The success story of Gymshark, a British fitness apparel and accessories company, is the tireless hard work of the Gymshark founders, or, more precisely, the Gymshark founder Ben Francis. Success has never gone to Ben’s head, as he stayed grounded and humble in building a community around the brand. Gymshark is the labor of love. His love for fitness encouraged him to launch a company that aims to unite the fitness community.
The Vision of Gymshark Founders
Ben Francis, the Gymshark founder, has a unique vision of uniting the community. He does not believe in uniting the community around the goals but instead focuses on unity through actions that help achieve them. Therefore, he stays humble and faithful to the founding ethos. Gymshark’s rapid growth results from Francis’s hardworking mindset inherited from his family.
When was Gymshark Founded?
There is an interesting story about how Gymshark started. Ben always aspired to associate himself with the fitness industry in any capacity that changed his life. His ambition was to be a university student working as a pizza delivery boy at Pizza Hut when he started the brand from his bedroom.
The Early Years
The company started by drop shipping supplements, and then Francis gravitated toward apparel to fulfill his necessity. His move to start an apparel business is an example of the proverb that necessity is the mother of invention. Since Ben could not find fitness apparel of the proper fit for himself, he decided to create his own brand. He created fitness clothing apparel that struck a design that was the perfect hybrid of the American bodybuilding style and tight-fit European design.
For the next two years, the Gymshark CEO relied exclusively on handmade products produced by using a screen printer and a sewing machine.
Developing a Community
The turning point of Gymshark resulted from Ben’s deep roots as a social native and his gut feelings. He used the YouTube platform to establish a brand that started growing followers slowly. As the pace increased, Ben scrapped the entry fee altogether. It was time to present Gymshark physically to the masses by participating in a fitness expo in the United Kingdom.
The Incredible Pace of Growth
The event was a landmark in Gymshark’s history. The company’s revenue rose from $300-$500 per day to an incredible earning of $50,000 in just 30 minutes as the website sold out completely. The success made Francis more fearless, and he dropped out of the university, quit his pizza delivery job, and became a full-time entrepreneur.
It’s not the Gymshark founders but only Ben’s selfless leadership and hard work that inculcated a unique culture in the company that now has more than 900 staff backed by the Gymshark community. Collaborating with the team helped the Gymshark founder become a more effective CEO who steered the company to become a global powerhouse.
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