Are you familiar with Spanx? I’m asking the men because I’m pretty sure the women already know what it is. In fact, some of them might be wearing it right now.
Spanx is a type of shapewear designed to smooth and support the body under clothing. It helps create a more seamless look, whether under a fitted dress or everyday outfits.
Over time, it has expanded beyond shapewear to include leggings, bodysuits, and other clothing meant to be comfortable while providing a little extra support.
Who invented it? That would be Sara Blakely, who, at the time, wasn’t some big-time fashion mogul—she was just a woman frustrated with her underwear.
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Solopreneurship worked for Sara Blakely in the early days of Spanx, but even she didn’t stay solo for long—she built a team to scale her business.
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While some businesses can thrive under a single person’s control, scaling beyond a certain point often requires collaboration and specialized skills.
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The e-commerce landscape in 2025 is more competitive than ever, with AI-driven ads, influencer marketing, and automated fulfillment giving teams an edge.
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Managing everything alone can lead to slow growth and burnout, making it harder to compete against brands leveraging multiple resources.
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Before going solo, consider if your business model is sustainable alone or if you’ll need a team to achieve long-term success.
Back in the late ‘90s, she was selling fax machines door-to-door in Florida, sweating through long days in pantyhose, and wondering why there wasn’t a better option.
One night, while getting dressed for a party, she cut the feet off her control-top tights to wear under her white pants. That DIY solution actually worked, and it got her thinking why didn’t something like this already exist?
With no background in fashion or business, she spent her nights researching fabrics and shapewear patents, eventually convincing a North Carolina manufacturer to take a chance on her idea.
When she pitched Spanx to Neiman Marcus, she didn’t just send emails. She personally put the shapewear on in the bathroom and showed the buyer how it worked. That hands-on hustle paid off, landing Spanx its first big retail deal.
Things really took off when Oprah featured Spanx on her Favorite Things list, instantly putting it in front of millions of shoppers. From there, Spanx became a go-to for celebrities, everyday shoppers, and even men looking for a little extra support.
Here’s a look at how Spanx’s revenue has grown since its launch:
Building an Empire on Solopreneurship
Sara Blakely built the company from scratch, never took outside funding, and became the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire. Not bad for someone who started with a pair of scissors and a great idea.
Sara was what you can call a solopreneur. A solopreneur is someone who starts and runs a business alone—no co-founders, no employees, just them handling everything.
They come up with the ideas, manage the sales, do the marketing, and take care of the money side too. It’s all on their shoulders, from building the business to keeping it running.
I know what you’re thinking—“If Sara did it, maybe I can too.” Not so fast. I don’t want to rain on your optimism, but many factors contributed to Spanx’s success.
Sara didn’t just stumble upon success because she worked hard alone. Her idea was genuinely unique and solved a real problem that millions of people faced. She wasn’t just selling another version of something that already existed; she created a product that filled a noticeable gap in the market.
Women were struggling to find smooth, comfortable undergarments that worked under fitted clothes, and Spanx was the first to offer a simple, effective solution. That’s a huge part of why it took off.
Timing also played a role. Social media wasn’t around yet, so getting on Oprah’s Favorite Things list was like winning the business lottery. Today, with online ads, influencer marketing, and countless competitors, getting that kind of breakout moment is much harder.
Noticed that I used “was a solopreneur” instead of “is a solopreneur” when I described Sara? That’s because she’s not a solopreneur anymore. In fact, she didn’t stay one for long.
In the early days of Spanx, she was doing everything herself—researching patents, developing prototypes, pitching retailers, and even writing her own patent to save money on legal fees. She famously bootstrapped the business with just $5,000 in savings and didn’t take outside funding.
However, as Spanx grew, Blakely built a team and scaled the company into a global brand. She eventually stepped into a leadership role rather than running the business solo.
While she often shares her solopreneur beginnings, she doesn’t necessarily brand herself as a solopreneur today. Instead, she highlights her journey as a self-made entrepreneur who built a billion-dollar business from nothing.
So, while she was a solopreneur in the early days, her success story is more about smart scaling, perseverance, and knowing when to bring in the right people.
When should you—or should you not—consider going solo?
Embarking on a solopreneurial journey can be both rewarding and challenging. Understanding when this path aligns with your goals and when it might present obstacles is crucial.
When Solopreneurship Is Beneficial:
If your business model is straightforward and manageable by one person, solopreneurship can offer significant advantages. For instance, Yong-Soo Chung left his tech job to start Urban EDC, an e-commerce business focusing on everyday carry items.
By leveraging platforms like Instagram for marketing and collaborating closely with his community, he built a successful venture that generated $1.3 million in sales in 2024.
Similarly, Tony Dinh, a former software engineer, transitioned into solopreneurship by developing and selling digital products. His dedication led to a revenue of approximately $45,000 per month within two years, with a profit margin of around 90%.
These examples highlight that when the business scope is within the capacity of one individual, solopreneurship can lead to substantial success.
When Solopreneurship May Not Be Ideal:
However, if your online selling business requires scaling beyond what one person can handle, solopreneurship might present limitations.
For example, businesses that involve extensive inventory management, complex logistics, or high customer service demands often benefit from team collaboration. The challenges of handling everything alone can lead to burnout and hinder growth.
Moreover, solopreneurs may face difficulties in brainstorming and strategizing without a team. Chike Uzoka, a serial entrepreneur, noted that working solo made it challenging to bring ideas to life and lacked the advantage of bouncing ideas off others.
To put it simply, solopreneurship can be advantageous for online sellers when the business model is simple, manageable, and aligns with individual capabilities.
However, for ventures requiring extensive operations, collaboration, and diverse skill sets, building a team might be more beneficial to achieve sustained success.
Thinking of Going Solo in 2025? Think Again.
If you’re on the fence about going solo or building a team, ask yourself this: Does my business model align with the solopreneur lifestyle?
Some businesses can thrive under a single person’s control, while others will hit roadblocks that slow progress or prevent long-term success. Understanding these factors is key to making the right decision.
One major factor is the type of product or service you’re selling. If you’re running a dropshipping business where suppliers handle inventory and shipping, you might be able to manage everything on your own, at least in the beginning.
But if you’re creating a handmade product line or launching a private label brand, scaling beyond a few sales a day can quickly become overwhelming.
Take Allie Casazza, a solopreneur who built a thriving business selling digital products and online courses. Because she was selling knowledge rather than physical goods, she could operate independently for a long time before hiring a team.
Compare that to someone like Kylie Jenner, who, despite being the face of Kylie Cosmetics, had to partner with Seed Beauty for manufacturing and logistics. Even with her brand recognition, going solo wasn’t an option—she needed the right team to handle production and fulfillment.
Another key consideration is marketing and customer acquisition. If your business depends on paid advertising, content marketing, or influencer partnerships, managing it alone might stretch you too thin.
E-commerce brands today rely heavily on SEO, PPC ads, email marketing, and social media outreach, all of which require expertise and constant optimization. It’s not impossible to do it all yourself—some people do—but it often leads to slow growth and burnout.
This is where teams provide a competitive edge. Take Gymshark, for example. Ben Francis started the company solo, printing logos on gym apparel in his garage, but as demand skyrocketed, he brought in specialists to handle marketing, supply chain management, and branding. That decision helped Gymshark grow into a billion-dollar brand.
The ability to scale is another critical factor. If you plan to keep things small, solopreneurship might work well. But if your goal is to build a brand that competes on platforms like Amazon, Shopify, or Etsy, you’ll eventually need help.
Jeff Bezos started Amazon as a solo operation, but he didn’t try to do it all forever—he brought in a team, raised capital, and expanded. Even businesses that start with a single person, like Nasty Gal by Sophia Amoruso or Glossier by Emily Weiss, had to scale beyond one person to stay competitive.
Additionally, the e-commerce landscape in 2025 is brutally competitive. Brands are using AI-driven ads, automated fulfillment, influencer collaborations, and massive teams of marketers and strategists to gain an edge.
Trying to compete alone against businesses leveraging every possible resource is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Unless your business is intentionally designed to stay small, going solo is difficult and a major disadvantage.
So before jumping into solopreneurship, ask yourself: Is my business simple enough to run alone? Can I handle every aspect, from marketing to customer service to logistics? Or will I eventually need a team to scale?
Because in today’s market, solopreneurship is about working hard and knowing when to bring in the right people so you don’t get left behind.
