Analysis of market opportunities for "Spanx" at its founding

Abstract or Introduction

Spanx is a company founded in 1998 by Sara Blakely. It manufactures and markets apparel and hosiery products for women through online retailers, department stores and boutiques located across the US, Australia, Canada and the UK. The key products that the company offer include body shapers, bras, panties, slip, tights, and socks.

The peculiarity of this company is due to the unique story of how its founder, who without any business and economic education, managed to launch a billion dollar organization.

The object of this paper is to analyse which market opportunities existed at the time Sara Blakely decide to create her first body shaper and what type of strategy gave her the chance to successfully exploit these opportunities.

Once a detailed assessment will be made, recommendations to new entrepreneurs will be outlined in order to illustrate the importance of the lessons that Spanx’s case can provide to current business challenges.