The 7 Lessons Behind Gymshark’s Billion-Dollar Rise
Guy Raz Newsletter – November 20, 2025
On a recent episode of How I Built This, I sat down with Ben Francis, the founder of Gymshark.
If you don’t know the story: Ben was a college student in the UK, delivering pizzas at night, lifting weights in the afternoon, and building websites and fitness apps in his bedroom.
He wasn’t trying to “build a unicorn.”
He just wanted to sell one thing online.
From that tiny goal came Gymshark—a brand that now generates hundreds of millions in revenue, has a global community of athletes and creators, and has turned Ben into a 33-year-old founder running a multi-billion dollar business.
But the story isn’t just about a lucky bet on fitness culture or early YouTube.
It’s about how you build for a community you actually understand.
And how you grow from a kid who says “start again, that’s terrible” to a leader people want to follow.
Here are 7 quick lessons that really stuck with me:
1. Use your low-risk years
Ben’s granddad started a furnace business while supporting a family and paying a mortgage. Real risk.
At 18, Ben was living at home, earning a few pounds an hour at Pizza Hut, and buying domain names for £3.50. For him, the downside was tiny—so he treated every “failure” as practice.
2. Start with a tiny goal
The first goal of Gymshark wasn’t “build a global brand.”
It was: sell one thing online.
When they finally made £2 of profit on a supplement order after two months, Ben literally danced around his bedroom. That small win created the momentum for everything that followed.
3. Build for the community you’re already in
Gymshark only took off when Ben stopped trying to sell what everyone else sold (supplements) and started making clothes he and his friends actually wanted to lift in.
He wasn’t guessing at a market. He was the market.
4. Relationships beat ads
With no ad budget, Ben sent free gear to early YouTube lifters he admired.
They wore Gymshark to a bodybuilding expo, fans rushed the booth to see them, and the brand sold out of inventory. After the event, the website did £30,000 in 30 minutes. No performance marketing. Just trust.
5. Stay narrow to go deep
For years, Gymshark focused on one thing: gym wear.
Not running, not soccer, not fashion. That narrow focus let them obsess over fit, fabric, and “physique-accentuating” design—and build real authority in one lane.
6. Hire your own mentors
Ben effectively hired his own boss.
He brought in an experienced operator, Steve, to run the back end of the business, then rotated himself through brand, product, marketing, and tech. He built an apprenticeship for himself inside his own company.
7. Let feedback change you
At one point, Ben did a 360 review and learned that people had nicknamed him “Hurricane Ben.” He’d walk into a room, dismiss work as “terrible,” and walk out.
That feedback forced him to rethink how he spoke to people and how he led. The company grew—but he had to grow with it.
There is SO much more to this story including the messy co-founder breakup, the General Atlantic deal, and why Ben didn’t even know what “raising money” was at first.
Hope you have a great weekend!
—Guy
P.S. If you loved the episode, follow the show in your podcast app so you never miss one.
On HIBT This Week!
Gymshark: The Making of an Iconic Brand
Ben Francis had tried everything to make money online: fitness apps, websites, and even dropshipping supplements. But nothing worked.
Then he had a new, crazy idea: what if he could sew gym clothes?
So with a sewing machine and YouTube, Ben started making tank tops and stringers. And, finally, he started making some money.
This is how Gymshark was born.
Ben’s breakthrough came from a handful of fitness influencers with small, obsessed followers. They spread the word and helped Ben make $30,000 in 30 minutes.
What happened next is the story of how a $1B fitness brand gets built: new CEOs, co-founder splits, and navigating uncertainty. Ben shared the ups and downs of what it’s like to build, launch, and grow a first-of-its kind business.
But more than anything, this is the story of how Ben built Britain’s first billion-dollar fitness brand by choosing community over competition.
HIBT Advice Line: Don’t Delay
This week on the Advice Line, I’m joined by Anthony Casalena, founder and CEO of Squarespace. Anthony built the company from a side project to a billion-dollar business.
First up, Bob: How do I build awareness for my custom designed mattresses?
Bob’s Custom Sleep Technology uses AI to design personalized mattresses based on body profiles, but his products don’t fit traditional retail. Anthony’s blunt assessment: the dated website doesn’t convey the scientific, premium nature. Fix the branding first. Become a data-driven sleep system, not a fancy mattress.
Next, Stacy: How do I convince people to rethink their first-aid kits?
Stacy’s All Better Co. makes clean alternatives to first aid staples. We urged her to simplify the packaging. Focus on convenience channels where moms make impulse buys. Let design and placement do the heavy lifting.
Finally, Mehek: What’s the best go-to-market for a recovery companion app?
Mehek’s Kahani is an app designed to help eating disorder patients between therapy sessions. Anthony challenged her to think beyond app stores: if Kahani weren’t an app, where would people find it? Start small and authentic – collect vulnerable stories rather than chasing mass marketing.
Anthony leaves us with this: Pay attention to decisions you consistently delay.
When you look back, you rarely think “I moved too fast,” but often realize you waited too long on what you already knew was right.
If you would like to be featured on an upcoming episode, call and leave a 1-minute message at 1-800-433-1298 or send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com
Wow in the World!
A Turducken for Your Ears?!
What do you get when you layer one podcast inside another… inside another?! A Podcast Turducken, of course!
In this special Wow in the World episode, we team up with our friends at Terrestrials and Circle Round for a three-story feast featuring chickens, ducks (sort of), and turkeys!
First up: a real-life chicken named Inga who trekked 3 miles through snow, traffic, and wild predators to find her way home – proving that chickens are smarter than we think.
Then we dive deep into the icy Arctic Ocean to uncover the mystery of the “bio-duck” sound… made not by a duck, but by a minke whale!
And finally, Circle Round shares a heartwarming tale of how the turkey got its one-of-a-kind gobble.
It’s a storytelling smorgasbord packed with science, surprises, and a whole lot of WOW!
From the HIBT Archives!
Squarespace: Anthony Casalena
Anthony Casalena didn’t set out to build a $1B company… he just wanted a better way to build a website.
In 2003, while still in college, he coded a website builder for himself. But when friends started asking to use it, Anthony saw an opportunity. This was the birth of Squarespace.
For years, he ran Squarespace almost entirely solo. But eventually, the strain of doing everything himself forced a shift: he had to learn how to hire, delegate, and grow as a leader.
Today, Squarespace is a major platform with thousands of employees and was valued at north of $7B before it was taken private.
See you next time!
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