Ben Francis
The Pizza Boy Who Built a Billion-Pound Empire
Born Benjamin David Francis on 4 June 1992 in the West Midlands, Ben Francis started Gymshark in his parents' Bromsgrove garage at nineteen and turned it into a billion-pound fitness apparel brand — debuting on Forbes' billionaires list in 2023 and leading the company as chief executive since 2021.
- 19 min listen
- Gymshark founder
- Entrepreneur
- Self-made billionaire
Ben Francis’s full 19 min audio biography, The Pizza Boy Who Built a Billion-Pound Empire, is available on Lyfestori for iOS. Listen to a free preview below.
A life in brief
Ben Francis: life and timeline.
He was a business student at Aston University delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut at about £5 an hour, building apps and websites at night. In 2012 Ben Francis spent £1,000 of savings on a sewing machine and a screen printer, set them up in his parents' garage in Bromsgrove, and learned to sew from his grandmother. He sent his kit to the YouTube lifters he admired, and their audiences wanted it. At twenty-three he stepped down as chief executive of the company he founded. Six years later he took the job back.
- 1992
Born in the West Midlands
Born 4 June and raised in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. His father works in telecoms and his mother for the NHS; his grandparents run a taxi firm and a furnace-lining business.
- 2008
Into the gym
At sixteen, friends take him to the gym. The structure and consistency of training carry over to school, where his grades rise, and an IT class sparks an interest in building websites.
- 2010
Aston and Pizza Hut
Enrols at Aston University in Birmingham to study international business and management, and delivers pizzas in the evenings. He builds fitness apps including iPhysique and a car number-plate website.
- 2012
Gymshark in the garage
Founds Gymshark with school friend Lewis Morgan at nineteen. It starts by drop-shipping supplements and takes six weeks to make its first sale. He leaves university to focus on the business.
- 2013
Clothes and BodyPower
Turns to making gym wear in the garage and takes a stand at the BodyPower expo in Birmingham, where the stock sells out. His Luxe tracksuit takes £30,000 in thirty minutes, and he quits Pizza Hut.
- 2015
Stepping aside
Steps down as chief executive to run brand, marketing and product, saying it would let him work on his weaknesses. A Black Friday website crash that year forces a rebuild of the company's technology.
- 2016
Fastest-growing company
Gymshark tops the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 as Britain's fastest-growing private company. A £5 million headquarters in Solihull follows in 2018.
- 2020
A billion-pound valuation
In August, General Atlantic buys a 21 per cent stake in a deal valuing Gymshark at more than £1 billion. Francis keeps about 70 per cent. He wins EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year.
- 2021
Back as CEO
Returns as chief executive in August at twenty-nine. In September he marries Robin Gallant.
- 2022
Regent Street
Opens a flagship store on London's Regent Street in October, designed as a community space with classes and events. His twin sons are born on 24 December.
- 2023
Billionaire and MBE
Appointed MBE in the New Year Honours for services to business. In April he debuts on Forbes' World's Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion.
- 2026
Thirteen years of growth
Gymshark reports sales of about £646 million for the year to July 2025, its thirteenth consecutive year of growth, while pre-tax profit falls as it invests in stores and events.
Major achievements
Ben Francis: major achievements.
- 01
Building Gymshark
From a garage, a sewing machine and £1,000 of savings to a fitness apparel brand valued at more than £1 billion, selling worldwide with stores in London, Dubai, Amsterdam and New York.
- 02
Pioneering creator marketing
He sent free kit to YouTube fitness creators such as Lex Griffin and Nikki Blackketter because he admired them and wanted their opinion. Gymshark became one of the first brands to build its growth on influencers.
- 03
A self-made billionaire at thirty
Forbes listed him among the world's billionaires in April 2023, holding more than 70 per cent of the company. He was widely described as Britain's youngest self-made billionaire.
- 04
Honours
Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in 2018, EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020, and an MBE for services to business in the 2023 New Year Honours.
- 05
Physical retail for an online brand
When many digital brands avoided shops, he committed to a Regent Street flagship that opened in October 2022 and was built around classes and community, not just sales.
Turning points
Ben Francis: defining moments.
- Age sixteen
Learning from the gym
He has said he got mostly Ds and Es until friends took him to the gym. Setting goals, showing up and tracking progress changed how he approached school, and his grades went up. Fitness and technology became the two interests Gymshark would combine.
- 2012–2013
From supplements to clothes
Gymshark began as an online supplements shop. His real interest was clothing, so he taught himself to make fitted gym wear in the garage. Sending it to the YouTube lifters he followed turned their audiences into customers.
- 2015
Handing over the top job
With the business growing fast, he decided he was not yet the best person to run it and stepped back to lead brand and product. Former Reebok executive Steve Hewitt later became chief executive. Francis has compared those years to resitting an exam until you pass.
- 2020–2021
Unicorn, then return
General Atlantic's investment valued Gymshark at more than £1 billion in the middle of the pandemic. A year later, at twenty-nine, he took back the chief executive role, saying he still had a lot to learn.
What you’ll take away
Lessons from Ben Francis’s life.
- 01
Failed ventures are training
A number-plate website, two fitness apps and a social network came before Gymshark. Each taught him something about marketing, product or audiences.
- 02
Know when you're not the right person
Founders rarely step aside from the top job at twenty-three. Doing so let him build the skills to run a much larger company when he came back.
- 03
Fix the mistake personally
After the 2015 Black Friday crash he says he wrote apology letters to affected customers by hand. The failure also pushed Gymshark to rebuild its technology for the scale it was heading for.
- 04
Build for people you understand
He made the clothes he wanted as a young lifter, for a community he was part of. Gymshark's marketing worked because it started as a fan reaching out to his heroes.
If you liked Ben Francis…
Browse all →
Tech CEO16 minTobi Lütke
The Programming Prodigy Who Revolutionized Online Commerce
Founder & CEO16 minWhitney Wolfe Herd
The Woman Who Swiped Back
Fitness Pioneer16 minJack LaLanne
The Godfather of Fitness Who Transformed American Health
Founder22 minElizabeth Holmes
The Rise and Fall of Silicon Valley's Youngest Billionaire
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ben Francis.
Where is Ben Francis from?
Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. He was born in the West Midlands on 4 June 1992, grew up in Bromsgrove and attended South Bromsgrove High School, and Gymshark began in his parents' garage there.
What is Ben Francis's net worth?
About £800 million (about $1.1 billion), according to the Sunday Times Rich List (May 2026), which ranked him fifth among Britain's richest people under 40. Almost all of it is his stake of roughly 70% in Gymshark, the fitness-apparel company he founded; General Atlantic bought a 21% stake in 2020 at a valuation of about £1 billion.
How did Ben Francis make his money?
Through Gymshark, the fitness-apparel brand he co-founded in 2012 and still majority-owns. The business sells mainly online worldwide and reported revenue of £647 million for the year to July 2025 in accounts filed at Companies House. In 2020 he sold a 21% stake to private-equity firm General Atlantic for about £200 million.
How did Ben Francis start Gymshark?
In his parents' garage in 2012, with school friend Lewis Morgan. It began as an online supplements shop; he then spent £1,000 of savings on a sewing machine and screen printer to make gym wear, and sent it to YouTube fitness creators.
Did Ben Francis drop out of university?
Yes. He enrolled at Aston University in Birmingham to study international business and management and left in 2012 to concentrate on Gymshark. Aston later gave him an honorary degree.
Why did Ben Francis step down as CEO of Gymshark?
Because he felt he was not yet the best person to run a fast-growing company. In 2015 he moved to brand, marketing and product roles to work on his weaknesses, and returned as chief executive in August 2021.
What did Ben Francis get an MBE for?
Services to business. He was appointed MBE in the 2023 New Year Honours for building Gymshark.
Is Ben Francis a billionaire?
Yes, according to Forbes. He joined its World's Billionaires list in April 2023 with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion, based on his stake of more than 70 per cent in Gymshark.
Does Ben Francis still own Gymshark?
Yes. He is the majority owner, with about 70 per cent, after selling a 21 per cent stake to General Atlantic in 2020. In 2026 the Financial Times reported he was in talks to buy part of that stake back.
Who is Ben Francis's wife?
Robin Gallant. They married on 9 September 2021 and have three children, including twin sons born in December 2022.
Published by Lyfestori, from Duck Pond Ventures Oy. About us and how to report a correction.
19 min · one sitting