E112: Gymshark CEO: How I Built A $1.5 Billion Business At 19: Ben Francis

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

FlightStory

Society & Culture, Business, Education

4.6 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 December 2021

⏱️ 97 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ben Francis has achieved incredible success it is easy to forget how young he still is. Founding Gymshark, a leading gym wear brand, when he was still in his teens, the company is now worth over $1.5 billion.

But it hasn’t always been easy for Ben. He is naturally shy and introverted, and public speaking is something that didn’t come naturally to him. Naturally resilient and sure of his mission, Ben had to learn how to transmit these feelings within himself to leading a top team. It took a lot of work and dedication, but through time and effort Ben was able to overcome his fears and inspire those around him.

Ben has gone from earning £5 an hour at Pizza Hut to pay his way through university to running one of the most exciting and fastest growing companies in the country. It was an absolute pleasure to sit down with him and hear his wisdom, and I know that you’ll think exactly the same way.

Topics:

Your early years
Co-founders
Developing yourself personally & within Gymshark
The Worst Character traits in business
Learning how to speak in front of people & a camera
Why are you vlogging inside gymshark?
Gymshark through the pandemic
What do you wish you knew sooner in business?
Struggles with business personally
The future of Gymshark
Advice for young entrepreneurs
The last guests question

Ben:

https://www.instagram.com/benfrancis/

https://twitter.com/BenFrancis1992?s=20

Watch the episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDiaryOfACEO/videos

Sponsor:

Huel - https://uk.huel.com/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	If we go right back to the start, I had a vision, I had an idea and I was so passionate about it.
0:05.2	I just wanted Jim Shart to be a truly iconic, great brand, a leader,
0:09.1	in culture and helps inspire people around the world.
0:12.7	That was a period of great self-reflection for me and what am I about to,
0:15.6	what am I good at and I decided to lean into my strengths in the early days,
0:19.2	I'd have gone, I'm introverted, shy, you know, and I'm not good at people management,
0:23.4	but I didn't want to identify with those things. You should be able to look at those things
0:26.9	and try and solve them. Everything came crashing down around me because
0:30.7	because there was nowhere to hide, like that definitely hit me and it definitely hurt me and I
0:34.9	really felt like I was carrying that burden. Honestly, just keep trying and keep trying and
0:39.9	don't be afraid to fail. I think that's so, so, so important. I've never met anyone
0:44.8	who was genuinely successful that wasn't hardworking.
0:47.9	Ben Francis
0:56.2	The guest that you requested again and again and again, he is the founder and now the CEO of Jim Shart.
1:04.2	The global Jim brand worth billions and billions and billions that started right here in the UK.
1:10.8	Founded by Ben who was in his early 20s and who is still in his 20s now as he's leading the
1:16.2	global brand all around the world with 900 employees. This is a conversation I have honestly
1:22.1	looked forward to for a long, long time because there is nobody else in the UK like Ben that has
1:26.4	built such an iconic company that you see everywhere that has maintained its integrity while
1:32.4	they're still in their 20s. Ben's net worth is probably pretty close to or over a billion dollars
1:40.8	and remarkably, he's one of the most humble individuals, one of the most introspective, self-aware people
1:46.8	I have ever met, a really good guy. And if you're someone that someday might want to follow in his
	...

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