The Diary of a CEOGymshark CEO: How I Built A $1.5 Billion Business At 19! Ben Francis
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 11:00
Origins: Family Graft, Practical Learning, And Early Sparks
Ben and Steven set up the conversation around how formative experiences shape founders. Ben describes working with his grandad lining industrial furnaces, absorbing stories of risk and responsibility, and watching his mum’s NHS work ethic. A practical IT BTEC taught him Photoshop and Dreamweaver—tools he later used to build Gymshark—reinforcing that he’s a hands‑on learner.
- •Working long, physical days with his grandad exposed Ben to real business risk and hard work early.
- •Hearing how his grandad staked everything on a single furnace contract later reframed Ben’s own ‘risks’ as smaller by comparison.
- •His mum’s lifelong NHS career modeled consistency and graft.
- •A practical IT BTEC (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator) became the technical foundation for Gymshark.
- •Ben recognizes he learns best through doing, not abstract theory.
- 11:00 – 22:00
From Bedroom Brand To Real Business: Hiring Up And Dropping Ego
Ben explains Gymshark’s evolution from a group of friends to a serious, scalable company. He candidly admits early arrogance—insisting on his own way—and how that collided with the need to attract and retain ‘great people.’ Encounters at the gym and online led to key hires like Paul, Steve (ex‑Reebok), and Niran, and he realized he had to collaborate, not dictate.
- •Gymshark’s early years (circa 2012) were informal, with everything revolving around Ben and his friends.
- •He initially saw the company as ‘my baby’ and pushed his vision regardless of others’ views.
- •By asking questions at the gym and online, he met business mentors and future senior hires.
- •He learned that arrogance drives great people away; collaboration keeps them.
- •Ben developed the ability to sell Gymshark’s vision to attract top talent.
- 22:00 – 34:00
World Of Warcraft, Avengers Teams, And Startup vs Scaleup Talent
Using World of Warcraft and the Avengers as analogies, Ben explains why no single person can do everything in a serious company. He contrasts the early need for generalist, hungry friends who’ll ‘do whatever it takes’ with the later need for deep specialists in product, finance, and brand. Managing the emotional cost of outgrowing early loyal team members becomes one of his hardest jobs.
- •Gaming (WoW, COD, Gears of War) taught Ben about economies, teamwork, and complementary roles.
- •He uses ‘Avengers Assemble’ internally to describe a leadership team of distinct super‑specialists.
- •At the beginning, you need scrappy generalists who believe in the vision and solve problems on £50 budgets.
- •As the company scales, some early team members cannot make the transition; that’s painful but necessary.
- •There’s no manual for judging people’s level, having hard conversations, or managing your own scope as founder.
- 34:00 – 41:00
Co‑Founders, Roles, And The Pain Of Diverging Visions
Ben recounts co‑founding Gymshark with his school friend Lewis, why their partnership eventually ended, and how that changed his role. Without clear roles early on, diverging visions emerged as the business professionalized. Lewis exited operationally in 2014/15, retaining equity until a later sell‑down, while Ben was pulled into being the ‘face’ of Gymshark.
- •Ben met Lewis in his IT class; they bonded over the gym and later co‑founded Gymshark.
- •Early on there were no defined roles—just a shared to‑do list—which later muddied responsibilities.
- •Over time, they developed different visions and Lewis had other interests (property, investing).
- •Lewis left operations but kept a 20% stake until a later liquidity event.
- •Ben then shifted into a public‑facing role, especially through YouTube.
- 41:00 – 43:00
From Nervous Introvert To Confident Communicator: Re‑Wiring Personality
Steven contrasts a visibly nervous Ben he first met in 2015 with the confident speaker he sees now. Ben explains that period was one of intense self‑reflection: he listed his strengths and weaknesses, decided to lean into strengths for several years, and later attacked weaknesses like public speaking and people management. Crucially, he refused to ‘identify’ with traits like shyness as permanent.
- •Ben once saw himself as introverted, shy, bad at cameras and people management.
- •He deliberately avoided saying ‘that’s just me’ and treated traits as solvable problems.
- •Step one: lean into strengths (brand, product, marketing) and design his role around them.
- •Step two: once comfortable, deliberately work on weaknesses like public speaking and leadership.
- •He underscores that entrepreneurs experience amplified wins and losses, making self‑work unavoidable.
- 43:00 – 55:00
The 360° Wake‑Up Call And Learning To Lead Without Being A ‘Hurricane’
A brutal 360‑degree feedback report shattered Ben’s self‑image, describing him as arrogant, erratic, and a poor manager. His partner’s confirmation forced him to confront his flaws. He chose to move out of CEO into a brand role, brought in Steve as CEO, and watched him carefully to improve. Over time he learned to give feedback with empathy and to stop being ‘Hurricane Ben’ who bulldozed people.
- •Anonymous 360 feedback depicted Ben in harsh terms; he initially dismissed it.
- •His wife calling it ‘the most you thing’ forced acceptance and triggered change.
- •Inspired by a Gary V video, he decided to double down on strengths first.
- •He ceded the CEO role to Steve, then later Brand to Noel—each better than him in their domains.
- •He learned to soften his delivery, recognize others’ intentions, and avoid being a destructive perfectionist.
- •Preparation and exposure (e.g., saying yes to talks, watching strong managers) steadily improved his leadership.
- 55:00 – 1:05:00
Public Speaking, Coaching, And The Power Of Prepared ‘Impromptu’ Stories
Ben details how he overcame fear of cameras and crowds. His wife, a former YouTuber, drilled him on‑camera, while formal public‑speaking coaching helped him develop pre‑prepared sentences and stories he could lean on. With practice, he moved from panic‑answering to being comfortable, buying himself time to think and respond thoughtfully on stage and in interviews.
- •He sees on‑camera and on‑stage speaking as different skills and tackled both.
- •His wife produced his first vlog and coached him through the discomfort.
- •A chance encounter with a public speaking coach (noticed because it was on his ‘weakness list’) led to structured lessons.
- •He used a Churchillian idea: ‘prepare impromptu remarks’—stockpiling stories and phrases for common questions.
- •Repetition and over‑preparation gradually turned terror into comfort and then into real skill.
- 1:05:00 – 1:12:00
Why A Glass‑Box CEO: Vlogging, Transparency, And Controlling The Narrative
Steven challenges Ben on why he’s vlogging inside a billion‑dollar brand when most CEOs stay hidden behind PR. Ben wants to recreate for others what his grandad’s stories did for him—showing that ambitious businesses can be built from the UK without huge leverage. He also implicitly gains reputational ‘insurance’: when the media attacks, there’s a deep public record of his real character.
- •Ben’s vlogs are designed to demystify building a unicorn and inspire others, not just to market Gymshark.
- •He acknowledges massive luck—fitness trends, e‑commerce, and social media converging—but argues similar waves exist now.
- •Open, repeated interviews and behind‑the‑scenes content create a ‘glass box’ image that counters hostile narratives.
- •He empathizes with founders like Zuckerberg who initially preferred to just build instead of talk.
- •Steven compares this to Elon’s radical transparency vs traditional black‑box UK CEOs who get defined by headlines.
- 1:12:00 – 1:22:00
COVID, Remote Work, And Building A Campus Culture
Ben recounts how Gymshark weathered COVID: technically prepared for remote work and commercially buoyed by home fitness, but challenged by the human side. Seeing staff working from tiny studios while his mum battled on NHS wards sharpened his sense of responsibility. He now champions a flexible but office‑centric model, investing heavily in a Solihull campus as a cultural and learning hub.
- •Gymshark already had laptops and cloud systems, so the shift to home was smooth operationally.
- •Sales held up or improved as people bought home fitness gear, but staff wellbeing became the main concern.
- •Ben prefers being in the office and sees it as vital for young employees to learn by osmosis.
- •The new campus is designed as a hub where people work, eat, and train together, reinforcing community.
- •He accepts some remote roles but is clear that Gymshark is a fast‑changing environment unsuited to rigid 9‑to‑5ers.
- 1:22:00 – 1:31:00
Chaos, Criticism, And Social‑Media Pile‑Ons: Building Resilience
Steven challenges the perception that Ben has avoided real chaos. Ben counters that growth itself is daily chaos—inventory, hiring, scaling to 900 people. He then describes a major social‑media backlash after a staff member replied sarcastically to a ‘Blue Lives Matter’ comment. The resulting death threats and abuse forced him to draw on deep resilience while still showing up for his team.
- •Growth problems—stock planning, hiring, culture transmission—are ‘everyday chaos’ rather than one‑off crises.
- •A controversial social comment triggered mass pile‑ons onto Gymshark and Ben personally.
- •He experienced anxiety, nausea, and dread of looking at his phone, but still had to lead day‑to‑day operations.
- •Ben leans on a quote: ‘To whom much is given, much is tested’ to contextualize these hits.
- •He refused to fire the employee; instead, he rejected cancel culture and focused on learning and intent.
- 1:31:00 – 1:41:00
Masculinity, Emotions, And Future Fatherhood
They pivot to mental health and emotional expression. Ben admits he struggles to talk about feelings, influenced by strong, stoic male role models, yet recognizes the limits of that pattern. Steven pushes him to think about breaking generational cycles around men’s emotions, especially as Ben considers having children and balancing CEO duties with being a present father.
- •Ben rarely verbalizes emotions and tends to process them internally, mirroring his father and grandfathers.
- •His wife actively tries to draw feelings out of him, sometimes successfully.
- •He intellectually knows future kids will need emotional openness and presence, even if it feels unnatural.
- •A new EA with children is already coaching him on how his schedule would have to change with a family.
- •He accepts he won’t be home at 5:30 every day as CEO but wants to ‘be there for the sports days’—symbolically present.
- 1:41:00 – 1:48:00
Gymshark’s Future: Iconic British Brand, Global Ambition, And Physical Retail
Ben lays out his long‑term vision: Gymshark as the British answer to Nike, Adidas, or Lululemon—a truly global, iconic brand rooted in the UK. He is channel‑agnostic as long as that goal is served, which now includes moving into physical retail. A London flagship, conceived as a community hub rather than just a shop, is in the works, alongside a continued focus on gym‑specific product.
- •He wants Gymshark to sit alongside Lululemon, Nike, Adidas as a national champion brand from the UK.
- •The UK is already a minority of Gymshark’s revenue; most growth is international.
- •He’s ‘channel agnostic’—ownership structure and routes to market matter less than iconic brand status.
- •Gymshark has always done offline events; a permanent London flagship will extend that into a 24/7 community hub.
- •He’s determined not to dilute into generic sportswear; the core remains ‘built for the gym.’
- 1:48:00 – 1:54:00
Founders, Replacement, And The Importance Of Talent Density
Steven probes what happens if Ben disappears from Gymshark. Ben believes the company would continue due to a very strong executive team that outperforms him in their domains. They agree that the true game is talent: companies are ‘groups of people,’ and the best leaders are essentially world‑class talent scouts. Ben’s perspective is shaped by seeing operators like Shopify’s Harley Finkelstein and Tobi Lütke up close.
- •Ben says Gymshark would likely survive him thanks to best‑in‑class chiefs in product, brand, and commercial.
- •He acknowledges founders bring unique ‘specialness’—vision, culture, accumulated context—that is hard to replicate.
- •Seeing Harley and Tobi at Shopify made him realize he’d been ‘local league’ compared to their ‘Premier League’ operator level.
- •Steven reframes companies as ‘recruitment machines’; being the best talent scout is existentially important.
- •Both stress that even elite operators had to learn resilience, openness, and skill—they weren’t ‘born that way.’
- 1:54:00 – 2:04:00
Advice To Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Passion, Jobs, Failure, And Hard Work
In a more tactical segment, Ben answers two common questions: what if you have no idea or money, and what if you have an idea but a job? He advocates starting from genuine passion, experimenting within that space, and expecting multiple failed attempts. He strongly advises against impulsively quitting stable work, instead using a job as a funding and safety mechanism while repeatedly ‘swinging the bat.’
- •If you lack an idea, immerse yourself in a domain you love (fitness, gaming, photography, etc.) and look for problems to solve.
- •Gymshark was Ben’s seventh project in the fitness space; the first six (apps, forums, networks) failed.
- •Don’t romanticize quitting your job—use it to pay bills and fund experiments so you don’t starve the business.
- •Expect many failures; mathematically, even 30 attempts don’t guarantee success, so volume and persistence matter.
- •Hard work alone isn’t enough, but every truly successful person Ben’s met is both hardworking and smart about where effort goes.
- 2:04:00
Closing Reflections: Pressure As Privilege And Time As The Greatest Gift
The conversation closes with reflections on pressure, purpose, and gratitude. Ben sees CEO pressure as a privilege tied to his chosen challenge; he continues because he loves the game and wants to be a great long‑term operator, not just a founder. Asked what the greatest gift another human has given him is, he answers ‘time’—the hours mentors, his wife, family, and team have invested in his growth.
- •Ben could retire comfortably but chooses the CEO role for its challenge and learning potential.
- •He frames pressure as a privilege in the context of Gymshark; many people’s pressures are far less fortunate.
- •Steven highlights how Ben’s humility and relatability make his story especially empowering for young listeners.
- •Ben answers the mystery guest question by naming ‘time’ as the greatest gift—support, teaching, listening, and mentorship.
- •Steven underscores that by giving his time publicly, Ben is now passing that gift on to the next generation.
