Muscle Republic: scaling from garage to 3,000sqm warehouse

• Muscle Republic grew from a garage-based passion project into a national e-commerce sportswear brand.
• Founder Vic Gigliotti navigated inconsistent sales, tight cash flow and years of trial and error before the business found sustained momentum.
• As growth accelerated, Muscle Republic consolidated three warehouses into one 3,000sqm facility.
• Using an eGuarantee Lease Bond for commercial lease security helped protect working capital for the fit-out, operations and marketing needed to support growth.

Twelve years ago, Vic Gigliotti launched Muscle Republic with a clear mission: to build a sportswear brand anchored in performance, community and heart.

Inspired by values of resilience and progress — and led by his trusted four-legged “CEO”, Charlie — Vic turned a garage operation into a thriving e-commerce business with a fiercely loyal customer base.

But like any business scaling from a passion project to a national brand, growth wasn’t linear. It required smart decisions, grit, and constant reinvestment.

Vic experienced periods when the business gained traction, followed by periods with no sales at all. Cash was so tight at one stage that he sold everything he had, leaving just him and Charlie living in the warehouse.

Finding the right products, brand and target audience took repeated trial and error. But Vic’s grit — and Charlie’s company — carried him through as he persisted with what he wanted to achieve.

Then COVID hit. Vic trialled new products and began sharing his business journey on social media. He decided to throw everything he had into the business — and traction came. This time, it stayed, with sales taking off.

As the sales continued to grow, the ordering of stock increased, and he got three warehouses to support all the inventory. But sales was still out growing the space, and he needed a better solution.

Recently, Muscle Republic made a major leap — consolidating three separate warehouses into one massive 3,000sqm facility. That kind of move doesn’t just represent growth. It requires it.

The costs of moving to a bigger warehouse

As a business owner, these kinds of milestones are exciting, but they come with serious considerations:

• Upfront costs: Think fit-outs, racking, packing stations, and new machinery.
• Operational logistics: Coordinating a move across multiple sites while staying online.
• Marketing pressure: You need volume to justify the space, which means investing in demand.
• Cash flow: The less talked-about piece, but often the most make-or-break.

Why cash flow decides the move

On top of fit-out and operational costs, a new commercial lease can require substantial security. For a growing business, having cash tied up in a traditional bank guarantee can limit the money available for the move itself and the investment needed to make the larger space work.

Vic summed it up well:

“Scaling up the warehouse is a big leap – but if you believe in the vision, you back yourself and the team to make it happen.”

As Vic’s lease bond case study shows, the right lease security can make a meaningful difference when a growing business is taking on a larger premises. Protecting cash flow meant Vic could keep investing in the move and the growth it was designed to support.

Scaling is more than just signing a bigger lease or hiring more staff. It’s about making decisions that protect your liquidity while fuelling growth.

For Vic, one of those decisions was choosing a Lease Bond over a traditional bank guarantee for his commercial lease security. Like many owners of a growing business, Vic needed lease security that could support the next stage of growth without unnecessarily tying up capital. That gave him faster fit-outs, smoother transitions and marketing dollars ready to drive sales.

Six months later, eGuarantee went to visit Vic and the team, and the warehouse is already 80% full. It’s a reminder that when businesses protect their cash flow, they position themselves to move quickly, take bold steps and make the most of growth opportunities.

If you’re facing a similar leap — whether it’s moving into a larger space, expanding operations, or investing in infrastructure — the lesson from Muscle Republic is clear:

Growth rewards businesses that stay nimble, protect their capital, and invest in the things that drive momentum.

eGuarantee’s Lease Bond solution helped Vic protect his capital to fuel his business growth. As the first of its kind to be offered to the Australian and New Zealand market, eGuarantee’s Lease Bond solution replaces bank guarantees as the new standard for commercial lease security that requires no cash collateral. Now tenants and landlords can enjoy superior financial and administrative benefits with all the protection and legal credibility of a traditional bank guarantee from a big 4 bank.

No large upfront costs

With an eGuarantee Lease Bond solution, tenants can forget about having to provide large sums of capital at the start of their lease. As a non-cash, non-collateral lease security, eGuarantee allows commercial renters to improve their financial situation by freeing up their working capital to invest back into the growth of their business.

Enhanced security

As a completely digitised form of lease security, Lease Bonds allow both tenants and landlords to avoid the unwanted exposure of outdated paper authentication. Have peace of mind knowing that your lease securities are safe and secure, stored on an encrypted platform.

Talk to our team today to find out how you can release the cash from your bank guarantee.