Raised in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, Ben Francis became interested in business at a young age. He got into the computing field with the launch of two original fitness apps, iPhysique and Fat Loss Abs Guide, both of which were in the realm of Francis’ greatest interest: physical fitness. Ben’s passion lay in the gym, but as he got older, he couldn’t find a single fitness garment that he liked the design of. With this realization in mind, Francis set about fixing the problem.
As a child, Ben’s grandparents had taught him to sew, so he set up shop in his parents’ garage designing and making his own clothes. This was no small undertaking – Ben had to juggle both studying full time at Aston University in Birmingham and delivering pizzas for PizzaHut at night with the creation of his new business. He was able to make around ten items per day, and over the course of two years, Francis was able to build up his brand to a relatively impressive size, amassing a profit of over 250,000 British pounds. However, he was running himself into the ground trying to do everything at once, and Ben wanted to give his business all the attention he could. And so, at the age of 19, Francis dropped out of college and launched Gymshark with his close friend Lewis Morgan.
Eight years later, Gymshark has taken the world by storm. By exploiting social media and many large fitness influencers, Ben built up his brand following, with Gymshark being one of the first brands ever to primarily market through social media. Following a recent investment from General Atlantic, the brand is now valued at $1.3 billion, with Francis owning 70% of the company. Before General Atlantic’s investment, the brand was worth $700 million, an incredible sum when compared with the 250,000 pounds Ben started with. In 2015, Francis stepped down as the company’s CEO to become the chief brand officer, a move he hoped would expand the brand even more. As the most recent numbers show, his aims were successful.
Gymshark is an awesome brand that has taken off. I think it was smart to step down and let someone who has been in business for a while and has that experience take over as CEO. Great company and great story.