From Fitness App to Fuel Pumps: How Kayla Itsines' Gas Station Investment Outshines Her $400M Tech Exit
At 22, Kayla Itsines became a self-made millionaire by bootstrapping a fitness guide into a global phenomenon. A decade later, she sold her company Sweat for $400 million. Yet the Australian entrepreneur insists the most satisfying revenue stream isn't from tech—it's from a gas station.
Itsines, whose Instagram following tops 15.6 million, built her empire with the 12-week "Bikini Body Guide" before scaling it into the Sweat app, which amassed 50 million users. The 2022 sale to iFIT cemented her status as a fitness industry titan. But instead of retiring, she turned to a classic wealth preservation strategy: diversification into tangible assets.
"The first investment that genuinely excited me with its returns was a petrol station," Itsines disclosed in a recent interview. "After all the digital millions, there's something remarkably grounding about rent checks from a gas station paying my bills."
Her advice to aspiring investors? "Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify across industries. The internet might one day shut off, but people will always need fuel and convenience."
The move aligns with wisdom from investing legends. Warren Buffett, who began building his $143 billion fortune young, famously compared compound interest to a snowball rolling downhill. Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman encourages "learning by doing" with small amounts, while veteran NYSE trader Peter Tuchman warns against luxury goods as investments, advocating instead for stocks in solid companies.
Reader Perspectives:
Marcus Chen, Venture Capitalist in San Francisco: "Itsines demonstrates that post-exit asset allocation is as crucial as the exit itself. Her gas station play isn't quaint—it's a hedge against tech volatility that more founders should consider."
Eleanor Vance, Financial Literacy Advocate in London: "This is refreshingly tangible advice in an era obsessed with crypto and apps. She's reminding us that boring, cash-flowing businesses can be the bedrock of financial security."
Derek Rhodes, Tech Entrepreneur in Austin: "Frankly, this highlights everything wrong with today's 'disruption' narrative. If a $400M exit can't match a gas station's cash flow, maybe we're overvaluing digital startups and undervaluing essential infrastructure."
Sophie Williams, Personal Finance Blogger in Toronto: "It's not about the asset class—it's about the mindset. Her willingness to invest outside her expertise is what every investor should emulate, regardless of portfolio size."