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Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal

How I Built GymShark to $1.4 Billion Business | Ben Francis Gymshark CEO

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Ali AbdaalhostBen Francisguest

Sep 27, 20211h 35mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Learning Web and App Development: Early Ventures
Ali asks about Ben's first business selling number plates, and Ben explains how a BTEC in IT taught him web development and Photoshop. He then moved from websites into app development and fitness apps, picking skills fewer people had.
- •First business was a number plate website, made for a neighbor who sold plates
- •A BTEC in IT gave Ben web development basics and access to the Adobe Creative Suite
- •He moved into app development at 17-18 because fewer people were doing it, learning from YouTube tutorials
- •Early apps were web browsers and simple fitness workout apps
- •Opportunity on new platforms, such as Google Shopping hacks, still exists
10:29 – 19:26
Business Degrees vs Winging It
Ali asks whether a business degree is worth it. Ben says his Aston degree gave him a grounding in areas like trademarks, but argues that even leaders of huge companies are largely winging it. Both discuss job titles, org structures and how marketing is organised.
- •Aston's common first year covered law, accountancy, finance and management, and taught Ben to protect IP early
- •You don't know what you don't know, which is the value of a business course
- •Leaders at businesses far larger than Gymshark are also winging it, including contacts at Shopify and AKQA
- •Gymshark splits brand and organic work from paid, quantitative marketing
- •Department names matter less than what the work is
Working Alongside Shopify at Gymshark Scale
Ben describes how closely Gymshark works with Shopify, with Shopify staff flying in to work from Gymshark's office during Black Friday. Traffic spikes have broken records and even real-time analytics tools.
- •Shopify and Gymshark are culturally very aligned
- •A group of Shopify staff works in Gymshark's office around Black Friday
- •Gymshark's traffic spikes have broken Shopify's records
- •It resembles mission control, with Shopify and Gymshark teams side by side
- •Add-ons and analytics tools can break under peak traffic
From Dropshipped Supplements to Handmade Clothing
Ben explains how Gymshark started in 2012 on Shopify, dropshipping supplements because he couldn't afford the minimum order. The first sale took about two months. A stringer tank that didn't fit led him to make his own clothes with help from family and friends.
- •Gymshark was founded in 2012 with a roughly £20 investment
- •He dropshipped supplements to fill a large, Google-indexable website
- •The first sale took two months and made £2 profit on £50
- •An ill-fitting bodybuilding stringer inspired making fitted fitness wear
- •His mom, nan and a local screen printer helped hand-make the first clothes
The BodyPower Event That Made Gymshark Go Viral
Ben recounts booking a £3,000 stand at BodyPower, bringing YouTuber heroes and building community through group lifting sessions. The brand went viral, the event sold out, and the website jumped from £300 a day to £30,000 in half an hour.
- •Ben booked the cheapest stand on the spot at the NEC with no stock
- •The website was turned off during the event, which accidentally created scarcity
- •YouTubers and local lifters built a community that spread on Facebook
- •Sales hit £30,000 in the first half hour after the site relaunched
- •They kept reinvesting in the next events, going from one to two to five
Early Marketing Channels and Time Management
Ben covers how people found Gymshark before the event: Facebook pages, YouTube and Google Shopping. After a sponsor break, they discuss how he juggled Pizza Hut, university and Gymshark, and how his schedule looks now as CEO.
- •Main channels were Facebook Pages, YouTube and Google Shopping, with Gymshark's page growing past a million followers
- •Athlete Lex Griffin wearing a tank on YouTube was when YouTube took off
- •Ben dropped out of university and quit Pizza Hut around the event
- •At Pizza Hut he answered customer emails from his car between deliveries
- •Today his day is tightly scheduled, with organisation outsourced to others
The Early Team, Asbestos Shed and Warehouse
Ben describes the tiny early team, with his brother as the first employee, and the asbestos shed on an industrial estate. A radiator in the next warehouse was a game changer. Profit was judged simply by more coming in than going out.
- •The early team was Ben, Lewis and his brother, everyone doing everything
- •The first warehouse was a 300 sq ft asbestos shed costing about £300 a month, heated by a diesel heater
- •The next unit was 3,000 sq ft with a radiator
- •Sewing was done at home and printing in the warehouse
- •Finances were instinctive, with no real idea of taxes or accounting
Distributing Control and Reinventing Yourself as a Leader
Gymshark now has over 700 employees. Ben explains the shift from instinctive solo founder to team member to inspiring leader, and why letting go of control is hard. He describes the joy of delegation and of working with the data team.
- •Gymshark has just over 700 employees, and the HQ still gives him goosebumps
- •Great business people reinvent themselves repeatedly
- •Stages: dragging the business along, working with a team, then galvanizing people around a vision
- •Weaknesses like disorganisation must be fixed or covered by the team
- •Trusting someone who does something better than you would is deeply fulfilling
Building a Leadership Team and Hiring Beyond Your Experience
Ben explains how Gymshark built a chief's team out of necessity, mixing experienced hires with internal talent. Hiring Steve, first as a part-time consultant, was key. He discusses attracting great people, hiring experience versus competency, and bringing in people better than you.
- •The business grew rapidly and needed strong leaders in each area
- •Steve, with corporate experience from Reebok, started a day a month before joining full time
- •Attracting great people and then leaving them alone is what great businesspeople do
- •Hire people who are better than you in each key area
- •Experience doesn't equal competency, and the football promotion analogy shows some changes are needed as a business levels up
51:28 – 58:50
Becoming CEO
Ben traces his roles from chief of brand to marketing and product, then the CEO handover. Steve told him two years earlier that Gymshark needed a different CEO, and Ben spent that time developing himself, privately.
- •He moved through chief of brand, product, marketing and tech roles, some out of necessity
- •Steve suggested two years ago that Gymshark needed a different type of CEO
- •Ben spent two years on public speaking, P&L understanding and strategy
- •He kept his ambition quiet so the decision would be Steve's alone
- •Having Steve cover his weaknesses let him focus on his strengths
Fear of Losing the Hunger and Changing Lives Through the Brand
Ali asks whether Ben feels like a tennis player who won Wimbledon at 23. Ben says he feared losing his hunger but is hungrier than ever, driven by his team and a once-in-a-lifetime brand opportunity, and by the people Gymshark has helped.
- •Ben feared losing drive after financial security following the General Atlantic deal
- •He says he's hungrier than ever and must limit the work he takes on
- •Drivers include hard-working family, his team, and a chance to build a great global brand
- •The business started from wanting to be involved in fitness, not money
- •Meeting people the brand has helped has brought him to tears
Org Charts and Ali's Part-Time Productivity Planner
Ali and Ben compare business structures. Ali explains reorganising his team like a production company, with pre-production, production and post-production, and shows his upcoming stationery line, including a date-free planner with a might-do list.
- •Ali moved from a channel-based split to pre-production, production and post-production
- •Ben says Ali's business model feels more pioneering than Gymshark's
- •The Part-Time Productivity Planner has no dates so missed days don't demotivate
- •It includes weekly reviews and a might-do list instead of a to-do list
Enjoying the Journey and Setting an Overarching Goal
Ali asks whether having fun drives productivity. Ben says an overarching goal, such as becoming CEO, motivated him to learn tasks he didn't enjoy. They discuss the law of attraction and why Ben sets a low bar, now aiming for consistency.
- •Ben loves anything under the Gymshark banner but not all tasks equally
- •An overarching goal made learning finance and logistics easy to commit to
- •The goal also made him notice opportunities, such as meeting a public speaking coach
- •Ali explains the law of attraction and says some truth lies in noticing opportunities
- •Ben sets low bars, and his current one is consistency
Fame, Starting a YouTube Channel and Dealing with Criticism
Ben discusses the perks of visibility, like meeting inspiring people, and why he started his YouTube channel after being asked for a video on how Gymshark started. He also explains how he handles criticism and public accountability.
- •Perks include access to amazing people and unexpected experiences like visiting Downing Street
- •He avoided being the brand's public face for five or six years
- •A dissertation student's request led to the first video, which blew up
- •He wants to show the inside of a multi-billion dollar brand to inspire entrepreneurs
- •He accepts criticism as part of the job and values public accountability, but opposes cancel culture
Video Production Workflows Compared
Ben and Ali compare how their teams make content. Ben starts with title and thumbnail, relies on videographer James, and works from briefs. Ali describes Monday editorial meetings, Thursday filming days, bullet-point talking points and editors in Romania.
- •Ben's team starts every video with title and thumbnail, a tip from Jan Olson
- •James films and edits, and getting on personally matters
- •Ali's team brings three ideas weekly, and he films several videos in a day from bullet points
- •Ali no longer reviews edits, which removed a bottleneck
- •Ben invites Ali to see Gymshark's studios, and says content is treated as a product
Mentors, Learning Resources and Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
Ben says he has no formal mentors but learns from many people and names Steve, Paul, Ajaz and Harley. He recommends Poor Charlie's Almanack and credits Notion. His advice to young entrepreneurs is to do what you love, pick a small niche, and keep trying after failures.
- •He learns from the amalgamation of many people rather than a single mentor
- •Poor Charlie's Almanack and Jordan Peterson have influenced him, and Notion was life-changing
- •Do what you love, since no niche is too small
- •Gymshark was the seventh business he made, and the other six failed
- •Keep going and try new things, as growth takes many attempts

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