The Bottleneck Podcast Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Ben Francis on building a billion dollar brand
24 snips
Nov 12, 2025 
Ben Francis, founder and CEO of Gymshark, shares the incredible journey of building a billion-dollar brand from scratch. He recounts the early days of sewing T-shirts at his nan’s dining table and the challenges of launching his business. The discussion dives into the importance of knowing your audience, the power of community, and the advantages of staying flexible in strategy. Ben emphasizes customer service as brand building and the long-term value of creator partnerships in marketing. His insights on maintaining a youthful mindset while scaling are truly inspiring.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Humble First Sale Ignited The Journey
- Ben started Gymshark in 2012 to simply make a website that transacted online.
- His first sale was a £52 tub of supplement that generated £2 profit and sparked the passion to keep going.
Nan's Dining Table To Collector's Labels
- The first Gymshark apparel was made using a sewing machine at Ben's nan's dining table.
- Early labels even misspelt "official", creating rare collector's items.
Start Small To Build Momentum
- Set very low, immediate goals early to create momentum and avoid burnout.
- Incremental aims (one sale, then regular sales) build sustainable growth and learning.
