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.
The same applies when he has his CEO hat on. When he’s visiting a franchise location or meeting with employees, McGowan said he gives those conversations his full attention rather than allowing distractions to pull him away.
Courtesy of Crumbl
“Work-life balance is extremely important,” McGowan said. “Being with your families and being present is really important. It is really hard to perfectly balance. I almost don’t even like that word.”
Crumbl isn’t the only major company to close on Sundays. Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby have long done the same, citing their founders’ Christian beliefs and the importance of giving employees time to worship, rest, and be with family. But McGowan’s philosophy also comes as the broader conversation around work is shifting. As more employees push for greater flexibility, and even four-day workweeks, the idea that success requires constant hustle is increasingly being challenged.
From eighth-grade dropout to to building a billion-dollar cookie empire
McGowan grew up in Alberta, Canada, to a father who worked as a social worker and a mother employed at a bank. After the eighth grade, though, McGowan dropped out of school and entered the workforce.
“I wanted to actually own a restaurant one day,” he said. “I’d worked at a steakhouse when I was young, and I was managing the kitchen portion of the steakhouse when I was just 16.”
After moving to Utah in 2003, McGowan spent six months sleeping on friends’ floors while teaching himself web development. He went on to cofound several technology startups, including a social network for students at Brigham Young University and a platform for discovering local events. From 2015 to 2017, he served as Ancestry’s director of mobile product before teaming up with Hemsley to launch Crumbl.
Today, the chain is known for its oversized cookies and eyebrow-raising weekly flavor lineup, ranging in recent weeks from “Flamin’ Lime Crunch” and “Wild Cherry Blue Razz Slushy” to “Root Beer Float” and “Hawaiian Coconut.”
Looking back, McGowan said too many aspiring founders become consumed with the idea of building a business instead of solving a problem for customers.
“I love building things,” he said. “Whether it’s the world’s best cookie or a piece of technology that serves somebody else. The joy of building something that makes somebody else smile—that’s what drives me.”
In May of this year, McGowan announced that he and Hemsley are in the process of transitioning away from Crumbl as they find new leadership to take the company “to the next level.” It was reported early last year that Crumbl was exploring a sale that would have valued the company at nearly $2 billion.
Crumbl CEO’s advice for Gen Z: Never stop learning—nor lose the human touch
Running a dessert company has become more complicated in recent years, from the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to AI reshaping how businesses market, hire, and serve customers.
For McGowan, those shifts are exactly why curiosity matters more than ever.
“The future has always been unpredictable,” McGowan said. “I will always tell my kids, never be afraid to learn new things, and never be afraid to just constantly be learning. It doesn’t matter what age you are, and who you are. Never be afraid to continue to learn and to grow.”
That mindset is especially important for Gen Z entering a labor market being transformed by AI. While technology will continue to reshape the workplace, he said the fundamentals of creating value for other people won’t change.
“We’ve got to remember the importance of technology and helping and serving people,” he said. “I think sometimes that can get lost in translation, and that’s something that’s really important—never underestimate the power of human touch.”
Those principles—embracing lifelong learning while staying focused on serving others—will outlast any technological disruption, McGowan added.
“If you’re not afraid to learn, and you’re not afraid to understand the importance of building something for somebody else and creating value in the world, you’re going to be just fine.”
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