Gymshark: Ben Francis.  From pizza delivery to billion-dollar fitness brand.

Gymshark: Ben Francis. From pizza delivery to billion-dollar fitness brand.

At 19, Ben Francis was lifting weights during the day and delivering pizza at night. He didn’t have money. He didn’t have fashion experience. He didn’t even know how to sew. What he did have was a front-row seat… to a new online trend. Before Instagram and influencers became a strategy, a handful of YouTubers were redefining gym culture — building identity and community online.

With his gymwear brand Gymshark, Ben didn’t try to compete with Nike. He didn’t try to buy ads. He did something much more powerful: He built relationships. He sent free T-shirts to the Youtubers he admired. He learned what gym-goers actually wanted to wear: tapered tracksuits, and shirts that emphasized their muscles.

Today, Gymshark is valued at more than a billion dollars, and Ben is the youngest billionaire in the UK. But his story is not just about business. It’s about identity, discipline, humility—and learning to grow as fast as you can learn.


What You’ll Learn:

  • How to build a brand by building community first
  • How to hire smart people without losing control of your company
  • Avoiding imposter syndrome by creating your own apprenticeship program
  • How to get stronger by staying in your lane


Timestamps:

06:15 - The IT education that changed Ben’s life

17:48 - Gymshark’s first sale: a £2 profit that had him dancing in his bedroom

20:06 - Early apparel—Screen-printing T shirts, a single sewing machine

23:50 - How YouTube bodybuilders became their best marketers

40:48 - How Ben hired his own boss–and what he learned from him

47:44 - Expanding to the US: a bone-chilling trip to Ohio

50:35 - The bodybuilder’s aesthetic: big shoulders, narrow waist

53:58 - The painful breakup between Ben and his co-founder

1:04:49 - Why he earned the nickname “Hurricane Ben.”

1:12:30 - A legacy company: Resisting the urge to grow beyond the gym

1:19:19 - Small Business Spotlight


This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Alex Cheng.

Follow How I Built This:

Instagram → @howibuiltthis

X → @HowIBuiltThis

Facebook → How I Built This


Follow Guy Raz:

Instagram → @guy.raz

Youtube → guy_raz

X → @guyraz

Substack → guyraz.substack.com

Website → guyraz.com


See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avsnitt(784)

Melissa & Doug: Melissa And Doug Bernstein

Melissa & Doug: Melissa And Doug Bernstein

Melissa and Doug Bernstein's first success was a wooden 'fuzzy puzzle' of farm animals. Today, Melissa & Doug makes over 2,000 kinds of toys and serves as an antidote to the rise of digital toys. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

19 Dec 201636min

Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard

Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard

In 1973, Yvon Chouinard started Patagonia to make climbing gear he couldn't find elsewhere. Over decades of growth, he has implemented a unique philosophy about business, leadership and profit. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12 Dec 201625min

Serial Entrepreneur: Mark Cuban

Serial Entrepreneur: Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban made millions off of tech startups, then billions off of stocks — and later went on to buy and revive the Dallas Mavericks. He has come to define the persona of the serial entrepreneur. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Dec 201633min

Angie's List: Angie Hicks

Angie's List: Angie Hicks

In 1996, Angie Hicks spent hours reading contractor reviews to members over the phone. Today, the online review and referral service, Angie's List, is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

28 Nov 201629min

Southwest Airlines: Herb Kelleher

Southwest Airlines: Herb Kelleher

In 1968, competitors sued to keep Herb Kelleher's new airline grounded. After a 3-year court fight, the first plane took off from Dallas. Today Southwest Airlines operates nearly 4,000 flights a day. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

21 Nov 201633min

Celebrity Chef: José Andrés

Celebrity Chef: José Andrés

As a kid, José Andrés tended fires for his father's backyard paella cookouts. Later, he trained with the best Spanish chefs, and began building a restaurant empire that would transform the way many Americans dine out. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

14 Nov 201627min

Music Mogul: L.A. Reid

Music Mogul: L.A. Reid

L.A. Reid began his music career as a drummer. Then he co-founded LaFace Records, discovering dozens of future pop superstars. Reid is now one of the most influential executives in the music industry. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Nov 201631min

Samuel Adams: Jim Koch

Samuel Adams: Jim Koch

In 1984, Jim Koch felt suffocated by his cushy but boring corporate job. So he left, dusted off an old family beer recipe, started Sam Adams, and helped kickstart the craft beer movement in America. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

31 Okt 201633min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

framgangspodden
badfluence
varvet
rss-jossan-nina
rss-borsens-finest
rss-svart-marknad
uppgang-och-fall
avanzapodden
lastbilspodden
fill-or-kill
rss-dagen-med-di
affarsvarlden
borsmorgon
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
market-makers
bathina-en-podcast
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet
bilar-med-sladd
kvalitetsaktiepodden