Ben Francis: From Garage to Billion-Dollar Brand

Happy Tuesday,

In 2012, Ben Francis was a 19-year-old kid with a dream:

Create the best fitness apparel in the world.

He had no prior experience in the fashion industry, but he was determined to succeed.

Francis started Gymshark out of his parents' garage with just £1,000.

He initially worked alone, designing, printing, and shipping all of the products himself. He also invested heavily in marketing and advertising, even though he didn't have a lot of money to spare.

Francis's hard work and dedication paid off.

Gymshark quickly became one of the most popular fitness apparel brands in the world.

The company is now valued at over $1.5 billion and has over 17 million social media followers.

Customer Obsession: The Key to Gymshark’s Success

From the very beginning, Ben Francis has been laser-focused on building relationships with his customers. He listens to their feedback, he cares about their needs, and he goes above and beyond to make them happy.

This focus on customer relationships has paid off big time for Gymshark.

Over 80% of the company's sales come from repeat customers!

Here are a few of the things Ben Francis and Gymshark do to build relationships with their customers:

• They're active on social media and interact with their customers. Ben Francis regularly posts on social media and responds to comments and questions from customers. He also uses social media to get feedback on new products and features.

• They promote their company's culture and values on social media. Gymshark is known for its inclusive and empowering culture. The company's social media accounts reflect this culture, showcasing diverse customers and promoting positive body image messages.

• They offer excellent customer service. Gymshark is known for its fast and responsive customer service. The company also offers a generous return policy, which makes it easy for customers to shop with confidence.

But Ben Francis's success isn't just about customer obsession.

Hard Work, Dedication, and a Relentless Drive to Succeed

When Ben first launched Gymshark, he worked countless hours, day and night, to get his products off the ground. He also invested heavily in marketing and advertising, even when he didn't have a lot of money to spare.

In fact, Francis couldn't afford his own products at first. So, what did he do?

He started by dropshipping, which allowed him to sell products without having to carry any inventory.

Once he raised more money, he invested it back into the business to scale his operations and produce his own products.

Ben's hard work and dedication paid off.

Gymshark quickly became one of the most popular fitness apparel brands in the world.

And Ben Francis became a millionaire before he even turned 23 years old.

So, what can we learn from Ben Francis and Gymshark?

If you want to achieve success in your own business, you need to be obsessed with your customers.

You need to listen to them, care about them, and go above and beyond to make them happy.

For Ben, this meant iterating when negative feedback arrived.

Or thinking deeply about what their customers wanted rather than simply selling the first solution or the easiest product.

You also need to be willing to work hard, dedicate yourself to your goals, and never give up on your dreams.

Ben visited trade shows and spent hours manually screen-printing his shirts. He didn’t jump into mass scale immediately. It was a process.

Of course, once he had a winning product, then he began to scale.

If you own an e-commerce shop and you're struggling to bring new customers in, or if your average cart value is not large enough to scale, check this out:

We understand how nuanced, cutthroat, and competitive sustaining e-commerce success can be.

And we know that the road to great results is different for every brand.

We're looking for clients who buy into our business model and are committed to a meaningful, results-driven, long-term relationship.

If you'd like to get started, request a free consultation here.

To your growth,
Eric Siu

P.S. Thanks for all the feedback in yesterday’s email.

It looks like better visuals are what the majority would like to see improved first. We’re working behind the scenes to get that launched… can’t wait!

See you again tomorrow.