At just 22, Australian fitness entrepreneur Kayla Itsines was already building a business from a remarkably simple starting point. She began by training women one-on-one in her Adelaide backyard and later created workout guides that helped her reach a much larger audience. ([iFit][1])
Her idea eventually evolved into Sweat, a global digital fitness platform founded with Tobi Pearce in 2015. The platform built a community of more than 50 million people across its social channels and was acquired by iFIT in 2021 in a deal reported at about $400 million, although the companies themselves did not disclose the financial terms. ([iFit][1])
Itsines’ journey offers an important message for entrepreneurs: you don’t necessarily need a huge business to begin—you need a useful idea and the willingness to start.
Are There Nigerian Founders With Similar Stories?
Yes.
One notable example is Nigerian entrepreneur Foluso Ogunwale, founder and CEO of i-Fitness. He founded i-Fitness in 2015 after noticing that quality fitness facilities were limited and fitness was still seen by many Nigerians as a luxury. He started the business with little or no funding from a three-bedroom space in Lekki, Lagos. ([Business Day][2])
Today, i-Fitness has grown into a major fitness chain with branches across Nigeria. The company says it was founded with the goal of making fitness more accessible, affordable and convenient to Nigerians and Africans. ([iFitness][3])
Like Itsines, Ogunwale identified a gap, started with what was available and gradually built a business around solving that problem.
Lessons for Nigerian Founders
1. Start before everything is perfect
Kayla Itsines didn’t begin with a global fitness platform. She started by training women in her backyard.
The lesson is clear: don’t allow the absence of perfect equipment, funding or facilities to stop you from testing your idea.
2. Pay attention to everyday problems
Both Itsines and Ogunwale identified gaps in the fitness market and created solutions around them.
For Nigerian founders, opportunities can often be found in problems people complain about every day.
3. Turn your skill into a product
Itsines was a personal trainer before becoming a technology entrepreneur. She transformed her knowledge into workout guides and eventually a digital platform.
Your skill could be the foundation of a much bigger business if you find creative ways to package and scale it.
4. Use technology to scale
A service that can only reach 20 people physically has a limit. Technology can help you reach thousands or even millions.
Social media, digital products, online communities and software can turn a small idea into something much bigger.
5. Don’t despise your small beginning
Your first office could be your bedroom. Your first customers could be friends and family. Your first marketing campaign could be a WhatsApp status.
That doesn’t determine how far the business can eventually go.
The Big Takeaway
Kayla Itsines’ journey from training women in her backyard to building a global fitness brand shows that the size of your starting point does not necessarily determine the size of your destination.
Nigeria has entrepreneurs like Foluso Ogunwale demonstrating a similar principle in their own market.
For aspiring founders, the question shouldn’t only be, “Where will I get the money to start?”
Sometimes, the better question is:
“What can I start with what I already have?”
