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

In this first ever episode of Deep Dive, Ali sits down with Ben Francis, the founder and CEO of leading UK Billion-Dollar fitness brand, Gymshark. Ben founded Gymshark at only 19 years old while studying at Aston University. With only his £5 an hour pizza delivery shift money in his back pocket, Ben went from hand making and screen printing clothes in a shed with a group of friends to owning one of the fastest growing global brands in fitness. But the question is, how did he do it?
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0:00 Intro
01:35 - Entrepreneurial Origins
10:29 - Business Degrees vs Winging it
19:26 - Founding Gymshark & Building a Viral Brand
34:22 - Scaling & Distributing Control
45:10 - Trusting Your Team & Hiring
51:28 - Becoming CEO
58:50 - Fears Of Losing The Hunger
01:01:00 - Changing Lives With A Brand
01:06:45 - Having An Overarching Goal
01:12:05 - What's it like being famous?
1:13:55 - Why did you start a KZbin Channel?
1:24:09 - Comparing Content Workflows
1:30:53 - Mentors & Learning From Everyone
1:33:39 - Advice For Young Entrepreneurs
📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED
Adobe Creative Suite - adobe.ly/2Y1l2qe
Adobe DreamWeaver - adobe.ly/39KoMOU
Frame iO - bit.ly/3zQy2M5
Notion - go.aliabdaal.com/notion
Poor Charlie's Almanack - Charles Munger - amzn.to/3CWHP50
🔗 CONNECT WITH BEN:
🎥 KZbin Channel - / benfrancis
🐦 Twitter - benfrancis1992?la...
📸 Instagram - / benfrancis
💻 Website - www.benfrancis.com/
🔗 CONNECT WITH ALI:
🎥 KZbin Channel / aliabdaal
🐦 Twitter - / aliabdaal
📸 Instagram - / aliabdaal
💻 Website - aliabdaal.com
🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST
Deep Dive is the podcast that delves into the minds of entrepreneurs, creators and other inspiring people to uncover their journey's towards finding joy and fulfilment at work and in life. In each episode our host Ali Abdaal talks to his guests about their philosophies, strategies and tools that have helped them along their personal path to living a life of happiness and meaning. There's no manual for living a happy life, but we hope that from these shared experiences you'll leave each episode with practical advice you can use to help you along the way.
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[@BenFrancis]

Thanks, Ali! I really enjoyed this chat, good luck with the rest of the podcast! 😄

[@JonGadget]

Really great to listen to Ben. I started a retail chain in 1991 called the Gadget Shop (I know you're too young!) followed by another called RED5 and a lot of my early journey resonated with your comments. Thanks for sharing.

[@TeddyRUXPINISM]

Thank you for dropping these gems! Such a huge inspiration 💯

[@Vyper05]

I really enjoyed listening to it mate, very likeable person. Congratulations on all your success - and good luck going even further

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

Thanks so much for coming on Ben!

[@rizwanakarizzy8771]

@ben you’re so smart brother! Great talk!!!

[@RyanYeo]

I love how Ali was talking about a GymShark partnership/sponsorship and now here he is interviewing the founder! Dreams do come true!

[@LucasPelizaro]

Incredible journey, I agree!

[@jirrajirra2299]

@@LucasPelizaro same 🙌

[@TheMarmite09]

He's so down to earth, humble and has his ego in check, despite his immense success and at such a young age. You could never guess that he runs a 700 people company. Good for him.

[@user-dz9yx3et9y]

no his personality is terrible

[@Peonies21]

I didn't read him like that. I felt the opposite. I like to ask who I would want to work with and my gut feeling was not him. No sense he cares about people, no sense if humour or warmth.

[@TheMarmite09]

@@Peonies21 Do you want to work for a leader or a clown? If the latter then maybe you should join the circus.

[@rajupimple5497]

​ e😅

[@kristuti1]

What I love about Ben is that he is extremely present and humble I think it's one of the major reasons why he is so successful and in the future this success only will grow.

[@vyshnavsasindran4058]

Honestly speaking, I hadn't watched any podcasts that's over 1hr until this one. It actually felt like a conversation between two friends and was soo insightful as well. There are many podcasts available on KZbin but this one was something different maybe it was the Ali Abdaal magic. Loved it!

[@AkkuSriv]

‘The team doesn’t work for you, you work for them’ 🤩

[@Jubair194]

Very good quote, people who do not think like that, lose the productivity that a water-tight team can bring them

[@LucasPelizaro]

Hey guys, incredible podcast, very strong start! There seems to be a duplicate of the sound? It echos from time to time, not a huge issue but just thought I would give the feedback, keep up the incredible work 🤘🏽

[@saadaizad427]

Same

[@byslo]

1:05:00 I loved the interaction where Ali's trying to play down the product and Ben genuinely shows strong interest! The "might-do" list :)

[@lavaboy1565]

Love how inspiring and down to earth Ben is. Two productive kings! Thanks for this Ali!

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@samuelvilz]

I like how candid Ben is about his journey. Thank you for sharing this with us!

[@RichardHarper83]

This was such an exceptional first episode Ali! So many nuggets of information, but more importantly, captivating from start to finish. I listened to it whilst running, and wanted it to go on and on! Listening to both you and Ben talk is pretty relaxing, you've both got a great story to tell. Can't wait to see what the future holds for the show, although it's going to take a lot to beat this one!

[@JackyAndTheWifey]

This is amazing! I finished watching the whole interview. It's very interesting and i really learned a lot from you guys and it inspired me to do better in my newly started Online Business. Thank you, Ben and Ali, you guys are very inspirational. I hope we become like you guys in terms of running our business. You guys got me even more motivated. Im so grateful to have watch this episode and i will keep in mind the points you have discuss to be successful entrepreneur. Your conversation is such a big help. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. God bless you guys and i do hope we meet you one day! Take care and keep up the great work! :)

[@kelvinpeter8640]

When you invest, you're buying a day you don't have to work

[@jeremygood3246]

You're right , it's obvious a lot of people remain poor due to ignorance, it's better to take risks and make sacrifices than to remain poor

[@jeremygood3246]

Now is the best time to purchase and invest in Bitcoin, stop procrastinating!!

[@royalhighness8383]

I recently got into forex trading and im already marveling over the profits I'm making, I'm like " how the hell have i been sleeping on this

[@markdamascus7878]

Same here, I wish I knew about this Bitcoin trading earlier, brace up and get yourself some Bitcoin before it's too late

[@haydencraig7149]

Obviously trading in bitcoin is very volatile and risky to trade that's the reason most traders trade with a company

[@adammark4409]

This was a great “deep dive” episode! Very insightful and inspiring!

[@imziminhas]

Absolutely loved the chat, will probably be watching it a few more times. Absolute gem of a session with so many lessons to learn.

[@cetriyasArtnComicsChannel]

Thank you for this and this series! I'm at the start of my journey of building my business and this is really helpful.

[@SimonSquibb]

Wonderful interview! I enjoyed interviewing Ben so much, such an inspirational person.

[@smailimaryam]

I DON'T Know why but I'm so addicted to the content you make ! WISH YOU ALL THE BEST In THIS YOUR JOURNEY 💪

[@hajartaybi861]

Same here, I'm literally super addicted and I watch every video/podcast he makes😂 no doubts he has an audience that knows, likes and trusts him

[@Missy-ch6he]

Congratulations on your third youtube channel! Wishing you all the best!

[@Lozh1993]

perfect! Just what I needed. Love ben francis. Such a humble guy

[@scottstockdale8062]

Loved this, Ali, and your questions are so insightful (as are Ben's answers)! Thanks for sharing! :)

[@alisyed7075]

Wow that was an amazing podcast! From wanting to be a Gymshark athlete to interviewing the CEO himself. Congratulations Ali!

[@cooooooolkid]

Thanks Ali! The best discussion I have attended till date. Really enjoyed the views shared by Ben. He is such an inspiration.

[@joecatling2468]

This was brilliant Ali! Always impressed by your fearlessness when it comes to trying new things and making them work:)) bravo 😎

[@LeonardoGibramt]

Little problem with the audio, but great content! 🤜🏼🤛🏼

[@dheshpadiachey2041]

Thank you so much Ben and Ali for this video it was amazing and the advice was incredible. Having started my first business at 22 years old whilst in uni and now starting my new venture 5 years later, I really did to hear some of the inspiring and practical points discussed today. Thanks so much again, all the best with your journeys 📈💪🏾 and hoping to meet you both at some point 👊🏽

[@woodtronicsbasses2855]

Thanks Ali, great sense of purpose, vision and solid teaching! Top-notch

[@Ben21Harris]

56:40 was exactly what I needed to hear, this will stick with me as I grow my business - thank you Ali for asking such a good question, incredible first podcast 🏆

[@marcjacobs6613]

How’s the business going

[@Ben21Harris]

@@marcjacobs6613 thank you for asking, what did you think on the podcast?

[@marcjacobs6613]

@@Ben21Harris no answer? Was that intentional? 🤣 the podcast was insightful

[@denicebasnett8993]

Ali, this was wonderful! 👏 Interesting, informative and inspirational. Thank you so much! 🙏 Best wishes to both of you.

[@OreApampa]

🤯🤯🤯 Ali, wow! Thanks for putting this together. I've gleaned a lot just from watching this conversation between you and Ben. I'm looking forward watching more episodes of the podcast and applying the lessons learned to my businesses and KZbin channel. Thanks again Ali.

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

Thank you Ore, pleased you found it valuable :)

[@lexibug6001]

Hi Ali! Love the new podcast, reminds me of Diary of a CEO, so inspirational and insightful. Very interesting and I definitely see the podcast going very far and hitting the top charts. I just found it a bit long and with a lack of structure, possibly something to work on for the next one. But loved it!!😊 Goodluck 💚

[@rebekah7987]

Ben and Krisy are my favorite on this podcast. They are such brilliant and warm souls. Thank you for sharing Ali :)

[@IsaMutlib]

Moral of the story: "Wing it bro!" Loved this convo :)

[@MultiWarbird]

What an excellent podcast episode. Ben is an incredibly inspirational figure, and Ali is a phenomenal podcast host with amazing interviewing skills. I'm really enjoying this episode. Thank you Ali for creating this incredible show--you're filling in an important niche in the podcast space that others haven't really targeted, by specifically interviewing entrepreneurial creators. And Ben, thank you for taking the time to be interviewed on these various shows and spreading your story. It's by far the most inspirational entrepreneurial path I've ever heard, it's very "next-gen" and aligns with the modern emerging entrepreneurial path, and I'm sure there's someone out there who will hear your story, and be inspired to start the next groundbreaking company. Cheers!

[@songlyricspro406]

Intro BGM is amazing😍

[@ahmedmohammed7556]

You should promote this channel more often. great podcast!

[@zfn76]

amazing video, loved every minute

[@zraadmedia3812]

this video was so cool I am glad you started a Podcast

[@RetroBreak]

Great chat! Really inspiring! Cool to hear a local (to me) accent too! :D

[@krutikaadatia]

Ben is brilliant, love his story and journey. Thank you Ali for a great deep dive :)

[@SusheeNzeutem]

Awesome 👍. Thank you both

[@anaghnair]

Damn!! So candid and hella insightful. Excited to hear from other guests that you'll be bringing on this new long-form video format. Cheers A-team :)

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

Ahh thank you! there's lots of exciting guests lined up :)

[@Rayfano1002]

What a great chat with Ben! He looks mature in his business role. Btw Ali, maybe a tip: if possible try to create a dedicated Podcast room/office. This is okay, but the sound quality isn't great and I know you care about these things.

[@WishpondCA]

Thanks for this interview, Ben raised some really interesting points!

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@DrBrunoRecipes]

Amazing 👌🏻 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a wonderful day everyone 🌻

[@GrowWithWill]

The fear of losing the hunger is real! Glad you asked that question, Ali!

[@TheSKCFC]

Ali blushing is a whole mood. PS - This was a great video, thank you!

[@miliismyname5464]

I can't believe that it was the first episode and it is more than a year ago. Amazing!

[@RonnieFairley]

Great episode!

[@rohithpvr2328]

Congrats on this new venture ali!

[@Jubair194]

Ali Abdaal is aspirational goals. Hopefully he continues to scale up his success, whist still having "fun" with everything he is doing.

[@witekzak]

God bless KZbin for access to such conversations

[@abpanchali1GizmoGround]

As much as I loved the episode. I genuinely think the setup could use some sound dampning. At parts it was pretty difficult to ignore the reverb, especially when Ben was talking. Keep up the good work, Ali. Subbed.

[@omerdoganci1802]

Amazing content. Loved it. Thanks Ali abdaal and the team. What about bringing tom blomfield?

[@rosieprima]

Thank you for sharing very incredible

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

Pleased you enjoyed it!

[@JonGadget]

Great start Ali - good luck with the podcast.

[@stancuflorin]

Such a great podcast, Ben is so humble even if he achieved so much at a young age.

[@tamaraanthony2303]

Really loved this

[@ShivanS]

Another trope is constantly learning, realising you work for the team rather than the team working for you,. Ben Francis deserves to be at the top.

[@samirsaci6723]

Ali is a great interviewer! Unlike many podcasters, he is smart enough to let his guests talk.

[@Sikeslikescars]

The audio was trippin out the whole time😂 great video mate. Much enjoyed.

[@rohithpvr2328]

I am so happy that I “get to” listen to this :-)

[@luxuryeliteclub]

Ben Francis is really humble and down to earth. Wish you even more success.

[@razabadass]

Thank you Ali and Ben! Raza :)

[@aanurraj]

I find audio not as perfect it is on your other video 🥲 btw congratulations for this 😄

[@CanadianPodcast]

Fantastic episode!

[@RobinsonRapport]

Dude’s a visionary! 🤙🏽

[@YashShukla3333]

Thank you so much ..I am 18 years old from India ❤️ 🏆. I am very lucky to live in Ali genration ❤️

[@khaledramadan7922]

Ali please bring more entrepreneurs like ben we wanna series about those innovative people and I suggest making interview with Johnny boufarahat the founder of hopin the fastest growing startup in UK thanks alot Ali

[@basith5618]

I really like how Ben was eager to learn about how Ali creates content for KZbin.

[@razabadass]

Just looked at the intro and it came across as solid I feel in case that helps as feedback Ali, Angus and team! Raza :)

[@aibochan1764]

Do you have videos about the Notion workflows you’re using or how you’re leveraging it exactly? Very curious about this.

[@Basics-HQ]

He's so down to earth, humble and has his ego in check, despite his immense success and at such a young age. You could never guess that he runs a 700 people company. GREAT JOB

[@KarlDJohnson-ev2tt]

He is truly amazing. People of his nature who have made so much money but are still humble are very few, I never used to believed such people existed till i meet Ann fiocca. I will always be greately indebted to her she has changed my life for ever.

[@Muchen331]

he must have worked really hard to get such a big company people like him give me hope to keep working harder till i make something of myself someday. i wish i had someone like him to mentor me and build me up till i achieved my goals in the financial markets.

[@cathycarman5747]

Wow, amazing to see others trading with Ms. Ann Fiocca, I am currently on my 5th trade with her and my portfolio has grown tremendously.

[@PatrickCaballero-kr5ld]

This is not the first time I am hearing of" Ms.Ann Fiocca ""and her exploits in the trading world but I have no idea how to reach her.!!!

[@moehue8278]

Ben Francis is from the West Midlands, like me. So cool , can see Aston University, hope he becomes more successful .

[@TheAadeshthapa]

This was such an awesome and insightful conversation. However, I feel like the audio could have been MUCH better with the use of proper microphones rather than lavaliers. After all, a podcast is primarily an audio experience rather than a visual one, which I think was not executed properly in this episode. The actual content was pretty solid nonetheless.

[@Lozh1993]

agree. Alis sound wasn't perfect in this one

[@CrowandRaven]

Ali could definitely use more feedback while starting up on this new podcast. Hope he sees this.

[@onweze1781]

This guy is the definition of skills compounding

[@marysmaili6006]

GREAT GUEST CHOICE !!

[@mikelvandervort6021]

Best Ever💣

[@dhanushkumarkn9403]

after a few videos this chanel will be a million milesotone for sure

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

hope so :)

[@dhanushkumarkn9403]

@@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal it will reach 😁 me and my friends are subscribed already 💜

[@noblesleem1077]

There's still a hunger and a drive for greater success in Ben Francis

[@sinantorunlar5510]

there's a smudge on the wall behind Ben's left shoulder, i found myself trying to clean my macbook screen for 2 minutes until I realized it, now there's an oily thumb print on top of the smudge on the wall 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@astharattan2421]

That shirt has a very impressive fit, Ali!

[@ShivanS]

A common trope is knowledge of technology will take you very far.

[@ashleynorthover5084]

Yay a stationery line 🥳

[@kashyap6788]

6:36 💙

[@ayushroy3514]

Hey dude great podcast. But something was wrong with your audio. Ben’s audio was fine but I could hear some overlapping in your audio.

[@ROSADIANA-DSB]

Great story!

[@SUBHIKSHA_R]

I'm one of the very first viewers! Good luck on your new start!❤️

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

thanks :)

[@szsfitz]

Nice video. Good breakdown. LFG

[@0404aah]

Question to both of you what would you say would be the key to someone starting of in business the equivalent of learning webdesign in 2000

[@aayushkalhapure7658]

I love to hear this.. but I wasn't able to find this on spotify. Is it there on spotify coz I primarily listen podcasts on spotify?

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

sure check this out - spoti.fi/3CUTUrJ

[@10rmap]

love the podcast Ben really dropping gems. I usually love how Ali interacts with guests on hiss channels and how they are mostly in one frame. I would love to see a round table type set up . It would make the interactions feels more comfortable and authentic. Seeing both speakers in one frame would be great

[@GadgetsBoy]

Whenever I see this guy, it makes me a proud brummie

[@DominickBarbato]

Frequency illusion, also known as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or frequency bias, is a cognitive bias in which, after noticing something for the first time, there is a tendency to notice it more often, leading someone to believe that it has a high frequency of occurrence.

[@xxkissmeketutxx]

Can anyone explain, I can only see two videos on this channel. Have other videos been removed?

[@omeirooo5195]

YESSSS

[@richaprasad6737]

Heads up that this podcast still doesn't show up on Google Podcast when I search "deep dive with Ali abdaal". Not Overthinking shows up though

[@DeepDivewithAliAbdaal]

hey richa, we are experiencing some difficulties with Google Podcasts, but we've been told it should show up in a few days :)

[@rizwanakarizzy8771]

I subscribed Ali 🤗

[@MehrdadSalnani]

I'm amazed of your income... You really knows how to get money from the air

[@mvargast]

Wooo I had no idea Ben was the founder 😲