Burn Boot Camp is a fitness franchise based out of North Carolina that offers coed group fitness classes and complimentary child care for class attendees.

Darci Evans is a full-time ER Nurse and a mom of three. Her and husband currently own two Burn Boot Camp locations, in Clive and Ankeny. Darci’s first exposure to Burn Boot Camp was attending a class with one of her friends and she instantly fell in love with the concept. Darci immediately signed up for a Burn membership and attended classes for 9 months. She says that joining Burn was like a transformation for her, she felt physically and mentally better than she ever had and saw it positively impact other areas of her life. Darci had never thought of becoming a business owner, but when she had the opportunity to open her own Burn location it just felt right.

Coming from a medical background, rather than a business one, Darci was grateful for help in learning business basics from the SBDC when she was first getting started. “Jan Bruene, Mid Iowa SBDC Business Counselor, has been great. She has been my go-to for how-to from funding to just the basics of business. Every time I have a question they’ll answer or direct me to different resources, like Christina Moffatt from The Greater Des Moines Partnership. Jan walked me through the LivePlan for funding, our lender had few questions and thought it was very good. Throughout the pandemic, Jan has reached out and kept up with us. She has been very great and full of moral support, like my personal cheerleader.”

Since opening her two locations, Darci has won numerous local fitness awards and has recently been featured in the Burn Boot Camp national newsletter.

Darci is a major advocate for mental health and uses her influence in her community to destigmatize therapy. She has worked to make her gym a place where everyone is celebrated, emphasizing diversity and inclusion in every aspect of her business.

Darci currently has plans to open a third Burn Boot Camp location and is just excited to continue to build the positive fitness culture she has created in her community. Darci uses her business to “empower members to become the best versions of themselves possible, to transform our communities. We give people the tools to become mentally, emotionally, and physically strong.”