The owner of sportswear giant Gymshark, who founded the company in his parents’ garage while working as a pizza delivery boy, is now a billionaire at age 30.
Birmingham native Ben Francis started his sportswear brand in 2012 after deciding to create his own sportswear when he couldn’t find anything he liked on the high street – now, just 11 years later, he has made his debut on the Forbes Billionaires list.
While things weren’t all smooth sailing for the father-of-two after he publicly apologized when a video surfaced in 2020 of him snorting cocaine, Francis is worth a whopping $1.2 billion (£992 million), making he is the UK’s youngest billionaire.
The former Aston University student, who originally started his company with boyfriend Lewis Morgan before stepping down in 2014, recently opened up about his daily habits and morning routines.
He told the Insider that he wakes up at 6am every morning and makes eggs or bacon for breakfast before going to the office – where he is five days a week.
Ben Francis has grown from a 19-year-old balancing gym clothes in his parents’ garage to the United Kingdom’s youngest billionaire.
Francis, now 30, pictured in Gymshark sportswear with his model girlfriend Robin Callant
Francis is often the first to come in, then answers his emails, goes over the week’s goals, and has lunch around 12:30.
He also makes sure to work out at the gym later in the evening at 6:30pm.
He said having consistent checkpoints throughout the day keeps him motivated and productive.
It is clear from the entrepreneur’s social media accounts alone that the self-made billionaire lives a life of luxury by putting the money on expensive motorbikes and enjoying glamorous vacations abroad with his fitness model and influencer wife.
Francis, who received the 2020 EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year Award, married Robin Gallant of Canada in September 2021.
The couple welcomed twin sons on December 24 last year after publicly announcing that Robin was publicly pregnant three months earlier.
They first met after Francis asked her to promote his brand on her social media and she has since moved from Canada to live with him in the UK.
The two have been pictured enjoying lavish vacations abroad in places like Dubai and Australia.
The two are pictured enjoying luxury vacations around the world, including here in Lake McKenzie, Queensland, Australia
The founder of Gymshark now lives the life of luxury and splashes the cash on expensive motorcycles
Robin pictured on the beach in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in front of the Burj Al Arab
The brand is loved by celebs, including Nicole Scherzinger who can be seen jumping for joy
Headquartered in Solihull, England, Gymshark is worn by some of the world’s biggest celebrities and influencers.
American singer and actress Nicole Scherzinger has regularly been pictured in sportswear.
Francis said that much of the secret to his success came from using social media influencers with large followings to carry the brand and spread it online.
The brand is known for its muscle-enhancing sportswear that is extensively promoted through its own Instagram channel
In addition to posting selfies, fans of the brand also share their workout regimens as inspiration for others
Fans of the fashion brand post photos of themselves wearing the items on Instagram
While working as a delivery driver for Pizza Hut, Francis dropped out of university to focus on his brand full-time and in 2020 it was valued at over £1 billion.
Before that, his grandmother taught him how to sew and he set up a workshop in his parents’ garage in Birmingham, complete with a sewing machine and screen printer.
He managed to make about 10 pieces a day, but had to work around his studies and part-time job.
During the pandemic, it was revealed that Francis donated £180,000 to Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital where his mother works.
He also opened a pop-up shop in Covent Garden, rebranding itself as Homeshark.
The company did not place any of its employees on the government’s furlough scheme.
Francis said, “We’re going to weather the storm…we don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on the government.”