Ben Francis is the founder and CEO of popular fitness brand Gymshark. Born on June 4, 1992, in the West Midlands, Francis first appeared on Forbes’ annual The World’s Billionaires list in April 2023.

From a sewing machine, screen printer and garage to a multinational athletic retailer, the Gymshark brand lives as a role model for all those with great ambitions but limited means. Francis overcame numerous obstacles in his quest to gather stock, build a brand and create fitted, lightweight pieces of activewear.

His journey inspires all of us to pursue our goals and remain steadfast despite the challenges we may face.

The Net Worth of Ben Francis

Ben Francis has a stake of over 70% in Gymshark and is currently majority owner. In August 2020, Francis sold a 21% stake to private equity firm General Atlantic. The fitness brand is currently worth $1.45 billion by investors and as of September 2025, Ben Francis has a net worth of $1.40 billion.

Gymshark has grown exponentially since it was founded in 2012 by Francis and his school friend Lewis Morgan. The company’s net worth has also increased from $1.2 billion in 2023 to $1.3 billion in 2024 and now $1.45 billion in 2025.

Financial breakdown, Assets and More

Being the UK’s youngest billionaire at just 33, you may be wondering how Francis spends his fortune. On the contrary, Ben Francis has publicly explained that he avoids flashy goods and prefers investing in long term stability.

The businessman keeps a low profile living quietly out in the West Midlands. His wedding to Canadian fitness influencer, Robin Gallant, was also private with limited media coverage.

Francis has a series of real estate investments, and his car collection features a Range Rover, Posche Taycan and a Tesla. His 70% ownership of his Gymshark shares generates an estimated value of over £600 million. Francis’s private investments have an estimated value of over £50 million. His real estate and assets bring in roughly £50 million to £75 million not to mention his undisclosed business ventures that are also currently growing.

Ben Francis is also a car and motorcycle enthusiast and a season ticket holder at Aston Villa.

The average age for a billionaire today is set at roughly 66 years old. This factors in the time it takes to accumulate significant wealth over a long period of time. The newest billionaires including Ben Francis have reversed this trend showing that it is possible to become a self-made billionaire at a much younger age.

Gymshark used social media for its promotion and development, partnering with fitness influencers to wear their clothing in videos. They were one of the first brands to use social media influencing to such a great extent, with their tracksuit first going viral in 2013 on Facebook. Gymshark was able to generate £30,000 in sales within 30 minutes.

In 2018, Gymshark opened its £5 million headquarters in Solihull, West Midlands. In 2019, Gymshark opened its branded gym and innovation hub. Since 2016, Gymshark has been listed on The Sunday Times Fast Track of fast-growing private companies. They currently sell products in 131 countries.

Growing up in the West Midlands 

Ben Francis grew up in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire and attended South Bromsgrove High School. He studied IT in school, and his first business was an online company that sold car number plates.

In 2010, he enrolled to Aston University for international business and management but dropped out in 2012.

Before Gymshark, Francis released two fitness apps, which were the Fat Loss Abs Guide and iPhysique. He launched these while working for Pizza Hut as a delivery boy earning just £5 an hour.

At 19 years of age, Ben Francis launched Gymshark in his parents’ garage with his friend Lewis Morgan. At first, the website just sold fitness supplements. They were unable to afford stock or distribution deals with the supplement suppliers. As a result, Francis began dropshipping supplies from other vendors and made his first sale six weeks later.

The birth of the Gymshark activewear and brand

In 2013, Francis decided to move away from supplements and began designing and selling fitness items on Gymshark’s website. Francis started to manufacture products from his parents’ garage in Bromsgrove using just a screen printer and sewing machine that he brought with £1000 of his savings.

He later then exhibited Gymshark’s products at the BodyPower fitness trade show in Birmingham. At the end of the trade show, one of their tracksuits went viral on Facebook. Subsequently, Francis left his job to focus on the company full time.

Ben Francis continued to promote and market the brand using social media influencers. Through use of bodybuilders Nikki Blackketter and Lex Griffin, Gymshark was able to draw in more consumers and truly broaden their audience.

Having just left university and his pizza delivering job, Ben Francis still had much to learn about becoming a successful businessman. As a result, Francis stepped down in 2015 as CEO of Gymshark to become chief marketing officer, chief brand officer and chief product officer. This allowed him to work within the company to help it grow quicker and more efficiently.

Over the years, Francis’ success has been noticed and praised in the business community. In 2018, Francis was included on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. This list recognises 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. Additionally, Francis was on the UK Government’s Business Council for Entrepreneurs in 2019. A year later in 2020, Ben Francis was awarded the EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year award.

More recently, Ben Francis was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to the business sector.

Ben Francis has proved to embody the true definition of work ethic, resilience and determination. His incredibly high net worth as a self-made billionaire shows that it is possible for anyone with a dream to make their business dreams come true.