Why Spanx founder Sara Blakely hid her billion-dollar business idea from friends and family for a year

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Why Spanx founder Sara Blakely hid her billion-dollar business idea from friends and family for a year. (via CNBCMakeIt)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 25: Spanx Founder Sara Blakely speaks onstage for during day 3 of Fast Company Innovation Festival at 92nd Street Y on October 25, 2018 in New York City. In start-up lingo it's called "stealth mode" — where founders keep their business secret, sometimes to keep information from competitors, sometimes as a marketing strategy. But in the '90s, Sara Blakely hid her fledgling shapewear company Spanx from even those closest to her for a different reason.

"[I]t was just a gut feeling I had to keep it to myself, because I believe that ideas are the most vulnerable in their infancy," she said on a September 2016 episode of "." "And it's instinct to turn to your right or left in that moment and tell a friend or tell your husband." "Then you end up spending all your time defending it, explaining it and not pursuing it. So I needed to be at the place where I knew I wouldn't turn back no matter what I heard," Blakely said.

"I was working on my idea at night and on the weekends," she said on "How I Built This," adding that she needed to keep her day job "because I needed the money coming in and the health insurance and all that comes with that."

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MakeIt I think this a great approach! Even though friends and family may mean well, they may not be able to see your vision. Some can’t see it until they can physically see it.

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MakeIt Work in silence let success be the noise

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MakeIt Cause she’s smart. Never tell folks your billion-dollar ideas 💡

MakeIt Friends and family will spill the beans quicker than anyone else

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MakeIt Fair dues to her, kept that to herself to protect her family 👍 Probably more because of the name than the actual business model. Who wants the teacher asking their child what her mum does and they reply, “I’m unsure, she’s very secretive but it’s called Spanx “ 🤣

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MakeIt I totally agree that ideas are the most vulnerable in their infancy... it’s much better to keep quite and play it safe. Take care! dakduk

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MakeIt I can believe that... It's usually the closest people to you that will hate on your ideas. They want to give you a dose of reality but at the same time they're squashing dreams that could become realities.

MakeIt Because, they're some begging MF'ers? always want the hook up? Hasn't returned the Spanx she lent her Sister in law, nor the ones her niece, stretched out of shape? I don't blame her...

MakeIt Because it would have outed her as a genius. No one wants that?

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MakeIt Smart so nobody stole it or hit her up for money.

MakeIt She was scared was gonna tell her it was to much money for one person to accumulate over time and she must redistribute her wealth to all the less fortunate ones. Even though they had nothing to do with her hard work and genius...

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MakeIt She didn't want to hear their criticizms, or telling her that she can't do it. Now, they probably want jobs from her.

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MakeIt Really understand this. Just saw this comic (couldn’t find the artist, it wasn’t tagged on the post) and immediately thought of her story 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

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MakeIt Spanx is the great name for BDSM toy maker - good job!

MakeIt Spanx just let my niece go.🙁

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