hell I'd be able to squeeze into them. They looked much narrower than the pair I tried on from Spanx, and I was a little nervous I'd rip them. To my surprise, though, they slipped on effortlessly and were incredibly comfortable. Like the Spanx pair, these shorts had an elastic band around the top. This time, however, the band stretched the entire width of the garment. Although it still rolled down a bit in the back, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the shorts stayed in place. The best part was that, despite offering "midlevel compression," I thought the shapewear smoothed out my belly nicely. I'd be really curious to see what the stronger levels of support can do. The only downside was that because I'm only 5'2, these "mid-thigh" shorts came close to touching my knees. So, I probably couldn't wear these with a shorter dress. I'd definitely buy another pair of Skims in the future. Overall, I was incredibly impressed by Skims' shapewear. Aside from being a bit long on me, these shorts fit beautifully, and I could definitely see myself wearing these comfortably for hours on end. The best part? The Skims shorts were about $40 cheaper than the Spanx version, which made me feel like I got a great value for the price. I'd love to see Skims offer petite options in the future. Until then, for shorter dresses, I'd definitely consider adding the brand's high-waisted briefs to my collection.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Lessons From Building A Beauty Clinic In An Ultra-Competitive Market
By Roxana Diaconu - CEO and Founder of Roxana Aesthetics Clinic, Dubai. Nothing prepares you for business like business. (In fact, it's the only thing that prepares you.) I didn't plan to become a beauty entrepreneur in one of the most competitive cities in the world. I studied pharmacy in eastern Romania, becoming not just a drug dispenser, but an amateur psychologist. It was depressing. I wanted to help people in a way that fit my personality, my aesthetic. (And pharmacology isn't about aesthetics.) Consider how you could turn your problem into a solution. So, I left, traveled to Dubai. This was just before the world shut down, and the Covid-19 lockdown trapped me in the UAE. Being stuck had its benefits. I fell in love with the city. But my skin did not! It seemed living in Dubai was hard on my body. After hopscotching the cities' clinics, I learned that what they offered didn't work for me and that clinical service often had much in common with a fast-food order. But it gave me an idea. Like Sara Blakely, who turned a hosiery mishap into Spanx, I decided to turn my beauty problem into a clinic. The first time I drove around Jumeirah, Dubai's famed artificial palm archipelago, I kept seeing one aesthetic clinic after another. I said to myself: The demand in Dubai for aesthetics is insane! This industry must be easy money. So naive. Don't wait for perfect conditions. Like many entrepreneurs, I had no clue what awaited me. Getting traction would require all of my resources. I took a leap; I went skydiving with my father. Doing something unhinged and powerful gave me confidence. If I could jump out of an airplane and survive, I could also open a clinic to help people feel more beautiful. My advice? Don't be afraid to dive in, even when you have no idea what is coming next. Take that first step, embrace the messy middle and remember, the breakthroughs often come right after the moments you feel like quitting. I faced so many unexpected challenges and made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I always gave my best and treated every setback as a lesson. Nobody is born knowing how to do it all. It's through trial, error and persistence that you truly grow. In fact, if everything ever feels perfect and smooth, there is usually something you are missing. Real growth happens when you are pushing through obstacles. Remember, without mistakes, you can't become your best self. Embrace the journey, learn as you go, and let every stumble move you forward. Look for opportunities to offer elevated service. Some professionals are short sighted when it comes to quality service. My vision was to enhance natural beauty and treat every patient as a whole person. Despite relative affluence, I visited many clinics and found them wanting. Some had high-skilled staff but felt like hospitals. Others looked brilliant, but had poor service. I saw an opportunity in the market for a clinic with both. We have one guiding principle: It feels like home. Both for the client, and the staff. Aim to create a place where everyone can relax, escape everyday life and take care of themselves. Cutting through the noise requires honesty and trust. Creating a business can be brutal. Clinics and brands often open and close overnight. In extremely competitive markets, you have to work fanatically hard to stand out and brand yourself as a unique experience by local standards. For example, for customers who want to enhance their appearance, our aesthetics scene is flooded with options. What I did differently was simple—but rare: honesty, follow-up, care. Many clinics skip patient needs. They sell treatments, not outcomes. When people tell us they want a face-lift without surgery, we say: 'It's not possible.' That honesty builds trust. Trust brings referrals. My team schedules up to hour-long consultations. We assess skin, body and emotional concerns. Then we follow up after the appointment. If a client disappears for a month, we check in. Very few clinics do that. Even doctors don't follow up. We do. Because we care. Patients don't come in with one concern. They come with many! You may have to be part psychologist to help them. What can entrepreneurs learn? What we do is important because beauty can be deeply tied to mental health and confidence. What has built my confidence the most is building my company. My story offers hard-earned lessons for anyone building a service business in a crowded market: Start with a real problem. Your own! Have a clear vision—and protect it. Even without business experience, I knew how I wanted the clinic to feel. That clarity helped me brand and hire well. Stand out by caring more. In a noisy market, honesty, follow-up and real conversations are rare. Deliver them, and you can win trust and get attention. Invest in your team. Your staff are your brand. Treating them well is critical for growth. Don't expand until your brand is duplicable. I don't plan to expand unless I can duplicate my incredible team. Growth is tempting. But I care more about quality. Hard times often birth great businesses. I don't know what I would have done if this didn't work. But most successful stories come from bad experiences. No passion? No chance. What's the real secret to standing out? I don't pretend I've cracked the Dubai success code. I haven't. You have to keep learning. Remember to focus on the individual client. In a market chasing scale, choose to chase substance. In a city of flash, aim to build trust. Keep going. Even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard. Lead with care. Your clients—and your brand—will follow. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Forbes
07-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What The Richest Self-Made Women Can Teach Us About Ownership
What The Richest Self-Made Women Can Teach Us About Ownership Every year Forbes releases their list of the richest self-made women in America, and it's a mix of household names and quiet giants. Women who have built empires from nothing, turned ideas into industries, and claimed their spots at tables that they were not always invited to. And how did these women build their wealth? Through ownership of assets. Ownership, not effort, is the common thread among the richest women in America. When people hear 'self-made' they often visualize an entrepreneur grinding for 16 hours a day, sacrificing everything, and eventually making it big. And yes, hard work definitely plays a role in success, but the difference between high earners and the ultra-wealthy isn't just hard work, it's owning assets. The richest women on this list didn't just have jobs, they created assets. They build companies, brands, and intellectual property. That's the wealth-building secret that sets you up for financial success. For example, Rihanna created Fenty, and Judy Faulkner founded Epic Systems. Then there's Sara Blakely who built Spanx from nothing and retained control in the business until she sold a majority stake in a billion-dollar deal. The industries vary for the women who made the America's Richest Self-Made Women list, but what unites these women is that they built businesses and brands with value beyond themselves. For many entrepreneurs there's a heavy focus on income and ways to earn more. That is survival thinking. What separates survival mode from wealthiness is ownership thinking. Ownership thinking is what unlocks the potential for real, sustainable wealth. This is where equity, licensing, intellectual property, and brand value come into play. You build fortunes off these assets, even if you are starting small. Most women-owned businesses in North America are solo operations and service-based, and they are earning under six figures annually. That's not because women lack talent or ambition, it's because many are building businesses that depend on them. What you need to do is build assets that can scale, sell, and earn while you sleep. Women get less than 3 percent of venture capital funding, and women of color receive even less. We're encouraged to be grateful, careful, and selfless; not bold, strategic, or profit driven. Many women juggle caregiving, aging parents, and financial responsibilities alone. Betting on yourself can feel terrifying. Ownership, equity, and business valuation aren't topics that get discussed enough in women's networks. It's important to remember that these barriers are not permanent and that pushing through them is not only possible, but also powerful. Here are four ways to start shifting your strategy now: Create offers, products, or intellectual property that can grow beyond you. Think licensing, digital products, or even franchising. Don't just pay yourself, fund growth. The goal is to turn today's income into tomorrow's assets. Visibility drives value. People buy into people before they buy from companies—especially in the early stages. Even if you're not planning to sell, you should be building toward an asset with real market value. That means tracking your numbers, increasing margins, and documenting systems. The bottom line is that you don't need to be famous to get rich, but you do need to think like a founder. You need to treat your business like an asset. And most importantly, you need to stop waiting for permission to play big. Women will never close the wealth gap if we don't own more of what we're building. Ask yourself: What am I building that will still make money when I stop showing up? Achieving that means ownership, equity, and wealth, and every woman deserves a shot at that.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle's Baby-Naming Advice Is Incredibly Simple (But Low-Key Brilliant)
One of the most exciting (and sometimes stressful) parts of preparing for a baby has to be choosing the name. Do you go with a family tradition? Something timeless? Or maybe something totally original? The options are endless—and if you've ever found yourself lost in a rabbit hole of baby name lists or group chats full of conflicting opinions, you're definitely not alone. Now, Meghan Markle is chiming in with some baby name advice of her own. The Duchess of Sussex—mom to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet with Prince Harry—shared her thoughts in the season finale of her Lemonada Media podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, which dropped May 27. While chatting with Spanx founder Sara Blakely, Meghan described naming (whether it's for a baby or a brand) as feeling like a bit of a 'SurveyMonkey,' thanks to the pressure of trying to get everyone's approval. But her actual advice? Surprisingly simple—and really smart. 'I will say this to every woman in the world or every person in the world who's going to have a child—if you have an idea about what you are going to name that baby, you keep it so close to your heart until that baby is born and it's named. Don't ask anyone's opinion,' she said. Honestly? Preach. When you open up your ideas to everyone's feedback, it can get overwhelming fast. The pressure to please family, friends or even strangers on the internet can make what should be a joyful choice feel like a chore. Meghan's been serving up a lot of real, relatable moments on her Confessions of a Female Founder podcast—from talking about her postpartum preeclampsia to rebranding her lifestyle company from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever. Here's hoping season two keeps the honesty (and helpful tips) coming. Want all the latest entertainment news sent right to your inbox? Click here. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Went on a Super Secret Anniversary Trip
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Psychotherapist weighs in on Meghan Markle's shock baby naming advice
This week, Meghan Markle shared a stark warning about choosing baby names - and now, experts are weighing in on the various mistakes that parents make when settling on the big decision. Meghan, who shares two children with Prince Harry - son Archie Harrison, six, and daughter Lilibet Diana, three - gave her thoughts on the matter during the season finale of her Lemonada Media podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder. The episode was in conversation with Spanx founder Sara Blakely, as they spoke about being business owners and balancing motherhood at the same time. During the finale, the topic of naming a company came up, as Meghan lamented that the beginning of a business was like starting a 'SurveyMonkey,' in trying to get everyone's thoughts on the venture - including about the name. 'It's no different, and I will say this to every woman in the world or every person in the world who's going to have a child, if you have an idea about what you are going to name that baby, you keep it so close to your heart, until that baby is born and it's named,' Meghan said. 'Don't ask anyone's opinion,' she added. And, according to New York-based psychotherapist Brianna Paruolo, Meghan could be onto something. The expert has since shared with that it's important for parents-to-be to make sure that they are protecting the emotional space that they are in. 'It's no different, and I will say this to every woman in the world or every person in the world who's going to have a child, if you have an idea about what you are going to name that baby, you keep it so close to your heart, until that baby is born and it's named,' Meghan said 'When we share deeply personal decisions, especially in such a vulnerable time, we are inviting others into our intimate emotional space,' Paruolo told exclusively. 'Behind a name choice lies hopes, dreams and connection forming between parent and child. Sharing with this others can be a beautiful moment, but for many it opens them up to criticism and judgement,' she explained. 'Well-meaning family and friends will project their own preferences onto our choices, which can create anxiety and uncertainty for the expecting parents.' Similar to Meghan's advice, Paruolo wants future parents to think about naming their baby as an 'intention' rather than an 'obligation.' 'Think about how the name feels when you say it with love, correction, or celebration. The "right" name is one that resonates authentically with you as parents, not one that satisfies everyone else's expectations,' Paruolo shared. It's also important to think about what your boundaries will be when its comes to sharing the name with others. 'The conversation around boundary-setting also becomes crucial,' the psychotherapist said. 'Think of this as an introduction into what boundaries you would like to set moving forward as you enter a new stage of parenthood. If there is pushback, a helpful response might be: "We appreciate that you care about our family, and we've chosen a name that feels right for us." Then redirect the conversation,' she suggested. In their biography of the Sussexes, Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that when naming Archie, the pair wanted something which was 'something traditional, a name that was powerful even without a title in front of it' 'Parenting involves infinite decisions that others more than likely will question and have opinions about,' the expert added. 'Trust your instincts and build internal confidence around your decisions, while learning to hold space for what matters the most to your growing family.' In their biography of the Sussexes, Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that when naming Archie, the pair wanted something which was 'something traditional, a name that was powerful even without a title in front of it.' 'Archie, meaning strength and bravery, fit the bill,' they added. Meanwhile a friend of the couple revealed 'with a laugh': 'They thought about Archibald for all of one second. He was always going to be little Archie.' Unlike many senior royals, Archie only has one middle name, Harrison, a fitting tribute to the baby's father as it means 'son of Henry' or 'son of Harry.' As for Lilibet, her middle name is a tribute to Prince William and Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, who tragically passed away in 1997.
