Lesson 1 of 6
Choosing the right product category
Learning objectives
- Compare apparel, accessories, supplements, equipment and digital
- Match category to your audience and capital
- Avoid categories that will sink a first-time founder
- Pick a category you can actually launch in 90 days
Not all fitness products are equal
Apparel looks attractive but is brutal: sizing, returns, photography, inventory and seasonal drops. Accessories (bands, bottles, mats, lifting gear) have cleaner margins and simpler sizing. Supplements carry regulation, label law, batch testing and storage cost. Equipment ties up cash in heavy stock. Digital products (programmes, ebooks, templates) carry near-zero COGS but live or die on audience and conversion.
Each category has its own maths, its own risk and its own time to first sale. Pick the one that fits your money, your audience and your skill — not the one that looks best on Instagram.
Match category to capital
Apparel and supplements typically need £8k–£25k+ to launch credibly with stock, photography and a small launch budget. Accessories can launch on £2k–£8k. Digital can launch on £0 if you already have an audience. Be honest about what you can fund before you commit.
Pick something you can ship
A category you understand, can source within 8–12 weeks, can photograph well and can talk about for a year without getting bored. Boredom kills brands faster than competition.
Founder insight — Derrick Twum
MEMFitness did not start with twenty SKUs. It started with a focused range we could actually sample, photograph, ship and re-stock. Narrow beats wide on the first launch every time.
Key takeaway
Pick the category that matches your capital, your audience and your time — not the category with the prettiest mood board.
Reflection questions
- 1Which categories are you genuinely considering?
- 2What is your real launch budget?
- 3Which category can you actually ship in 90 days?
Action task
Score apparel, accessories, supplements, equipment and digital from 1–10 on fit with your audience, capital and time. Pick one to take into the next lesson.
Worksheet
Work through these prompts. Answers save to this device.
Answers are saved to this device only. Cloud sync coming soon.
Related MEM tools
- AI Business Planner
- Product Idea Validation Sheet