Brands Story Pack — Five brands that started small

Spanx, Gymshark, Nike, Patagonia and The Body Shop: five brands that started small, and the decisions that determined how far they got.

Spanx started with $5,000 in savings, Nike with a handshake and Japanese running shoes, The Body Shop with a £4,000 loan. This pack follows five brands from their first product to an international name, including the rejections, the problems with suppliers and the setbacks. It starts with two founders who had little or no experience in their industry and ends with two brands built on principles, with The Body Shop as an example of what can still go wrong after that.

How the pack is built up

• Story 1 · Sara Blakely, The decisions behind Spanx: developing an idea with $5,000 in savings and no experience in the fashion industry, winning over manufacturers who at first showed little interest and landing the first big customers.

• Story 2 · Ben Francis, The decisions behind Gymshark: from a small online shop selling other brands’ products to its own sportswear, with fitness creators, the first months without sales and choices about stock and marketing.

• Story 3 · Phil Knight, The decisions behind Nike: from a handshake, a $500 stake and Japanese running shoes to a listed company, with the break with supplier Onitsuka, the gamble on Michael Jordan and the criticism of working conditions at suppliers.

• Story 4 · Yvon Chouinard, The decisions behind Patagonia: from home-made climbing gear from a small forge to an international outdoor company, with choices about quality, materials and suppliers and the 2022 transfer of ownership.

• Story 5 · Anita Roddick, The decisions behind The Body Shop: from a shop in Brighton with refillable bottles to franchising and a stock market listing, and why a brand with strong principles still ran into trouble in 2024.

Pack saving

Bought separately, these five stories cost €60 together (5 × €12). As a pack you pay €48: you get one story free.

Who is this pack for?

For entrepreneurs with an idea for a product, clothing line or brand, and for anyone who wants to understand how a small beginning grows into a brand with an international name, including the risks that came with it.

Digital pack · 5 PDFs · 216 pages · Available immediately after purchase

The founder stories were written independently by FOREFACT; Spanx, Gymshark, Nike, Patagonia, The Body Shop and the people named are not involved in them.