50. LDN Muscle

Founders: James Exton, Tom Exton, Max Bridger, Lloyd Bridger and Simon Burden
Founded: February 2013
Website: www.ldnmuscle.com

A truly fraternal operation, the Exton twins and the Bridger brothers had worked and trained together for a number of years at a leisure centre. Frequently asked for fitness advice and guidance, colleague, personal trainer (and ultimately co-founder) Simon Burden suggested they set up a blog to answer people’s questions.

Initially offering free advice, the blog snowballed through social media and in February 2013 the brothers took the decision to monetise LDN Muscle and turn it into a fully-fledged business. Today, the site offers digital training and nutrition plans, as well as a range of exercise apparel and industry approved educational courses and qualifications. Having juggled busy professional and social lives around their training, the team built their ‘transformation guides’ to help men and women with equally hectic schedules reach their goals.

In just three years, LDN Muscle has had 100,000 downloads and counting worldwide – all of which has been achieved with a grand total of £50 initial expenditure to pay for the design of their ‘Big Ben’ logo.

The brothers are keeping their future plans under wraps for the moment, but say that there are “some seriously, seriously exciting announcements to come”. If their gym routine is anything to go by, the team are sure to work hard and hit their goals – with £1m in turnover and very impressive profits in their sights for 2016. With a recent cover page feature in Men’s Fitness, you can expect to see a lot more of LDN Muscle!