DTC Podcast Ep 588: How BrainGain Scaled Heavy Home Gym Equipment to 30 Countries (100,000+ Customers)

Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Eric Dick
Guest: Kareem Raslan, Co-founder of BrainGain

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the incredible growth story of BrainGain, a home fitness brand that evolved from a pandemic side hustle into a multi-national DTC powerhouse. Co-founder Kareem Raslan shares how they scaled from selling 25 pairs of dumbbells out of a garage during Covid to reaching 100,000+ customers in 30 European countries. The discussion covers logistics, product strategy, European expansion, marketing channel bets—especially saying no to TikTok in favor of YouTube—SKU optimization, profitability, and upcoming plans to enter the U.S. market.

Founding Story: From Garage to Europe

The Pandemic Kickstart

• Began in June 2020, at the peak of Covid lockdowns: Kareem and his co-founder, with no prior ecommerce or importing experience, bought 25 pairs of dumbbells, which sold out immediately on Facebook Marketplace.
• Rapidly scaled up orders (first 25, then 75 pairs), literally delivering weights all over London by hand.
• Discovered enduring demand after lockdown:

  "I'd be driving around London dropping dumbbells off to the rich and the poor and the fat and the thin and the healthy and the not so healthy because everyone was just so desperate, desperate for home gym equipment." — Kareem (03:01)

• Fast forward: As of 2026, active in UK & 29 other European countries, 100,000+ customers, rapidly shifting from local to international business.

Product & Brand Strategy

Why Not Dropshipping?

• Chose holding inventory and self-fulfillment over dropshipping for control and customer service:

  "Consumers nowadays...they're very, very hot on next-day delivery, maximum two to three days. People do not want to wait two to three weeks for their stuff. So a lot of that helps with conversion." — Kareem (12:09)

• Physicality of product (big & heavy) became a barrier to entry and competitive moat.

Brand Origins & Positioning

• Brand Name ("BrainGain") reflects holistic wellness values:

  "...healthy mind, healthy body. There's absolutely a symbiotic kind of relationship between both and I think particularly during the pandemic it was absolutely prevalent..." — Kareem (07:41)

• Broader appeal than "bodybuilder" brands: Customers range from teenagers to new moms to older adults, not just young men. "Making working out more accessible for everyone." (09:47)

SKU & Product Focus

• Started with generic products, transitioned to exclusive/co-created SKUs for uniqueness and margin.
• Briefly distracted by hot fitness trends (e.g., reformer Pilates), learned to return to core strengths (dumbbells and key complementary products).

  "We just really focused on what we're good at, which is dumbbells and complementary products, and just going kind of deeper on that market rather than trying to sell everything to everyone in every market." — Kareem (13:54)

European Expansion

First Steps & Learning Curves

• Chose Europe over US because of geographic proximity, but quickly learned about complexities:
  • Different VAT/sales tax rates per country (Germany: 19%, Nordics: 25%)
  • Bureaucracy varies (e.g., Germany is tough, Netherlands/Poland easier)
• Localization is essential: Language, customer service, and legal compliance must be tailored for each major market.

  "You need to really get to know your market well... localization is absolutely critical." — Kareem (16:33)

• Pitfalls: Example—shipment stuck at German customs due to improper setup (18:40), requiring creative logistics (re-routing through the Netherlands).

Playbook for European Entry

• "A lot of people use like the Netherlands or Poland as their base and then from there set up a 3PL" (19:52)
• Now maintain ~10 SKUs in Europe, focusing largely on Germany, France, Spain, Italy, with Poland on the radar as an emerging affluent market. (20:28)

Marketing & Channel Strategy

Channel Breakdown

• Even split: 50% Amazon, 50% Shopify (22:01)
• Google Ads: 70-80% of paid spend (main Shopify growth driver); Meta picks up warm audiences for retargeting.
• YouTube Affiliate Strategy:
  • Primary platform for high AOV, considered purchases.
  • Focus on home workout influencers with 5k+ followers, instead of broad TikTok or Instagram reach.
  • Customer surveys showed YouTube strongly influences buying (24:02).

  "We've made a very conscious decision to say...where we are working with affiliates, it's very specifically people with a YouTube presence." — Kareem (25:22)

Key Decision:

"Whilst the world is all talking about virality and TikTok shop and all this, this stuff, we've made a very conscious decision...which has been quite difficult..." — Kareem (25:54)

Channel Focus

• Only focus on Shopify and Amazon, turned off distractions (eBay, Groupon, etc.) to go deeper, not broader. (26:33)
• On Amazon: Emphasis on lower price, mass-market SKUs. On Shopify: Premium, higher-margin products.

Operations, 3PL, and Profitability

Choosing & Optimizing 3PLs

• 3PL choice is crucial for large/heavy products. Logistics are a major cost lever.
• Early misstep: 3PL/UPS added massive peak surcharges with minimal warning, threatened profitability.
• Solution: Switched to a Poland-border 3PL, cut delivery times and cost per package by nearly half. (27:34)

"We then found this warehouse which was next day delivery for €6 a package. So...we found a warehouse with better service, cheaper rates, very flexible." — Kareem (29:05)

Kareem's 3PL Wisdom:

"If you turn up to a 3PL and it's really shiny and new and it's got loads of automation, you're probably paying too much." (30:16)

Operations Optimizations

• Micro-tweaks in logistics can drive big savings:
  • Changed how products are palletized to reduce warehouse handling charges (~€1000 → €200)
  • Broke down heavier parcels into smaller (under-25kg) boxes to avoid surcharges.

"Every single line item, you gotta try and find a way to optimize it." — Kareem (31:10)

Financial Discipline

• Transitioned to rigorous bookkeeping (from cash to accrual) & SKU-level unit economics audits.
  • Discovered some "top sellers" were actually unprofitable; shifted spend toward higher-margin items.
  • Set channel-specific CAC ceilings and profitability thresholds for growth partners.

"...it's not interesting, it's not fun, it's not exotic, it's not sexy. But even if it's just like a bookkeeper who's doing it all...that's the only way you can get a super clear view on month on month how things are going." — Kareem (34:13)

Pricing and Hero SKU Strategy

• Run multiple pricing tests between Shopify and Amazon; found lowering prices on their own site shifted more volume off Amazon.

  "A large number of people will sell cheaper on their website Shopify than they do on kind of Amazon." — Kareem (37:55)

• Hero SKU: 41.5kg adjustable dumbbells now get almost all ad spend and feature placement.

  "Off the back of that exercise we were like, this is the product that makes the most kind of opportunity margin and it's the most differentiable. So we do push that look very heavily." — Kareem (37:21)

US Expansion: The Next Frontier

• BrainGain is preparing to launch in America, and Kareem is actively seeking advice on regional fulfillment and best practices.

  "For Europe, we went in blind. We were just figuring it out as we were going along. I think what I'm a huge believer of now is...the power of the network and asking for help and support and guidance..." — Kareem (40:24)

• Considers U.S. market a huge opportunity because of its sheer size and the proven demand for home fitness.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On product focus:
  "We were selling gym equipment or dumbbells plus benches plus stands plus kettlebells. But we kind of got a little bit distracted by Reformer Pilates is an absolutely hot market right now...But I think what we found is it was actually quite a big distraction from our core." (13:02)

• On European bureaucracy:
  "Germany is a difficult market bureaucratically to navigate." (19:12)

• On social marketing focus:
  "For us, YouTube is evergreen. Views build up over time. There's social proof, you see comments. Whereas I think TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, whatever is a better channel for lower AOV, slightly more impulsive kind of purchases." (25:12)

• On the value of granular bookkeeping:
  "One of the best things we did... is outsource or get someone to do your numbers...even if it's just like a bookkeeper who's doing it all, keeping it all up to date, because that's the only way you can get a super clear view on month on month how things are going." (34:13)

Key Timestamps

• 02:05 — Kareem explains BrainGain's pandemic beginnings
• 04:15 — Why building a physical logistics operation (not dropship)
• 07:39 — The meaning behind the BrainGain brand name
• 13:54 — SKU strategy: from distraction to focus
• 16:33 — Lessons from Europe: Localization and regulatory differences
• 18:40 — Shipment stuck at German customs: logistics lessons
• 20:28 — Euro market focus: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, with Poland in expansion plans
• 22:01 — Channel performance: 50/50 split Amazon/Shopify, dominance of Google & YouTube
• 24:02 — YouTube affiliate strategy and survey insights
• 27:34 — 3PL pitfalls and huge savings through Poland-border facility
• 31:10 — Operational cost breakdowns and optimizations
• 34:02 — Going deep on unit economics and improving profitability
• 37:02 — Hero SKU identification and channel strategy
• 37:53 — Why premium SKUs are cheaper on Shopify than Amazon
• 39:37 — Considering U.S. entry; seeking logistics advice

Where to Follow Kareem & BrainGain

• LinkedIn: Kareem is most active and recommends connecting there for business inquiries or advice ([41:36]).

Listen if:
You want to learn how to scale heavy physical products internationally, optimize the low-margin details that really matter, refine your marketing channel focus, and navigate the complexity of cross-border ecommerce. This episode is rich with practical detail, hard-won lessons, and sharp strategic thinking.