Dive into the remarkable journey of Tricia and Mark, who transitioned from Burn Boot Camp Members to passionate and successful Franchise Partners. Their story begins in Mallard Creek, North Carolina, where Tricia first discovered her love for Burn Boot Camp. They noticed the depth of the relationships forming among Members and knew they were part of something unique. Tricia’s passion for fostering this sense of belonging led them to become a bigger part of Burn Nation, eventually bringing them to Frisco, Texas. When the opportunity to become Franchise Partners presented itself, Tricia and Mark were excited to take this next step, one that would profoundly impact their lives and an unbeknownst community halfway across the country.
Opening their Burn Boot Camp gym has not only transformed their professional lives, but their family life as well. From moving across the country to fully immerse themselves in their business, to setting an example for their children about the values of hard work and entrepreneurship, Tricia and Mark’s journey is a testament to their dedication.
Read their interview below where they talk about what inspired them to become a bigger part of Burn Nation, their experience of directly changing the lives of their Members, and advice for anyone who is interested in becoming a Burn Boot Camp Franchise Partner. Hear directly from Mark and Tricia in this inspiring short video.
Tell us a little bit about your Burn journey and how you got started.
Tricia: I started as a Burn Member in Mallard Creek, North Carolina. I started working out there, loved it. Mark noticed a change in me, just with the girlfriends and community and the events that we were doing. We found out that Burn was going to be franchising back in 2016 so I said, “When you start franchising let me know.” By March of 2017 we were Franchise Partners, so it all happened really quick.
Mark: We had been married twelve to fifteen years. At that point, you have all the same friends. Anyone who is married knows you share friends. She kept saying, “Hey, I’m going to hang out with this friend” and it was people that I’ve never heard of. It’s really easy for guys to bump knuckles and you’re brothers forever, right? With women it’s not the same. Seeing how quickly and deeply the relationships developed told me that Burn Boot Camp was something different. The one piece that we really talked about was how much the community mattered where you’re going to work out. There was so much more than just another gym.
What does it mean to you that you get to foster that same community in your Burn Boot Camp gym?
Mark: When we first talked about franchising, what made it real for us was when Trish said, “I want to bottle up what we have here and take it somewhere else.” We looked all around Charlotte and there was nothing available, so then we started looking at other places. But that was her passion and that’s where it started. Having an impact on the community is so much more than people losing weight.
Tricia: We started our Franchise Partner journey as remote owners. We lived in Huntersville, North Carolina and opened in Frisco, Texas. We very quickly realized that part of the passion was the community, and we wanted to be a part of that. It was difficult to be part of the community from a thousand miles away so nine months into opening we moved our family across the country to be here.
Why was the community so important that you were willing to move your family across the country?
Tricia: We didn’t see another way of doing it. I had always wanted to own my own business, and I didn’t really know what that looked like. Through the years I was a marathon runner and a running coach for marathon distance and pacing. That’s how I first came to Burn. I was a washed up, injured runner who was angry and couldn’t get endorphins. I thought Burn would do, and then I fell in love with it. I just didn’t see how we could have the same impact if we weren’t present.
Yes, it’s community. But it’s also rooting for the underdog, empowering people, and lifting them up. The woman who has her head down walking in the gym and then the next thing you know she’s smiling and high fiving when they’re coming through the door. You can’t see that from a thousand miles away. You can’t feel that. Nobody is going to run your business the way you would with the heart, soul, and passion. My Members know that this business is run on true passion for a healthier human.
Mark: We didn’t get into this for the money. I continued working in my job as we went through this. We did this as something that we were passionate about. We didn’t do it without looking at the money, but that wasn’t our core driver. We looked at Mallard Creek’s transformation wall, and one of the things that was prevalent across every Burn was that the transformation wall is your portfolio. We said that we wanted our entire transformation wall to be all Frisco stories. As we started to do that, that wall became our portfolio. That’s what drew us here. If our mission and goal is to create our own set of transformation stories, you can’t do that as an investor, you do that as an invested partner, someone who is part of that family and community.
How has Burn changed your life since opening your own location?
Tricia: Burn has changed our life in a million ways. We do this as a passion and for the greater good at the end of the day. There are a lot of sacrifices that go into it, I’m not going to lie. I’ve missed open houses or diving meets for the kids, but our kids also view this place as their home, and they love it here. My 14-year-old wants to be a Trainer when she’s 18 and she’s hoping to run this gym one day. The thought of the example that we’re setting for them is powerful. I don’t know how else we would be able to set this example without owning a small business that is so impactful in the health and well-being of others. The girls know a lot about nutrition, fitness, and exercise. We’re just trying to educate them the best we can.
Mark: She worked in corporate America before this and I’m still in corporate America. Our girls always saw the idea that if you work hard, you’ll be successful. Being entrepreneurs in addition to that, they start to see that taking risks pays off. This is their second home, and that is what has changed not just our lives, but our family’s lives.
What has Burn given you that you don’t have in a career elsewhere?
Mark: The one thing that always draws me here is a direct connection to the lives you’re changing. During our first year franchising, we got a letter from one of our Members who said she was on an anti-depressant medication for over twenty years. After joining Burn Boot Camp, she went to her doctor and he told her that she could stop taking it. That, to me, is the difference between my two jobs. You get to see and know everyone you’re changing the lives of.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in owning a Burn Boot Camp?
Mark: There are two things that you want to look at first. Location, location, location. And it’s all about the team. Not necessarily in that order. If you can get the right team in here that’s going to create the right community and the right culture, you can overcome just about anything. Location is important. Think about where you are. What’s the convenience? How can people get there? Find a place that has good traffic and is easy to get in and out of. From there, everything else becomes about your community which is created by that team and the people around you. The more that you can get in there and focus on finding the right team, the sky is the limit. There are a lot of other tips and tricks, but if you can manage the other two things well, the rest will be there.
Tricia: There are a lot of other franchises out there to choose from, but you have to start with why. You have to start with why you want Burn Boot Camp. Dig into that thought. Narrow in your scope of what you want to be doing and what you’re passionate about, then decide if Burn Boot Camp matches that “why”.
If you could sum it up, what does Burn mean to you?
Tricia: Burn is my home. The people are my family. I can’t imagine my life without it. Yes, I have friends that don’t come to this gym and I have circles outside of here, but this is what we eat, sleep, and breathe. It’s who we are.
Matt: To me, “community” is probably the word I would use. This is our family and our community. Home, family, and community are what we’ve built here and what we anchor ourselves to in this group.
