'You Can Go Viral Overnight': This College Student and His Brother Spent $5,000 to Start a Side Hustle — Now Their Brand's Making Over $175 Million Gurmer and Robby Chopra "wanted to create something better but affordable" in the fitness space.
By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- The brothers officially launched their brand in 2014, listing the product on Amazon and eBay.
- The business surpassed $100 million in annual revenue with over one million customers in 2023.
It's the era of the side hustle, and if you've ever considered starting one to earn some extra cash outside of your 9-5, you're in good company. These days, more than one-third of U.S. adults have side hustles, and their supplemental gigs make an average of $891 a month, according to recent research from Bankrate. Of course, the most successful side-hustlers see much higher earnings, especially when they start a business that brings in nearly as much as — or significantly more than — their full-time sources of income.
Los Angeles, California-based brothers Gurmer and Dashmeet (Robby) Chopra launched their side hustle with $5,000 in 2014 and turned it into a successful brand worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger, YG and others, and have collaborated with UFC, Gold's Gym and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Learn more about their journey, here.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of YoungLA. Gurmer Chopra and Robby Chopra.
What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
At the time, I was a college student and working part-time at Ernst & Young. My brother Robby was working for a company called DEX. Robby and I were both hustling, working on other small ecommerce side projects, selling on Amazon and eBay. We weren't in the fashion industry at all; we were just two guys who got into the fitness space and wanted to create something better but affordable for that industry.
When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
We officially launched YoungLA in 2014, but it really started a little earlier when we saw a gap in gymwear that fit well, looked good and didn't break the bank. We were inspired by our own frustration with overpriced or underwhelming fitness gear. So we made our own shorts with just one product, and it snowballed from there.
What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground?
We designed one pair of bodybuilding shorts, listed them on Amazon and eBay and used the profit from the first batch to fund the next. No investors, no loans, just reinvesting everything. We fulfilled every order ourselves from our parents' garage, handled customer service and learned the business side on the fly.
If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach to save you time, energy or just a headache, what would it be, and how do you wish you'd done it differently?
I would've built out better systems earlier. For fulfillment, inventory tracking and marketing automation. We were doing everything manually for way too long, and it cost us time, energy and sometimes even sales. Delegating sooner would've scaled us faster.
When it comes to this specific business, what is something you've found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren't?
Forecasting demand is way harder than people think. You can go viral overnight and suddenly not have enough inventory, or drop something you thought would kill and get crickets. The fashion and fitness worlds move fast. Staying ahead means always adapting, but also not moving too quickly, where you're stuck with something that is off-trend or doesn't even make sense to launch anymore.
Can you recall a specific instance when something went very wrong? How did you fix it?
In the early days, we botched a shipment from overseas. Wrong color, wrong sizes, and we had already started marketing the drop. We couldn't launch it all; it wasn't something we could sell to our customers. We ate the cost, apologized to customers and expedited a new batch. That taught us the importance of quality control and having backup suppliers, but more importantly, the right supplier that meets our standards.
How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? How much did the side hustle earn?
It took about 12-18 months before we saw consistent monthly sales. We were reinvesting everything, so profit wasn't the focus, just growth. But once we started seeing five-figure months, we knew this wasn't just a side hustle anymore.
What does growth and revenue look like now?
As of 2023, we crossed $100 million in annual revenue, with over one million customers worldwide. We've grown into a full-blown brand! Sponsoring athletes, collaborating with influencers and expanding our women's line, gym gear and accessories.
How much time do you spend working on your business on a daily, weekly or monthly basis?
It's full-time and then some. I'm in the office daily in meetings with our creative team, supply chain, marketing and athlete relations. My brother and I stay hands-on, especially with new drops. We live and breathe YoungLA. Sundays are the only semi-off day, but even then, we're thinking about what's next.
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
The community we've built. Seeing people rep YoungLA in the gym, on social media or in everyday life is the most rewarding feeling. It's not just clothes — it's a lifestyle people connect with in and outside of the gym.
You have to genuinely be passionate about what you are working on. I take pride in the clothes we make because I know I put in the work to make the best possible clothing. You don't need to wait to be perfect, but adjust as you go, especially in the early stages of the brand.
