Everything about my journey to get Spanx off the ground entailed me having to be a salesperson - from going to the hosiery mills to get a prototype made to calling Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. I had to position myself to get five minutes in the door with buyers.

The smartest thing I ever did was to hire my weakness.

You’ve got to visualize where you’re headed and be very clear about it. Take a polaroid picture of where you’re going to be in a few years.

Don't be intimidated by what you don't know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.

I did not like the way I looked in a pair of white pants.

What I most identify with is effortless fashion, looking as if someone's not put a lot of effort into their look.

I shopped for body shapers for the first time in my life and I was horrified. They were thick - it was like wearing workout clothes and they all had a leg band on one side that showed through the pants.