Role Models – Inspiration with open eyes

Sara Blakely built Spanx into a company that turned a simple idea and very little starting capital into a global phenomenon. What sets her apart from many other founders is that she has consciously used the stage that came with her success from the very beginning to pave the way for other women. And not as a PR strategy, but because she takes the responsibility that comes with visibility seriously.

Role models like her are valuable! Not because they show that anything is possible if you just work hard enough, but because they make concrete paths visible: How does someone deal with rejection? How do they make decisions under uncertainty? What do they believe about themselves and about what they cannot yet do?

It is exactly these beliefs that are worth paying special attention to in the following video. Because role models do not only have an impact through what they have achieved, but especially through the mindset behind it.

Despite their positive effect, role models can also unconsciously put pressure on us or prevent us from seeing that every entrepreneurial journey is different. Sometimes we also outgrow them over time. So watch the video with curiosity, but also with some distance. What fits you, and what is simply Sara Blakely’s path?

💡 If you are interested in a more scientific perspective on role models and entrepreneurial identity afterwards, we recommend the article “Ties That Bind or Blind?” (2022) in the appendix.