I was first introduced to this word, entrepredoingshit, during my first entrepreneurship class at USC. When asked to define entrepreneurship, my Professor called upon the word, explaining that entrepreneurship was focused on ‘getting shit done.’ I immediately laughed at its absurdity, but took a moment to pause. And you know what? I agreed.
If you were to ask me what entrepreneurship is, that’s what it’s all about. Without the expletives, entrepreneurship is focused on just getting things done. As an entrepreneur, you start out with a vision and potential billion-dollar business idea, but from there it’s all about your hustle and ability to be resourceful. I was reminded of this recently, after listening to an interview of now billionaire entrepreneur, Sarah Blakely, CEO of SPANX. I had never heard much of the story behind the undergarment company SPANX, and didn’t think much of it. What’s so cool about undergarments anyway? Well, let me tell you, Sarah Blakely is one of the best examples of what it takes to be a GREAT businesswomen and entrepreneur.
For starters, Sarah had no business starting her own undergarment company. With no business education or experience in hosiery or fashion, Sarah came up with the idea as she had realized that there was no undergarment in the market that would fit well and feel comfortable underneath women’s clothing. In other words, Sarah identified a problem and starting hacking a solution. She made her first prototype cutting up a then traditional piece of hosiery and started her research. With her own personal savings of five thousand dollars, Sarah researched fabrics, suppliers, and patent, securing each all on her own. Sarah was incredibly engaged and resourceful to accomplish each task in her business journey. Knowing where to sell her clothing, she even cold called a sales associate at Neiman Marcus and was able to set-up a meeting with a regional sales manager who would then become her first account. And it didn’t stop from there. Once her product was in stores, Sarah visited every store her product was in, making sure the placement was correct, selling and shipping her own product directly to customers, to fully understand her customer and product placement. In other words, Sarah lived and breathed her company’s vision.
Her tenacity to make things happen, was truly inspiring to me. What Sarah did, may sound simple, but it takes a whole lot of passion, determination, and courage to do it. You try cold calling Neiman Marcus to purchase your product! Along the way, Sarah recounted the many, many times people told her no and that she would fail, but her belief, hard work, and ability to get things done, ultimately made her successful. Sarah is definitely an incredibly smart and capable individual but her story is one that I believe can inspire anyone who is willing to take the necessary steps to take an idea and turn it into reality.
To hear the story yourself, click here:https://www.npr.org/player/embed/493169696/493311384
Building a Startup 