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Ben Francis

Season 6 · Episode 35

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

October 20, 2026 1 hr 1 min

Hello from Team Simon! Brand-new episodes of A Bit of Optimism are back next Tuesday, October 27. Before then, we're revisiting one last favorite: the company Simon names whenever someone asks which business actually lives the ideas he writes about. It's Gymshark, and its founder, Ben Francis.

Maybe you know the pull: the bigger something gets, the more it feels like it should do more. More products, more markets, more people to please. It looks like growth. But it can quietly water down the very thing that made you special.

Gymshark didn't start with a vision. It started with a website, a list of drop-shipped supplements, and months of waiting for anyone to buy anything. Then Ben spotted his nan's sewing machine on the dining room table and started making gym clothes for himself and his friends. Years later, with the business booming, Gymshark did what growing companies do and expanded into swimwear, hiking, and sportswear. The brand started to blur. So Ben pulled it all back to three words: We Do Gym.

Ben is the founder and CEO of Gymshark, the gymwear brand he launched in 2012 while still working shifts at Pizza Hut. Today it's a billion-dollar global brand with a devoted community, a flagship store on London's Regent Street, and one ambition that shapes every decision Ben makes: to build a 100-year brand.

I sat down with Ben at Gymshark HQ in the West Midlands, where the company values are painted on the walls in refreshingly blunt language. And I push him on the irony at the heart of the brand: how does a company built on humility make clothes designed for showing off?

In this episode you'll learn:
➡️ Why the best businesses often start with ridiculously low ambitions
➡️ The "small menu" rule: why selling fewer things builds a better business
➡️ Why Ben stepped aside as CEO, and how it made him ready to take the job back
➡️ How a 100-year mindset changes who you hire (+ why "have they done it before?" is the wrong question)
➡️ His granddad's one-question test for a good year
➡️ Why even the most successful founders admit they're "just winging it"
➡️ Why the only competition worth winning is against yourself

Ben's lesson is a freeing one: you don't have to be everything to everyone. Pick the thing you love, serve the people who love it too, and keep getting better at it. That's how you build something that lasts.

This… is A Bit of Optimism.

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Want to check out Gymshark? Head over to: https://www.gymshark.com/

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Chapters

Chapters

  • 00:00:00 Why Building a 100-Year Brand Changes Everything
  • 00:01:55 The Accidental Birth of Gymshark: From Supplements to Sewing Machines
  • 00:07:38 Setting the Bar Low: Why Small Ambitions Lead to Big Success
  • 00:10:34 The Temptation to Expand: When Gymshark Lost Its Way
  • 00:11:23 The Restaurant Menu Philosophy: Why Less Product Means Better Business
  • 00:13:48 Stepping Down as CEO: The Hardest Decision That Saved the Company
  • 00:20:43 What Cool Dads Build: The Personal Drive Behind a 100-Year Vision
  • 00:24:27 The American Mistake: When Freedom Killed the Brand
  • 00:27:45 The Onyx Launch: Selling to 1 Percent of Your Audience
  • 00:34:46 Did You Make Any Money This Year: Lessons from Granddad
  • 00:37:06 Give a Sh**: The Honest Values Written on the Walls
  • 00:44:14 Winging It With Purpose: What Simon Learned in Fiji
  • 00:47:56 Two Types of Winging It: Foundation vs Quicksand
  • 00:53:21 The Head Nod Philosophy: Competition That Lifts Everyone Up
  • 00:57:13 Family First: When Your Kid's Hug Beats Every Business Win

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

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Website: http://simonsinek.com
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