Ben Francis, a 19-year-old pizza delivery driver in 2012, transformed a side hustle into a billion-dollar fitness brand, starting with just £500. Ben started Gymshark from his parents’ garage. Today, his company is valued at over $1.3 billion, with Ben holding a 70% stake, making him one of the UK’s youngest billionaires.

How Gymshark Started

Ben’s journey into entrepreneurship started with juggling pizza deliveries while studying business at Aston University. Dissatisfied with available workout gear, he co-founded Gymshark with friend Lewis Morgan, initially selling supplements before switching to custom fitness wear. With his little resources, Ben purchased a sewing machine and screen printer to hand-make bodybuilding clothes. But having a market-ready product is just one-half of the equation. The other is having a good marketing strategy, this is where Ben’s genius was apparent.

Fitness YouTubers with engaged, loyal audiences were being neglected by major fitness brands. Ben took advantage of this marketing blindspot by sending out free Gymshark apparel to YouTube influencers with little to no subscribers. As these influencers grew, they remained loyal, skyrocketing Gymshark’s visibility. This approach generated immense ROI compared to traditional celebrity endorsement.

Fast forward to 2013, Gymshark hosted a BodyPower Expo, Europe’s largest bodybuilding event. This was a turning point for the company as it sold out its inventory within hours. A confirmation that its community-building marketing approach was a success. By 2018, Gymshark opened its Solihull headquarters and began organizing pop-up events, which further strengthened its customer relationship. But it wasn’t all fun and games.

A Bad Day For Gymshark

Like every startup, Gymshark had its share of ups and downs. One of the biggest failure the company has ever experienced happened during a Black friday Sale in 2015. Gymshark had gained popularity, but nearly lost it all when its website crashed resulting in thousands of dollars being lost and an angry mob of customers. The repuation of the company was at risk.

Not many startups would survive a mishap like this because the most common soluton would be a PR stratgey to explain t all away.  However, Ben took a different path, choosing instead to give his customers a honest apology with raw emotions. It worked, the disaster was abated and the company recovered from what would easily be a PR nightmare for many major brands.

This incident reinforced Gymshark’s commitment to customer engagement

Scaling to a Billion-Dollar Brand: Gymshark’s Formula for Success

By 2020, Gymshark had achieved $214 million in revenue, with growth averaging 62% annually since 2018. General Atlantic’s investment valued the company at $1.3 billion, enabling global expansion, including its first U.S. office in Denver. Despite challenges, Gymshark’s annual growth surpasses competitors like Nike and Lululemon. Gymshark’s strategy relies on:

• Micro-influencer partnerships:
• Community engagement:
• Artificial scarcity:
• Authenticity:
• Staying Agile

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of this strategy, highlighting the Six Keys that led to the brand’s success.

1. Micro-Influencer Partnerships

Ben’s genius lay in identifying the power of rising fitness influencers. While major brands focused on established athletes, Gymshark targeted YouTubers and Instagram fitness enthusiasts with smaller followings but highly engaged audiences. By sending free Gymshark apparel to influencers Ben built lasting relationships. As these influencers’ audiences grew, they remained loyal to Gymshark, associating their personal growth with the brand. This helped Gymshark establish credibility and reach organic audiences.

2. Community Engagement

Gymshark positioned itself as more than just a clothing brand; it became a fitness community as well, first by creating an opportunity where its customers could meet their favorite influencers, connect and interact with the brand. These Pop-Up Events: Events (like the BodyPower Expo in 2013 and global meetups) reinforced Gymshark’s appeal at a grassroot level. By actively seeking and acting on customer’s feedback, the company makes its customers feel valued and is rewarded with their loyalty in return.

3. Artificial Scarcity

Gymshark creates hype and urgency around its products by releasing small batches of new designs. This is known as artificial scarcity and it helped the brand control market forces by ensuring that demand was more than supply. This strategy creates a perception of exclusivity among the customers, and of course, a long wait list of orders for the brand as customers eagerly place orders for products even before it is released. This strategy is commonly used by luxury brands.

4. Authenticity in Branding

Ben embraced transparency and relatability, making the brand feel human and relatable to a lot of its customers. This was evident in his handling of The 2015 Black Friday crash. By expressly apologizing and showing emotions, Ben was able to connect with his customers in a way that few PR strategies would have successfully done. His sincerity resonated with customers, reinforcing trust and loyalty. Secondly, as a young fitness enthusiast himself, Ben represented Gymshark’s target audience, lending authenticity to the brand’s voice and mission.

5. Agile Decision-Making

Despite its rapid growth, Gymshark maintained a startup mindset, allowing it to pivot quickly. By remaining agile, the company is able to quickly spot trends, adapt its processes to meet its targets and remain flexible in an industry dominated by major brandswith a traditional mindset. Two indications of Gymshark’s agility is its ability to tap into the rise of fitness culture on social media before it became mainstream and a culture of consistent innovation.

Gymshark’s strategies combine digital-savvy marketing, a customer-centric business approach, authenticity and innovation to create a deep customer-brand relationship.These pillars have disrupted the fitness industry and positioned Gymshark as a template for modern branding success. You may also like to read about;

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