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

Feb 23, 2026

Kareem Raslan, co-founder of BrainGain who turned a garage side-hustle into a global home-fitness brand. He breaks down heavy-product logistics and why holding inventory beat dropshipping. He explains Europe expansion headaches like VAT, language, and customs. He also outlines a 50/50 Amazon-Shopify channel mix and why YouTube affiliates beat viral-first playbooks for high-AOV gear.

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ADVICE

Stop Selling Generic Alibaba Products

Move away from generic Alibaba products and co-create or secure exclusive distribution to avoid race-to-the-bottom pricing.
BrainGain worked with suppliers to develop unique SKUs and get exclusive rights in some markets, improving margins and defensibility.

ADVICE

Localize Everything For Each European Market

Localize for each European market: language, ads, website, emails, customer service, influencers, and regulatory practices.
Kareem found Germany demanded full localization and different VAT rates force SKU-by-SKU economics per country.

ANECDOTE

Customs Nightmare Forced A Logistics Pivot

A container shipment got stuck in German customs because their import setup was wrong, forcing rerouting via the Netherlands.
That episode taught them Germany's bureaucracy is hard and to use Netherlands or Poland as logistics bases first.

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Kareem Raslan (co-founder of BrainGain) breaks down how a “25 dumbbells in a garage” COVID side-hustle turned into a home gym brand with 100,000+ customers across 30 countries. We talk heavy-product logistics, why “just run Meta” isn’t the whole story, and what it really takes to expand across Europe without margin leakage.

For DTC operators selling high-AOV, physical products who want to expand beyond one market without getting crushed by fulfillment and localization.

In this episode, we cover:

Why BrainGain skipped dropshipping and went product-in-hand from day one
The Europe expansion reality: VAT, language, regulations, and market-by-market nuance
Why Germany can be the “logical” move… and still the hardest operationally
Their channel strategy today: ~50% Amazon / ~50% Shopify, with Google doing the heavy lifting
How YouTube affiliates drive trust for high-consideration purchases

Who this is for:

Founders and marketers selling heavy, high-AOV products (fitness, home goods, equipment) who need a real playbook for scaling across regions.

What to steal:

Build SKU-by-SKU unit economics so you know your true ceiling CAC (by market + channel)
Use YouTube affiliates for “proof” when the purchase isn’t impulsive
Audit 3PL invoices line-by-line (surcharges hide everywhere)

Timestamps

0:00 BrainGain’s growth from garage sales to 100,000 customers

2:00 How BrainGain started during COVID with Facebook Marketplace sales

5:00 Post-lockdown demand, competing in “big and heavy” products

7:00 Switching to Shopify and Amazon, building the brand online

14:40 Expanding across Europe: VAT, regulations, and localization realities

22:00 Channel mix breakdown: Amazon vs Shopify, Google vs Meta

24:00 Why BrainGain is saying no to TikTok influencers and leaning into YouTube affiliates

27:30 Picking the right 3PL in Europe and avoiding hidden surcharges

31:00 Fulfillment cost levers: packaging thresholds, pallet rules, invoice audits

34:10 SKU-level unit economics audit and setting a real CAC ceiling

37:20 Pricing strategy: Shopify vs Amazon and controlling channel mix

39:30 What US expansion could look like for heavy, bulky products

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