Sarah Blakely is the Youngest Female Billionaire in the World

Forbes has released their 10th annual list of the “100 Most Powerful” women in the world.

Included on this year’s list are two Atlanta residents, Helen Gayle CEO of CARE and Sarah Blakely the founder and CEO of Spanx.

According to Forbes, Under CEO Gayle’s direction CARE reached more than 83 million people through 997 projects in 84 countries last year with a budget of $585 billion, responding to natural disasters, climate change and other causes of global poverty.

The world's youngest self-made female billionaire is taking her shapewear giant Spanx to the streets. In 2012, Sara Blakely opened the brand's first standalone retail stores in upmarket malls up and down the East Coast. Blakely has come a long way since age 29, when she invested her entire life savings, $5,000, trying to come up with something flattering to wear under her white slacks. Six months later the one-time Disney World ride greeter found her new line of shaping underwear named one of Oprah's Favorite Things. Since then Blakely has taken Spanx from a one-product wonder sold out of her Atlanta apartment to a powerhouse with over $250 million in annual revenues and net profit margins estimated at 20%. She owns 100% of the private company, has never advertised and never taken outside investment. Blakely joined Forbes' World's Billionaires list in 2012.