@MuscleNation is Australia’s leading activewear, supplement and health food company. Launched in 2016 by best friends Chris Anastasi and Nathaniel Anthony, the start-up went on to achieve $51m in revenue in the 2020/21 financial year, primarily fuelled by the Australian market. Their proven business model and growing online presence now spark hopes for similar dominance on the international playing field, with a diverse range of over 1,000 products ready to be deployed to markets worldwide.
The key so far for Muscle Nation has been their embrace of community. Fully utilizing the power of social media is critical for the majority of up-and-coming brands. The pair have built up a group of influencers, the reliability of whom they put down to their close relationship and the strength of Muscle Nation’s products. By treating the individuals who publicly endorse their products as confidants and family members rather than transactional tradespeople, Anastasi and Anthony can develop genuine adoration for the Muscle Nation brand. The approach is vastly more compelling to the public.
Community includes everybody, though, and Muscle Nation’s founders are eager to recognize the equal importance of consumer interaction and feedback in the success of their products. “We reply to all of our customers,” Anthony outlines. “We’re not just selling them something and then forgetting about them.”
The organic growth Anastasi and Anthony have generated through their community-driven initiatives has culminated in a comfortable spot in their native Australia. But the ultimate goal has always stretched beyond that for the ambitious duo. Muscle Nation’s products are available to be shipped worldwide, but availability means nothing if international audiences aren’t aware of their work. With hopes of breaking America, their next move naturally swings towards curating a like-minded group of influencers in the US to replicate the strong community growth and broad reach the brand has achieved down under.
For a business that rose from a partnership between two individuals, the human influence permeates Muscle Nation’s past successes and current aspirations. It seems only a matter of time before that influence reaches a global scale.