Sara Blakely, founder and inventor of Spanx

Net Worth: $1 Billion

How She Got To Where She Is: From her Atlanta apartment to womens' midsections around the world, a small idea became a huge, can't-live-without-it help when Sara designed, developed, and produced Spanx's signature body shapewear after searching for a comfortable and flattering undergarment for white pants and coming up empty.

Notable Accomplishments: With Spanx as an in-our-lifetime invention, it opens the door for smart, savvy ladies around our age to make it big, too. As the lead entrepreneur ushering in a new wave of female success stories like P.S. I Made This' Erica Domasek and Bare Escentuals' Leslie Blodgett, it's a constant reminder to ladies to take an idea and run with it — something the Sara Blakely Foundation, aiming to teach and train women about entrepreneurism, knows as well. Her Leg Up program also helps female entrepreneurs gain exposure and find success in their businesses.

And That's Not All... Sara's products speak for themselves — try watching an award show's red carpet and count how many times the S-word is uttered —  but her business savvy could move mountains. Sara owns 100% of her company and has never taken outside investments or paid for traditional advertising, and even wrote her own patent and taught herself how to trademark the Spanx name, avoiding lawyer fees. That's likely part of the reason why she became a millionaire by age 30 — and at 41, the world's youngest self-made female billionaire. Ever.

Keys to Success: Don't be afraid to fail, and maybe, don't ask for that second opinion. It took Sara two years to get her initial prototype ready for sale after dreaming up the idea, so page one of her guidebook would likely read, "Never, ever, ever, ever stop working toward your goal." Ignoring naysayers plays into that, too. By not telling her family and friends about Spanx for a full year, she didn't have to address their concerns and doubts, and never had to spend time defending her idea until it was already on its way.

Photo: Courtesy of Spanx