Building Community and Connection in Business with Devan Kline
Devan Kline, Co-Founder and Visionary of Burn Boot Camp, explains how scaling emotional connection took his fitness brand from a $600 parking lot workout to 400 locations in 44 states. He shares the Blue Carpet Experience, championship culture, and why Burn is a confidence company that sells you on yourself.
Scaling emotional connection is supposed to be impossible, and Devan Kline heard exactly that at a Tony Robbins event, when a boutique fitness executive said a feeling could not be scaled. In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, host Tullio Siragusa sits down with Devan Kline, Co-Founder and Visionary of Burn Boot Camp, which he started in 2012 with $600 in a North Carolina parking lot and has grown to 400 open locations in 44 states.
In this episode we explore:
• Why Burn Boot Camp calls itself a confidence company, not a fitness company
• How free ChildWatch opens the community to busy parents
• Why the real motivator is who you do it for, not why
• How the Blue Carpet Experience turns a feeling into a measurable process
• Why championship culture pairs belonging with high standards
• What it means to run a business like a functional family
Burn began in a hot parking lot with no equipment, where all members really had was each other. People may come for a six pack, Devan says, but they stay for belonging, connection and self-esteem.
Growth did not dilute that feeling, because Devan refused to leave it to chance. The Blue Carpet Experience is a door-to-door checklist, from parking lot music to a Burn Ambassador who knows your name, and every location is managed to it. It is Building Love Into Scalable Systems in practice.
Warmth comes with standards. Championship culture asks people to be humble, accountable and hungry to improve, and Burn grows leaders from within, from member to trainer to multi-unit franchise partner.
On love in business, Devan argues for running a company like a functional family, opening each quarterly family meeting with an issues list so problems land on the table.
Turning a brand feeling into a repeatable, measurable experience is the same discipline Zero Company brings to helping brands connect with the people they serve.
🎙️ Hosted by Tullio Siragusa
🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa
Key Takeaways
• (1:34) On growth: “Our goal isn’t to get big, our goal is to get better. And if we get bigger by being better, then we’re going to be just fine.”
• (5:04) On what Burn really sells: “We’re not a fitness company that sells memberships. We’re a confidence company that sells you on yourself.”
• (8:24) On motivation: “So the question isn’t why, the question is the who. Like, who are you doing this for, right?”
• (11:27) On the doubters: “There’s this industry notion that you couldn’t scale feeling, that you couldn’t scale emotion.”
• (29:30) On advice to his younger self: “Your ambition is not your identity.”
• (33:40) On the Blue Carpet Experience: “You have to be able to manage the emotional connection. How do you do that? You measure it.”
FAQ
Can you scale emotional connection in a franchise?
Devan Kline, Co-Founder and Visionary of Burn Boot Camp, says yes, if you measure it. Burn’s Blue Carpet Experience turns the member welcome into a checklist every location is managed to, which is how the brand kept its feeling across 400 locations.
What does Devan Kline mean by a confidence company?
Devan Kline says Burn Boot Camp is not a fitness company that sells memberships but a confidence company that sells you on yourself, using fitness as a metaphor to build members’ self-esteem one camp at a time.
Does love belong in business, according to Devan Kline?
Yes. Devan Kline says to run a business like a functional family, where people care enough to tell each other the truth, and he says hiding issues is what kills most franchise companies.
Scaling emotional connection comes down to caring about one person at a time and building the process to do it every time. Learn more at burnbootcamp.com, connect with Devan Kline on Instagram, see his guest profile, watch the video, or explore more Featured Guest Series conversations.
Co-Founder of Burn Boot Camp
Devan Kline is the visionary and co-founder of Burn Boot Camp, a fitness movement he launched in 2012 with his wife, Morgan. A former pro athlete turned entrepreneur, he’s passionate about using fitness as a catalyst for confidence, connection, and lasting transformation. Devan is also the host of the Burn Boot Camp Podcast and co-author of the best-selling book Burn: The Burn Boot Camp 5-Step Strategy for Inner and Outer Strength. Today, Burn empowers women and families across 350+ locations nationwide.
