When Crumbl first opened its doors in northern Utah in 2017, cofounders Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley had a simple goal: create the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
Nearly a decade later, that experiment has grown into a cookie empire generating more than $1 billion in annual revenue, with nearly 1,100 locations and more than 29,000 employees. But according to McGowan, who serves as Crumbl’s CEO, building a company of that scale isn’t always so sweet.
In the early days, the two cousins spent countless early mornings mixing cookie dough, late nights scrubbing kitchens, and weekends wondering whether the business would survive another week. Those years of nonstop hustle ultimately shaped how McGowan now thinks about leadership—and why he believes knowing when to step away is just as important as knowing how to build.
“[At Crumbl], we don’t open on Sundays. Not just for religious purposes, but for time to reset,” McGowan, who is Mormon, told Fortune. “Everyone thinks that life is just go, go, go…[but] for me, success isn’t only about building the biggest company—it’s also about creating meaningful moments with those who matter most.”
For McGowan, that means being fully present—whether he’s at home or at work. As a father of seven, he puts his email away during family moments, whether he’s cheering from the sidelines at a soccer game or gathering around the table for a game of Catan.
