Gymshark chair shares words of wisdom on rising to the top

'Work hard, stay humble' were just a few of the inspiring words Gymshark's executive chair, Steve Hewitt, shared with 200 guests last night at the Solihull Chamber of Commerce's Annual Dinner and Awards.

Steve Hewitt was a keynote speaker at the event, held at the Marriott Forest Of Arden Hotel & Country Club, and took guests on Gymshark's journey to becoming a 'unicorn company' valued at over £1bn.

Telling the inspirational story of Ben Francis's passage from a teenager with a dream to the CEO of a billion pound active-wear brand, Steve emphasised the power of having an idea and choosing to pursue it.

He said: "When we get asked who our main competitiors are, I'd probably say the likes of Nike and Adidas. If you asked Ben, he'd say the next 19 year-old kid with an idea in his bedroom."

Acknowledging the differences between Gymshark and other brands, Steve also shared the steps the brand have taken to ensure that people remain at the heart of all they do.

He explained: "Ultimately, people build brands and one of our super powers is having great people.

"Nike is a £38 billion business, but we know our customers better because we control our business model.

"Gymshark is a unicorn business, but we didn't sell our souls to get to that moment, we did it by living and breathing our brand."

Steve went on to list three things that have helped Gymshark maintain their spot at the top, handing out advice to eager entrepreneurs and businesses in the room who seek to do the same;

1) Create your North Star

2) Control your value chain

3) Employ people who are better than you

Leaving the guests with some food for thought, Steve recalled the well-known Gymshark mantra:

"Work hard, stay humble. It takes zero talent to do those things well."