Revisited: The Power of Doing One Thing Exceptionally Well with Gymshark Founder and CEO Ben Francis

Simon Sinek (0:00)

I don't think I'm your core Gymshark customer, but I'm absolutely in love with your company because I preach these models of infinite mindedness and that committing to something bigger than yourself and ensuring that it can outlast you in its current form is very rare.

Ben Francis (0:18)

I think, you know, getting a bit older, we've got three kids now, everyone wants to be a cool dad, right? And I think there's nothing cooler than building something that really stands the test of time.

Simon Sinek (0:28)

I am an idealist. The things that I write about, the things that I speak about are about an ideal version of the way the world and business could work. But every now and then, every now and then, I get to meet a company that, well, it's hard for me to be accused of being a crazy idealist if what I imagine exists in reality. People are always asking me what businesses really exemplify the things that I write about. Well, one of them is Gymshark. Gymshark makes one thing for one audience. They make amazing gym wear for people who go to the gym. We do gym, as they say. Ben Francis is one of the most remarkable young leaders I've ever met. He's the founder and CEO of Gymshark, and he's only 33 years old. In 13 years, he has built an iconic global brand. How has he done it? By keeping it absolutely pure, and wanting to build a company that can outlast him. In fact, one that can last a hundred years. And given how so many young entrepreneurs start their businesses and try to build their businesses, waiting for the IPO, waiting for the exit, trying to have a liquidity event, Ben is the complete opposite. He is driven by the purest form of entrepreneurship to make great products for one community as best as he can. And the result is profound. This is A Bit of Optimism.

I think you know this. I'm a huge fan of yours.

We've only met once before.

I knew about you and I knew about Gymshark. And we met last year for the first time just because I wanted to meet you. You are what is, I think, the purest form of what an entrepreneur is, an entrepreneur should be.

Ben Francis (2:15)

Thank you.

Simon Sinek (2:16)

And you've built a company that has that same purity. Gymshark was born in a gym.

You made the product yourself, which is like this quintessential entrepreneurial story. Other people wanted the stuff that you were making for yourself. And before you know it, you're selling more than you can sow yourself. And thus is born Gymshark. How are you able to maintain, sort of, if we use the word purity, you're now a huge company, you're a global company. I'm at your headquarters here. There's three buildings worth of offices.

You know, how are you able to make it still stay so focused and not be tempted to go do everything else?

Ben Francis (2:56)

Oh, well, we're definitely tempted. And we have been over the years. Thank you, by the way. I think that was really kind of you to say. But I think the business is, we're 12, 13 years old now.

And there's been so many different versions of our business since Gymshark first started. It's difficult at times to recognize what is a temptation and what is a really viable and valuable opportunity.

Because the business has changed so much since it first started. If I think back to 2012, 2013, Gymshark only sold supplements. We didn't even sell apparel. And then it was only through running the business we sort of fell in love with making apparel, to your point, literally for ourselves, because we couldn't find the clothes that we wanted to wear.

And then that naturally then removed, we would then remove supplements because it was, that then became a distraction. Particularly over the last sort of year, I think we've really hit our stride in knowing what is and isn't Gymshark for us. And this is more of a medium to larger business problem. I don't think this is a problem that maybe too many startups would have. But it was really about defining what is Gymshark. That's where the We Do Gym campaign sort of started. It was about making sure that we're laser focused on what really makes us special. And again, that sort of We Do Gym campaign, that all came from our desire and ambition to be what we talk a lot internally about being a 100 year brand. We want to be a brand that lasts longer than myself or anyone here at this business. That's the real ambition. And I admire a lot of brands that really do stand the test of time. So if we look at it from a top line perspective, if we want to build a brand that will stand the test of time, to do that we have to be really good at one thing. And it's we're really focused on the gym. We're laser focused on the gym in a way that almost no one else is in the world. That's what makes us special. That's what we're going to focus on. And that's what we're going to make sure we're the best in the world.