The Art of Turning Rejection into Billions: How Sara Blakely Built Spanx from a Pair of Cut-Off Tights

 

Special analytical material by the 100%NEWS.TV Editorial Department

Imagine a classic picture of apparent hopelessness: exhausting Florida heat, a heavy business suit, and an endless line of doors being closed before a young saleswoman could finish her pitch. For seven years, Sara Blakely sold fax machines door to door. Before that, she had twice failed the LSAT, the law-school admission test in the United States, and had even failed to secure a role as Goofy at Walt Disney World because she was not tall enough for the costume.

At first glance, this looked like the ordinary biography of a person moving from one disappointment to another. Yet two decades later, Forbes would place that same woman on its cover and describe her as the youngest self-made female billionaire. By the age of 41, the company she had created — Spanx — had become a billion-dollar business. It had been built without external venture capital, without an elite business-school background, and without family connections inside the closed world of fashion and retail.

The 80th Anniversary of the First Meeting of the IMF Executive Board

Last week marked the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund. It is difficult to know what the atmosphere was like on 6 May 1946, when twelve Executive Directors gathered at the Washington Hotel for their first meeting. Yet those people began building what was then described as something entirely new in the history of international monetary practice — and what would become one of the most important bodies of monetary policy in the world.

IMF at 80: The Executive Board and the Evolution of Global Financial Cooperation

In May 2026, the International Monetary Fund marks an important institutional milestone: the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of its Executive Board. On 6 May 1946, the first Executive Directors of the IMF met in Washington, D.C., beginning the operational life of an institution created to help stabilise the international monetary system after the devastation of the Great Depression and the Second World War. The IMF’s own first Annual Report records that its operations began from that first meeting of the Executive Directors in Washington. (IMF)

Dominic Ashford Interviews Svetlana Gerey: How to Plan Life and Business Before 2027

How families, entrepreneurs and investors can plan life, business, travel, education and budgets in a world of oil shocks, geopolitical uncertainty and economic turbulence.

Category: 100News.TV: Business & Growth Interview
Format: 100News.TV Interview
Presenter: Dominic Ashford, Business & Growth Presenter, 100News.TV
Guest: Svetlana Gerey, Vice-President, International Consortium Global Development Alliance

As oil prices, geopolitical tensions and inflation risks reshape the global agenda, Dominic Ashford, Business & Growth Presenter at 100News.TV, speaks with Svetlana Gerey, Vice-President of the International Consortium Global Development Alliance, about how families, entrepreneurs and investors should plan life and business before 2027.

Dominic Ashford:
Good evening, and welcome to 100News.TV, the international information and analytical platform where we look beyond the headline and try to understand what global events really mean for people, businesses, families and the future.

Today, the world is again divided between what people are watching and what may actually shape their lives.

Millions follow football, sport, celebrities and emotional stories. At the same time, oil prices, sanctions, inflation, bond markets and geopolitical tensions quietly influence household budgets, business plans, travel decisions, children’s summer camps, investment strategies and even the emotional state of families.

Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and, consequently, the purchasing power of currency is falling.

Bond markets (also known as the debt market or credit market) are financial markets where participants can issue new debt or buy and sell debt securities.

To discuss this deeper layer, I am joined by Svetlana Gerey, Vice-President of the International Consortium Global Development Alliance.

Svetlana, thank you for joining us.

Svetlana Gerey:
Thank you, Dominic. It is a pleasure to be here. I think this conversation is important because people today are surrounded by information, but very often they do not have a clear system for understanding what this information means for their own lives.

“People Search for Football, but Their Lives Are Priced in Oil”

TOP 100 Women in Business will meet at the World Woman Forum 2026 in Davos, 9-12 July

Women have always participated in economic life. Across centuries, women traded in markets, managed farms, produced textiles, ran family workshops, operated shops, financed community activities and sustained local economies. But in many societies, their work was informal, legally restricted or attributed to male relatives.

The modern story of women in business becomes more visible in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, when women began to appear publicly as merchants, industrialists, financiers, publishers, beauty entrepreneurs, fashion founders, educators and owners of scalable businesses.

Dr Olga Azarova: “Children Should Learn to Solve Problems”

MINIBOSS BUSINESS SCHOOL is one of the most recognisable international brands in children’s business education. Its mission is ambitious and unusual: to teach children entrepreneurship, invention, leadership and financial thinking from the age of six.

Over the years, the MINIBOSS methodology has helped develop tens of thousands of young entrepreneurs around the world — children who learn not only how to build a business, but how to think independently, solve problems creatively and realise their own potential.

One of the Biggest Risks for Investors 2026

For nearly the entire period following the 2008 crisis, global financial markets operated in an unusual monetary reality: interest rates in developed countries were historically low, liquidity was abundant, inflation was relatively subdued, and central banks moved almost in sync. The U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, and other regulators differed in details, but the overall direction was clear: cheap money, market support, accommodative policy, and a readiness to rescue the system at the first sign of stress.

That era shaped a whole generation of investors who grew accustomed to the idea that market declines were often met with new liquidity, that debt burdens were manageable under low rates, and that growth assets benefited from cheap capital. But today, one of the biggest risks is that investors may still be viewing a new world through the lens of the old era.

What Is Happening with Interest Rates, Credit and Investment Activity (Part 3)

By Andrii Azarov (Andrew Azarov) — Professor of Business, Economics, and the Applied Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Development of Business Process Automation Software Systems. International Business Academy Consortium (United Kingdom).

This article is for readers who want to understand the real forces shaping the modern economy — not only as observers, but as people making financial, business and strategic decisions. It is especially valuable for entrepreneurs, investors, executives and thoughtful citizens who recognise that interest rates, credit conditions and investment activity now influence everything from household stability to global business growth. For the audience of 100news.tv, this material matters because it goes beyond headlines and helps interpret the deeper logic of economic change.

Part 3

<<< Part 1

<<< Part 2 

XXXV. The United States: why the world still watches the Federal Reserve first

No analysis of interest rates, credit and investment activity is complete without beginning with the United States, because the American monetary system still casts the longest shadow over global finance.

The Federal Reserve is the central banking system of the United States, which performs five general functions to promote the effective operation of the U.S. economy, including managing inflation and maximizing employment through monetary policy.

This is not merely because the Federal Reserve is powerful in a formal sense. It is because the U.S. dollar remains central to the architecture of trade, reserves, sovereign borrowing, commodity pricing, institutional portfolios and cross-border corporate finance. When American rates change, they do not remain inside America. They ripple outward through the global financial bloodstream.

What Is Happening with Interest Rates, Credit and Investment Activity (Part 2)

By Andrii Azarov (Andrew Azarov) — Professor of Business, Economics, and the Applied Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Development of Business Process Automation Software Systems. International Business Academy Consortium (United Kingdom).

This article is for readers who want to understand the real forces shaping the modern economy — not only as observers, but as people making financial, business and strategic decisions. It is especially valuable for entrepreneurs, investors, executives and thoughtful citizens who recognise that interest rates, credit conditions and investment activity now influence everything from household stability to global business growth. For the audience of 100news.tv, this material matters because it goes beyond headlines and helps interpret the deeper logic of economic change.

Part 2

<<< Part 1

Part 3 >>>

What Is Happening with Interest Rates, Credit and Investment Activity (Part 1)

By Andrii Azarov (Andrew Azarov) — Professor of Business, Economics, and the Applied Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Development of Business Process Automation Software Systems. International Business Academy Consortium (United Kingdom).

This article is for readers who want to understand the real forces shaping the modern economy — not only as observers, but as people making financial, business and strategic decisions. It is especially valuable for entrepreneurs, investors, executives and thoughtful citizens who recognise that interest rates, credit conditions and investment activity now influence everything from household stability to global business growth. For the audience of 100news.tv, this material matters because it goes beyond headlines and helps interpret the deeper logic of economic change.

Part 1

There are periods in economic history when money is simply money: a neutral medium, a technical instrument, a background condition to ordinary commercial life. And then there are periods when the price of money becomes the main character in the story.

We are living through the second kind.

GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK 2026 will be held in Davos

Every year, leading entrepreneurs from five continents who are interested in developing business connections, studying and supporting innovation, establishing new trade missions, and shaping a global business civilisation gather at GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK — an international platform for a series of business forums and strategic corporate retreats.

GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK 2026 is the world’s leading arena for business diplomacy. It is a next-generation format: a trade initiative, an entrepreneurial diplomacy platform, and a continuously operating ecosystem of international business connections, where entrepreneurs gain access not only to knowledge and networking, but also to practical tools for entering the global arena.

Secret of German Economy

The Core of Germany's Economy

Germany is often described through the language of engineering, exports, and industrial discipline. But beneath those familiar labels lies something even more distinctive: a deeply rooted culture of family business. In Germany, family firms are not a niche or a romantic leftover from an earlier era. They are the core of the economy.

Depending on the definition used, family-owned or family-controlled companies account for roughly 86–90 percent of all German businesses. They employ about 54 percent of the national workforce, and under a broader “family-controlled” definition they account for around 58 percent of jobs subject to social-security contributions. In revenue terms, they generate about 43–46 percent of total business turnover.

Startup World Cup Championship 2026: Davos to Host the Next Generation of Global Entrepreneurs

From 9 to 12 July 2026, Davos, Switzerland, will become a meeting point for a new kind of global leadership: young founders, visionary educators, business angels, investors, diplomats, trade representatives, policymakers, and innovation leaders. The 26th Startup World Cup Championship 2026 will gather some of the world’s most forward-looking entrepreneurial and intellectual communities to evaluate youth-led startups and select the best projects of the year as World Champions 2026.

The Championship is part of a broader international movement dedicated to practical entrepreneurship education, innovation, and business diplomacy. According to the official Davos event listing, the Startup World Cup Championship brings together young and mature entrepreneurs, inventors, investors, entrepreneurs, and government representatives from more than 35 countries, with projects assessed by an international jury across innovation, feasibility, scalability, and business potential. (davos.ch)

Why 2026 is the Year of the Family Business

In April, BOSS Magazine officially declared 2026 as the Year of Family Business, recognizing that family-owned enterprises demonstrate the highest rates of survival and resilience amidst ongoing geopolitical instability. As traditional corporate structures grapple with market fragmentation and rapid technological shifts, the family-led model has emerged not as a relic of the past, but as the primary architect of global economic stability.

The Silent Giant: Macroeconomic Dominance in 2026

The data for 2026 paints a definitive picture: family businesses are the fundamental engine of global prosperity. Contributing over 70% of global GDP, these enterprises represent the lifeblood of both developed and emerging markets. While the global economy navigated a modest 3.3% growth rate in 2025, the top 500 family-owned firms outpaced the market with a remarkable 10% revenue surge, reaching a combined turnover of $8.8 trillion.

To put this in perspective, if the world’s leading family businesses were a single nation, they would constitute the third-largest economy on Earth, trailing only the United States and China. This economic footprint is equally vital to the social fabric; family firms provide 60% of global employment, a figure that climbs to 80% in the private sectors of several industrial powerhouses.

The Anatomy of Resilience: Why the Model Wins

 

Dr Olga Azarova: FAMILY BUSINESS RETREAT is a MINIBOSS invention for raising strong heirs

Family Business Retreats: Why Children Are the Key Participants in Your Strategy

A family business retreat is not just a holiday and not just a conference. It is a specially designed space where the family steps away from operational routine in order to align personal values with business goals.

When we speak about “strong descendants,” we mean not only heirs to capital, but well-rounded individuals with eight developed types of intelligence — from PhQ to SQ. The presence of children at such retreats is not a “burden,” but a critically important element of the educational process.

What Is Happening to Oil, Logistics and the Cost Base of Business?

In spring 2026, oil, logistics and business costs have moved back to the centre of strategic decision-making. This is no longer a story confined to commodity traders, shipping executives or macroeconomists. It is now a live operating issue for manufacturers, retailers, airlines, food producers, construction groups, franchisors and service businesses. The reason is simple: when war disrupts energy flows and shipping routes, the effect does not stop at the price of crude. It spreads into freight, insurance, packaging, chemicals, food inputs, aviation, consumer confidence and, ultimately, margins. Reuters’ review of corporate disclosures found that since the Iran war began, 21 companies had cut or withdrawn guidance, 32 had flagged price rises, and 31 had cited expected financial damage. (Reuters)

The first layer of the shock is oil itself. Reuters reported that the closure and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz have removed about 13 million barrels per day of crude supply from the market since the war began, while the IMF’s April scenarios assumed materially weaker growth and significantly higher inflation under severe energy disruption. In practice, this means oil is once again acting not merely as a market input but as a systemic signal. When oil becomes scarce, volatile or politically threatened, it changes the price of almost everything that must be moved, heated, refined or manufactured. (Reuters)

How Wars and Sanctions Are Changing Business in Europe, Asia and the Middle East

In spring 2026, wars and sanctions have become part of the operating environment for business rather than background political noise. The war involving Iran has disrupted energy flows, freight and insurance, while the long aftershocks of the war in Ukraine continue to influence sanctions policy, trade patterns and industrial strategy across Europe. Reuters’ review of corporate disclosures found that since the Iran war began, 21 companies had withdrawn or cut forecasts, 32 had flagged price rises, and 31 had cited expected financial impacts. That is not a geopolitical side story. It is a direct business story. 

The first and most immediate change is cost. Wars affect business first through energy, raw materials and transport. In Europe, the European Commission is preparing measures to soften what officials openly describe as a second energy crisis in four years, after gas prices rose sharply and fertiliser markets tightened because of the conflict around Hormuz. Reuters reported that urea prices had risen by 55% since the war began and that one-third of global fertiliser trade passes through the affected route. For manufacturers, agribusinesses and transport-heavy sectors, war is therefore showing up not as a headline, but as margin pressure. 

What Will Happen to the World Economy Over the Next Six Months: Three Realistic Scenarios

In spring 2026, the central question for the world economy is no longer whether the Middle East war will inflict damage, but what kind of damage it will produce over the coming six months. The International Monetary Fund has already reset the baseline. In its April 2026 World Economic Outlook, it projects global growth of 3.1% in 2026 and 3.2% in 2027 under a limited-conflict assumption, while warning that rising commodity prices, firmer inflation expectations and tighter financial conditions are testing the economy’s recent resilience. (IMF)

That shift matters because the baseline is now clearly weaker than the one markets were using before the Gulf shock intensified. Reuters reported that, in the IMF’s severe scenario, global inflation in 2026 would rise above 6%, versus 4.4% in the Fund’s reference scenario. This means the debate is no longer about a smooth return to normality, but about how persistent the inflation shock becomes and how deeply it feeds into growth, trade and financial conditions. (IMF)

Dr Olga Azarova: The Evolution of Family Business Culture

Family Business: The Original Economic Engine of Humanity

Family business isn’t just a category of commerce; it is the original economic engine of humanity. Long before the rise of multinational corporations or the invention of the stock market, the household was the primary unit of production, trade, and innovation. Today, family-controlled firms remain the backbone of the global economy, contributing over 70% of the global GDP.

1. The Genesis: Who Were the First Family Entrepreneurs?

The history of family business is as old as civilisation itself. In ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, trades were passed from father to son — whether they were potters, architects, or merchants.

• The Oldest Survivor: The world’s oldest continuously operating family business is Kongō Gumi, a Japanese construction company founded in 578 AD. For over 1,400 years and 40 generations, the family specialised in building Buddhist temples, proving that a clear mission and specialised skill can defy centuries of political upheaval.
• The European Renaissance: Families like the Medici in Italy transformed the landscape of banking and art. By keeping capital and decision-making within the family, they created a level of trust that outsider institutions could not match at the time.

With just ten families controlling 60% of GDP in S. Korea

With just ten families controlling 60 percent of GDP, Korea’s family-owned “chaebol” conglomerates have enjoyed their privileges for decades—that may be about to end.

For decades, a small circle of powerful family-controlled conglomerates has stood at the center of South Korea’s economy. Commonly known as the chaebol, these business empires — including Samsung, Hyundai, and LG — were instrumental in transforming Korea into a major industrial power. Yet the very dominance that once fuelled national growth is now raising serious questions about fairness, accountability, and the future of corporate power in the country.

One of the clearest symbols of this tension is Lee Jae-yong, heir to Samsung. After being convicted on charges including bribery, fraud, and embezzlement connected to a major political scandal, Lee was sent to prison. Nevertheless, in August 2022, he received a special presidential pardon before completing his sentence. Authorities defended the move by arguing that Samsung, as one of Korea’s most important corporations, needed his leadership to remain globally competitive. Soon after his release, he returned to a senior leadership role.

If you are a Woman, join WWF in Davos, 9-12 July 2026!

All women in business are invited in WWF Davos 2026!

5 Key Benefits of attending the World Woman Forum 2026 in Davos:

1. Global Networking
Connect with influential leaders, executives, policymakers, and entrepreneurs from 50+ countries, expanding your international reach and opening doors to global collaboration.
 

2. Leadership Insights
Gain exclusive access to strategies, success stories, and future-focused insights from top women leaders across industries shaping the world economy. 

 

3. Policy & Innovation Influence
Be part of high-level discussions that shape policies on gender equality, sustainability, and innovation—with a chance to influence global change.
 

4. Empowerment & Growth Opportunities
Participate in mentoring sessions, workshops, and investment pitch platforms designed to support the growth of women-led initiatives and startups.
 

5. Visibility & Recognition
Showcase your voice, ideas, or brand on a prestigious international stage, gaining recognition among global media, partners, and changemakers.

World Woman Forum official