Spanx founder rewards employees with first class tickets and $10,000

To express her gratitude to her employees, Spanx founder Sara Blakely gave each of her 500 workers first-class plane tickets and  $10,000 in spending money. Blakely revealed her rewards at a party last week where she also announced Blackstone was buying a majority stake in the Atlanta-based maker of slimming briefs, bras, pantyhose and other undergarments. This transaction values the company at $1.2 million and has Blakely keeping a sizable interest and continuing to run the company with the current management team. Once the deal closes, she will also be the chairwoman of the company. 

To celebrate selling the majority stake, Blakely said that her employees were all getting two first-class plane tickets to any destination around the world along with $10,000 to cover all the costs of accommodation. When Blakely started Spanx in 2000, her goal was to one day be worth $20 million. She has ever since built a company that "delivers amazing products to women to use their very feminine principles in a very masculine space, which is business," Blakely said. 

Source: CBS News