E1 Delivering Pizzas to Managing a Billion Dollar Business | Ben Francis Gymshark CEO

150 snips

Sep 27, 2021

In this conversation, Ben Francis, the founder and CEO of Gymshark, shares his inspiring journey from hand-making gym wear in a shed to leading a billion-dollar fitness empire. He discusses the secrets behind scaling a global brand, the pivotal role of YouTube collaborations in marketing, and the challenges of shifting from a startup hustle to effective business structure. Ben also provides candid advice on goal setting and reinventing oneself, all while emphasizing the importance of community and teamwork in entrepreneurial success.

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ANECDOTE

First Business

Ben Francis's first business involved selling license plates.
He built a website for this venture because his partner lacked online expertise.

ANECDOTE

Learning Web Development

Ben Francis learned web development through a BTEC in IT, which gave him practical skills.
This led him to learn Photoshop and Illustrator, expanding his skillset.

INSIGHT

Power of Creation

Websites and apps empower individuals to create without permission.
This fosters confidence and idea generation, as seen with Ben Francis's license plate business.

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"We'll look back at this period in ten, twenty, thirty years time as the moment of opportunity"

In this first ever episode of Deep Dive, Ali sits down with Ben Francis, the founder and CEO of leading UK Billion-Dollar fitness brand, Gymshark. Ben founded Gymshark at only 19 years old while studying at Aston University. With only his £5 an hour pizza delivery shift money in his back pocket, Ben went from hand making and screen printing clothes in a shed with a group of friends to owning one of the fastest growing global brands in fitness.

Once the antidote to what Ben calls a "selfish-problem", Gymshark is now the host of a global community of athletes, artists, visionaries, and innovators with a mission to inspire individuals to achieve the extraordinary. But the question is, how did he do it? In the episode Ben and Ali have a candid and in-depth conversation about building a viral brand, self-development and why the age of entrepreneurialism is now. Ben also gives Ali advice on his new business structure, offering tips on hiring, distributing control and how to reinvent yourself as a business person.

Some topics of conversation:

Entrepreneurship
Creating a viral brand
Reinventing yourself
Scaling a business
Goal setting
And lots more!

Connect with Ben

Website: https://www.benfrancis.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benfrancis/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/benfrancis1992?lang=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BenFrancis

Connect with Ali

Website: https://aliabdaal.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliabdaal/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliAbdaal

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aliabdaal

Find any resources mentioned on the website: https://aliabdaal.com/ben-francis/