Crunch Fitness' CEO is a Marine vet with a rock-solid resolve who believes work-life balance is a myth

Jim Rowley has spent over a decade at the helm of gym chain Crunch Fitness, which operates over 400 locations. Rowley maintains that the trappings of modern work—work-life balance, life hacks, corner-cutting—are illusions. He works on nights and weekends, and he tracks the granular details, because he insists that hard work doesn’t come to those who aren’t serious.