Ep.28 - Stepping on the throat of your competition

Former US Marine, Jim Rowley, set up New Evolution Ventures with Mark Mastrov to act as an umbrella for brands including Crunch Fitness, UFC GYMS, Madonna’s Hardcandy Fitness, YogaWorks and more. 

Even after initial accomplishment, reaching his professional goals and working with some of the biggest names in fitness, Jim was responsible for evolving a business that was doing $90 million and took it to $300 million. Hear his success story, experience insights, predictions on the future of fitness and more in this inspiring episode. 

Watch the full episode on YouTube – https://youtu.be/QF_pk-XIMlk

Born in Nappa Valley, Jim and his identical twin brother were raised by teenage parents in a family with strong lineage in the military. Due to this influence and aspirational approach, he graduated high school and immediately enlisted as a US Marine.

After his service, Jim’s future was to be filled with creating a fitness legacy that is stronger than ever. His 15 years in 24 Hour Fitness and expansive list of senior roles within the industry have built on success after success. In the early days in sales, Jim told himself: ‘I want to be the youngest vice president promoted in the history of this company’ at 24 Hour Fitness.

It wasn’t long before he reached his goal and was VP before he was 30, with 33 clubs under his belt.

The US Marines gave Jim discipline, responsibility, courage and the philosophy to put in the hours. On top of that, Jim broke his approach down to what it was like to be a member, instead of making it all about sales. This was met well with both staff and prospective clients alike from his early days in the industry. 

Today, Jim is reaping the rewards of risking it all with a mortgage, three kids in private school and family responsibilities at 40 years old to go in his own direction in a joint venture with Mark Mastrov. 

The evolution of fitness is what inspired the name of New Evolution Ventures. Instead of having one brand with a huge presence, NeV is about aggregating multiple brands and learning from each of them simultaneously. This spawned the beginning of the UFC GYMs, the introduction of YogaWorks, and more.

 

Episode Highlights: 

• How to get over the apprehension of dramatically changing careers, especially when transitioning from the military to civilian life.
• Going from calling in every favour in order to get his first job to becoming a pioneer of the fitness industry and how you can achieve anything through hard work.
• The reasons you need to be accountable and responsible while persevering with your passion. It’s a case of working hard andworking smart.
• How to achieve and deal with massive expansion through acquisition thanks to celebrity endorsement and efficient ad campaigns; the benefits of creating a lifestyle.
• Finding the balance to be there for your children while still staying successful in business.

 

Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Jim Rowley of New Evolution Ventures.

 

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