Gymshark CEO: How I Built A $1.5 Billion Business At 19! Ben Francis

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

The insights Ben gives in this conversation are incredibly valuable, thank you for giving me your time Ben 🙏🏽. hit like and subscribe for a new episode every Monday

[@Zedifyy]

You should get Kagan Sûmer on the podcast. He’s the CEO of Gorillas, a grocery delivery service that started in Berlin in July 2020 and is now worth a huge amount of money! Sure that would be a super cool conversation

[@divinemaraizu4900]

Would be great to see you interview cliff Weitzman Ceo of speechify ,would be an amazing one

[@Young_Techiez]

Hey Steven. You are such a big big inspiration to me. Thank you! Could you also ask your guests about the books they read? Or their favourite books?

[@stickyrickify]

I wonder if Ben would be the next Dragon on Dragon's Den?

[@kylefm1893]

Strange no mention of the gay webcams... thats hustle baby xo

[@callyfordham9148]

I find it hard to believe that this channel currently has less than 100k subscribers?! The amount of pure value to be gained from these podcasts is absolutely unbelievable & it's free at the click of a button! Nuggets upon nuggets of wisdom everytime. Thank you & well done Steven, please don't ever stop Diary of a CEO! Best channel on KZbin 👏🏼

[@metaevents7754]

Normally a podcast. Got millions on spotify

[@arshtruth3649]

me too, it should have over 1M subscribers

[@blessingsbest6838]

It will get there eventually and exceed!!

[@callyfordham9148]

@@blessingsbest6838 I have no doubt! Best channel 👏🏼

[@gvhaccounting4018]

So very true, however let us 100k soak up these gems and become part of the 1% 😀

[@abhiyanbeta]

What I love is Ben’s insatiable desire to learn from others and to accept that there are better people than himself. That requires real humility and letting go of one’s ego. Very inspirational.

[@EmmalinaFortuna]

Young, handsome, fit, healthy, owns a business and is incredibly emotionally intelligent. Ben is the ideal man!!!!

[@blueyor]

Baby girl he’s a billionaire x very little girls deserve him

[@jkd82]

​@@blueyor ridiculous, unnecessary and patronising comment!

[@Narasthenics]

​@@jkd82he's correct

[@sbIvanov]

Here are the best quotes and notes from the podcast: "Failure is inevitable, so don't be defined by your failures" -Ben 1:03:32 "Great improvements come from self-reflection and improving your weaknesses and leaning on your strengths" - Ben 18:00 "There is no self-development without self-awareness" - Steven 21:50 "Make sure you are well prepared for the situation" - Ben 42:00 What I wish I knew earlier - Ben (58:25) - Steven (59:30)

[@ryanmason491]

The most amazing thing about this is when he's talking about Covid in 2020 and his mom working at the hospital. He's worth an estimated £700 Million yet his mom still works to help others and he could probably buy the hospital she's stood in yet she carries on - fantastic work ethic.

[@adam73819]

He’s a brokey

[@marv2396]

His mum was working in the hopsital because this tight melt hasnt given her any money.

[@iCarryBoatsAndTheLogs]

I started buying Gymshark when I realised how down to earth Ben is as an owner. Not only that but it’s a brand that is popular BUT has really good quality. The company itself does a lot to ensure the business is ran ethically too. I used to turn my nose up at the brand until I researched more about it and their owner. I don’t mind spending a little more for food quality and for the hard work somebody like this has put in. Good on him.

[@dougjones9448]

actually think Ben being a bit awkward and nervous as a speaker in the early days was incredibly powerful too, made him more relatable & ironically more inspiring. Introvert catnip seeing that, always rooted for him & gymshark

[@tman8897]

That was inspiring for me too. I want to start my own business one day but am such a shy and socially awkward character. Would love to be a good public speaker and be able to influence people

[@danielwilson301]

1 year on... Ben has twins, and The Diary of a CEO has 1.54M subscribers - what a year!

[@elyootafaridzadeh1164]

2 years and its 5.92 subs!

[@enigrozdek]

@@elyootafaridzadeh1164 7,61 m right now

[@JoMRidleybean]

7.7m now . 😬

[@EmmalinaFortuna]

This guy is so kind and humble. He's the type of person that you just want to see succeed.

[@stephaniejohnson1972]

I appreciate Ben's willingness to be honest and vulnerable. Being able to accept the criticism and step on the side to let someone else take over the leadership role that he was not as good at, is inspiring.

[@hristiyanstoilkov1732]

Public speaking is a game changer. I remember when I started how uncomfortable I was feeling. Now I help others to be great speakers. Everything is possible!

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

🙌🏽

[@Avahefdnvx]

The level of this young man’s self awareness is mind blowing and absolutely phenomenal and what I think is perhaps the single-most important character trait that has made him SO successful while retaining humility. The U.K. has ‘birthed’ a number of phenomenal entrepreneurs 🙌

[@wackrapsatire]

The only reason he is successful is because he launced a product on social media which inevitably became a fast selling item. The clothes are very cheap, there is nothing special about them. But with everything else, someone starts and everybody else follows allong. Good for him.

[@BitOfBusiness]

Something about the way Ben articulates his thoughts makes him so interesting to listen to. Great interview

[@sinatra187]

Watching Ben’s evolution as a person play out in real time is amazing to watch and listen to. Great interview to end the year.

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

Thank you mate, appreciate it 🙏🏽

[@JansonSmith]

So inspiring, and great to hear from someone who is incredibly passionate about what they do. I note that he didn’t mention money once, despite being a billionaire, a very different style to Molly-Mae’s interview. True value right here!

[@chrishill2539]

Ben is one of the best CEOs I’ve ever listened to. He is down to earth, humble. Straight talking and gives genuine real life lessons. Most CeOs sit from a high perch and are full of catchy slogans and all these guru life lessons which are utter rubbish. I hope he succeeds in everything he aims for.

[@Joe-rr8ls]

Great podcast! So refreshing to see Ben acknowledging that he was lucky/in a privileged position (despite most of his success being down to pure hard work) rather than presenting a naive “we all have the same 24 hrs” narrative. Really powerful podcast!

[@raimondasmarciulevicius7599]

Ben, Gymshark, The Diary Of A CEO, United Kingdom, we are brilliant, noble and strong together.

[@crayolove]

Man I’ve happened to be shoulder to shoulder with a few famous people and I’ve never been even remotely interested by it. But, I spotted Ben walk past me one day and I’ve never been so fucking star struck. This guys is so inspiring it’s insane.

[@iliastalks]

I met Ben Francis this weekend at the Lift Miami event and god can I say, he’s a genuine human being! Keep doing you Ben, changing lives and inspiring others🙏🏽

[@victoriasykes5570]

Just stumbled across this podcast with Ben, I must have missed it. What a lovely young man, his parents must be so proud. Fantastic episode xxxxx

[@lukebrown8580]

The humbleness of this guy is just insane

[@reflektclothing]

Ben's story is one of graft and dedication

[@Kayleighob]

These podcasts have been keeping me going through isolation. Keeping my mind active and learning instead of aimlessly scrolling. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and encouragement!

[@ellagardiner6928]

I’ve been listening to a lot of these episodes after the last couple of days and I really enjoyed this interview. I think Ben is really relatable and the way he is a bit nervous when he speaks makes him even more inspiring. Great episode. 😊

[@buzzvocals]

Ben is one of the first people to tap into Influencer Marketing.

[@BLESSINGMARIEE]

Excited for this episode! Already seen many interviews with Ben but he always speaks with so much wisdom.

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

So much wisdom its unreal!

[@jongamali3398]

Very impressive! He is smart, level headed, has grit, has desirable personality and has very deep understanding of a billion dollar business for a very young age! Very inspiring young guy!!!

[@destinationcollective2801]

Love how Ben Francis always gives me as an introvert confidence! 👏 loved this!

[@wallybingbang4350]

Great to see these young people being so successful and very importantly employing 900 people. Best of luck to him.

[@aliabdaal]

SO GOOD OMG

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

thanks bro 🙏🏽

[@nerima1275]

Love this podcast! 🙏🏿

[@kristinarobeznik4933]

Thank you for this great interview. Steven I think you did such a great job at leading this conversation and really asking all the right questions, in order to get the best answers from Ben. Love how professional, respectful, yet pleasant the vibe between you and Ben in this video is.

[@timothysaunders5330]

The interviewer is awesome, just wonder why do he thinks it's nessary to use absentees,just thinks it's distasteful. There are too much young people watching who thinks that is how it should be. Sir I thinks u are called, please recognize that. Please raise the standard, I don't know u from Adam, but really thinks its not u, bless.

[@patienceanks]

Been waiting for this conversation to drop and it was worth the wait🙌🏾. I never get tired of hearing what Ben Francis has to say about his journey

[@bengebenjamin1688]

Hey, Benjamin former GDSC lead IUEA, your journey to tech was really inspiring. I am enthused that you are equally as inspired by Ben as I am😂. Just discovered him yesterday but I am so hooked, and want to learn all I can from this gentleman, one video after another😂

[@mees.wijnants]

Insanely impressive what Mr Francis has accomplished, big respect.

[@davidlakhter]

40:00 that's a great practical example of how "manifestation" works 44:36 public speaking and being articulate in your speech/writing is an incredible skill to work on 47:50 very true about you need your skill to meet an oppurtunity, but they're plenty out there 1:02:20 yeah if you think about the term company relative to a group of people around you, like the phrase "being around good company," it relates more to bringing up/being around a group of people. another point made here was that bringing up a community around your brand both inside and outside the company is what makes the brand what it is - this is defintely something that's highly undelooked, but is key to creating a succesful brand, especially nowadays. 1:35:39 yes and the empowerment comes from the vulnerable/real conversation - the listener goes into a form of flow listening to the speaker and they feel like they can relate and understand their mind. very powerful stuff and i'm glad you can create this environment Steven

[@sandrinesantos1917]

I am not even British, but Ben is one of my inspirations. Thank you for having him!

[@Desilv]

Amazing content ! For someone with ADHD.. seeing those whole podcast in one take said enough about the quality of it.. I wish both guys a lot of succes.. and it was definitely an inspiration for someone trying to understand a business more and what comes with it.. it is possible for anyone.. but you gotta make sacrifices you only make when you’re passionate enough about it ❤

[@joshuaclarke6768]

By far the most factual, real, raw and unique but almost interesting video : Podcast I have ever watched. Literally sit still the whole time!! 👌👌

[@joshuasamson4145]

Two guys that have completed the game, it's incredible.

[@gatkins120]

One of the most insightful leaders I have ever listened to. Love his approach and very much the style I have. I will follow him after this. I am certain I can learn a lot from him

[@davegavriel1845]

Ben's thoughts on the office is very interesting. I thought that working in an office is boring. But he speaks in a way that makes the office a place the people want to be. Y'know, a place to learn and to grow. His example of the young product designer wanting to go to the office to chat with people, to learn from the seniors, to eat with them, to commune with them. He paints the office as a rather pleasant place to be in. I think that a thriving company needs these kinds of office environment. The life of a company relies on the people working in it, and if they are willing and desiring to work in the office, then I believe that the company will grow well.

[@matthewoxley2850]

Exceptional man Ben is, and Steven is an excellent interviewer, I'm so happy we have these young open-minded, empathetic business people now

[@TheBlackManMythLegend]

What I like about that it's it proves that you can be far from perfect and still make it. It's a bit of a beacon of hope in that sometimes hard path of entrepreneurship or path to make a dent in that world.

[@ricka006]

What an inspirational guy. Loves to work, has passion for his business and just wants to continue to develop

[@cdd2778]

Just heard of Ben today, after watching Jordon. Its extraordinary how proud i feel of you chaps just by watching this discussion 😀

[@antonrekun13]

I love this interview! Steve, you're amazing, love your show, thank you! Ben, I really feel like you're a great guy and a great inspiration! Such a deep person having this kind of open dialogue is sooo rare and valuable! Also, thanks for remaining a simple person (in a good way) despite having achieved big highs.

[@margoomahony9565]

One of the best I've watched. Loved how honest he was.

[@oceansep4103]

Dude your one of most purest interviewers on YT respect & subbed

[@teaaa8339]

I've watched your 1st interview with Ben a while ago, so great to see an update conversation

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

🙏🏽

[@miramarkova7341]

Another inspiring episode, I have just listened as catching up after Xmas holidays. I love your podcast not only because you have the most interesting guests (FACT) , but also because of the way I feel at the end of each episode - motivated, inspired, awakened, kinder, positive, giver …. For which I will be forever grateful. THANK YOU 🙏

[@benjaminboothe2339]

"To whom much is given, much is tested" - I first heard that on a Kanye West track "U Can't Tell Me Nothing". He was talking about feeling the weight of pressure & the scrutiny he was under at the time.

[@adamkehoe7405]

I remember meeting Ben's parents on dog walks in my hometown of Bromsgrove, and learning how he started it at South High School. Awesome episode.

[@katy6543210]

are his parents or Ben came from a wealthy background?

[@clearthinking5441]

I have recently quit my job to start up own solo company. One of the topics I would love your future guests to talk on would be about their equity structure. If they are financing through equity how much did they decide to give away and what was their thought process? Dragons Den shares some good insight on this topic but I would be interested to learn more about the true conversations that take place off-camera. Thank you so much for this channel it really serves as a great source of inspiration!

[@joannamuyoti2621]

I really enjoyed seeing his growth and honesty about where he was and the journey to his growth!

[@NowioFel]

Why he avoids speaking about his founding partner and early director of the company Lewis?

[@TerriTie]

I love seeing successful people help others succeed! 🎉❤️👍🏼

[@RAGEHXARAGO]

This is hands down the best KZbin Chanel ever. REMEMBER WE HOPE NO ONE SEES THIS. 🤫

[@EverythingHR]

Ben's story is fantastic; his want to be a continual learner is inspiring.

[@AS-rh8lp]

"No self- development without self- awarness" absolutely fantastic 👏👏👏

[@rianschoeman3033]

Ben is a really extraordinary guy. His humility and willingness to learn and take advice is admirable for someone who has achieved so much success. I think this is a really cool brand and a cool company and they have social media mastered! I hope you keep growing, but stay the same. There are very few good but humble CEO's of global brands out there

[@lawrencebello6177]

April 10th 2024. I loved that he talked about his personal development. And Niche, you won’t see hoopers or football ⚽️ players wearing GymShark. It’s for gym bros. The 360 feedback thing that he talked about was cool to hear too.

[@infowazz]

Daaaaamn, had no clue how young he is. That is mindblowing. So is this channel. I found it a couple days ago and of course binged Dragons Den right away. I am a professional brokie but i am very creative. Very. I have thought myself to failure. I am also a professional youtube viewer. I streamed it at work when I did photoshop all day for a soccer equipment company. All i need to do is follow some of the advice that i've collected over the years and read the great books I have but never finished. Any of us can become a success these days. Abundance is everywhere!!!!! We just need to take action, follow other examples and use our minds to help create the future we want.

[@charlouiseh]

GUYS!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you. Just sat and watched the whole thing, it had me gripped! Two of my favourite male inspirations on a screen YAY. So many knowledge bombs and so much wisdom. Favourite podcast to date (seriously!!) Thank you so much

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

He’s crazy knowledgeable isn’t he 🤯

[@kathyswider518]

I love this channel! Thank you for digging in deeper!! Finding the value in the struggle and most importantly sharing it with all who'll listen! You and your guests are incredible for willing to be so vulnerable!!! It's so rare to find but Every show is a hit... every single one!!!! Seriously on par with Rogan. No doubt your going to do great things.

[@darrentaylordigital]

The one we've all been waiting for!

[@RichardShire]

Another amazing conversation. I love hearing more about Ben's journey it's very inspiring. Thank you Steven!

[@VSMPropertyServicesltd]

Thank you for this podcast and thank you to all the people that are sharing their wisdom. I’m grateful.❤

[@BIG_GKAM]

You create your own luck. All I heard was Hard work and consistency listening to these two. Great series‼️

[@monica_samia]

Always love hearing the Gymshark story! So inspirational. Loyal customer here. Ben is incredible and at such a young age too!

[@chriscarter2706]

What a lovely kid I’m a no one in life i don’t know you but Im proud of you loved little story with grandad that’s what made you I salute you kid

[@GrapplersSoap]

Brilliant Podcast. Ben is always honest, speaks sense and is down to earth. Legend. Inspiring indeed

[@Ash-c8q]

I’d love to just sit with Ben for half hour & get abit of motivation and direction what a guy he seems!

[@victormartinez2185]

" To whom much is given, much is tested" Kanye helped this brilliant man through a tough test of life and will probably never know it.

[@IbrarRaja]

Great interview with 2 legends. Thanks for the content, inspirational and thought provoking interviews with great learnings. Onwards and upwards!

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

🙏🏽 appreciate it. Thank you for watching Ibrar

[@_jenaissante_]

6:32. 7:54. 8:31. 9:48. 12:04. 14:25. 18:17. 19:57. 21:10. 36:00. 36:46. Public Speaking: 39:00. 40:48. PS again: 41:49. 44:36. Biz and the journey to it: 1:16:14. 1:17:07. 1:19:30

[@Joshualfrench]

Great interview, crazy how much both of you have achieved at such a young age! Really motivational story and shows how anything is possible.

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

Thank you Josh! “Anything is possible” amen to that

[@AJ-kb9hf]

Wow! Ben is a fantastic, humble guy and Steve is a brilliant interviewer !

[@conservativepostUK]

Love this interview. Congratulations to you both. You're both inspirational! Thanks for all these great lessons and insights!

[@NextLevelMeNow]

Book marks Self awareness Being humble enough and self aware enough to know you need smarter people than you 34:00

[@Krystndungekatu]

its a verse... Luke 12:48 states, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

[@bens1903]

Great episode... Ben comes across so much more confident on podcasts now.. Thanks Steven

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

His growth is incredible! Thanks Ben

[@mohammedajmal2402]

Was great to hear you mention the role of having “DISXPLNE” and this podcast was phenomenal in what was gained from it. Thank you 🤯🙏

[@harry7323]

When this video came out I thought ‘Oh another Ben Francis interview’. However, the questions you asked made this completely different, amazing interview!

[@daniellameleki3932]

Learnt so much from this pod, Ben has created such an iconic brand! He is truly so wise!! Another banger Steven❣️❣️

[@lfgoooo]

Got up at 6am whilst everyone else is sleeping and this popped up - thoroughly enjoyed it. Ben's a huge inspiration to everyone and most importantly the younger generation. If my daughter could grow up to have 10% of the humility, drive and grounded attitude I would be incredibly proud. Thanks for showing that you can be incredibly successful and be humble and nice. It's a crazy myth that you need to be ruthless and nasty to succeed.

[@davidlakhter]

looking forward to this episode! i've listened to many interviews with Ben, but I feel like you always do it better and right!

[@TheDiaryOfACEO]

thank you David, let me know what you think

[@TheDlockett1]

I absolutely loved listening to this man speak. So insightful and I find myself in the same boat just at the very beginning of my journey

[@mzique]

Wow this is absolutely motivating! Thank you Steve for this. The fact that Ben is from the Midlands is also inspiring 🎉😊 I am into the second year of my business x

[@soldier-boy-fitness]

Love your podcasts Steven - keep up the great work - Well done to Ben - Brilliant!

[@allenculbertson8170]

I really love the movements here. I really feel them in my body. Who knew how doing yoga could be so rejuvenating. I really love your classes. I look forward to the day that my body is fully recovered and ready to go full speed ahead. Then I can do so much more. thank you so very much ❤ May God bless you 🙏❤️ namaste!

[@ViralVideos-pr2oi]

No matter how many videos like this I watch nothing changes in my life. A lot of life is luck.

[@JoMRidleybean]

There is so much value in this interview. The ability to self reflect and change to ulitmately add more value to the business. Recongising skills and shortcomings and taking a different position and putting someone in ceo and giving them the authority to make deicisons and trust yhere judgement. Could go on and on

[@LM76YU]

He timed the market perfectly. Influencers were only just becoming a thing. To replicate this would be quite hard now but not impossible :))))

[@drcarlevans]

Great episode again Steve, always really admired Ben's honesty in his weaknesses and the time he takes to improve upon them. Such a top guy. Always nice to see a fellow Brummie repping too! 😁

[@LettyMaria1]

Hi everyone! I'm not interested in business but I find the podcast so interesting. I thought the story about his grandfather was touching, it brought back memories of my grandfather. Are there any grandfathers like that now? I am intrigued how other people think. Here we had two young people who can inspire others. I found both so down to earth. I have never heard of gym shark, 🙄now I'm curious.

[@rachaelcuz]

So inspiring to watch. Love seeing young people thrive in business ✨

[@domjames6282]

By far and away of all your podcasts I have watched. The Ben Francis chat was incredible. What an inspirational amazing dedicated young man. When are we going to world's strongest Man The Beast in there.

[@NextLevelMeNow]

Hey I’ve been listening to you for a while- when y’all mentioned that self- awareness story, right there I committed, I subscribed!! 👍❤❤❤

[@alexandermcleod5151]

Steve, hopefully you see this and upon reflection take it onboard. If you learn a lesson, like your one about realisations for your "starting 11". It is never too late, some people never learn any of the important lessons.

[@samuraivusi8690]

I have only just got on to these podcast, and they are the best I’ve watched wow very inspiring, thankyou Steven to you and your team 👍