After dedicating years to raising and homeschooling her four children, Lissa Merchant found herself in a season of asking, “What’s next?” She wasn’t ready for retirement—but she was ready for purpose. That’s when she discovered Special Strong, and everything clicked.
Tell me a bit about yourself – what does your background look like?
I’m a mom of four, and for a long time, my identity was wrapped up in homeschooling them and running our home. My husband and I have a swim school, and I supported it early on, but my main focus was always the kids. When our youngest graduated, I realized I still had a lot of life left to live and wanted to use that time to pour into others.
How did you end up here? Why did you pick Special Strong?
It actually started with a prayer. I was in this season of doing things for myself—taking care of my health, studying the Bible—but I knew I wanted to do something more. I asked the Lord to use me, and I started exploring options. I even looked into being a postpartum doula, but nothing clicked. Then one day, while scrolling on Facebook, I saw a Special Strong post. I was immediately drawn in—especially when I realized it was a faith-based business. From that moment on, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I felt like God had put it in front of me for a reason.
Were there any concerns that you had going into this process?
Absolutely—money was the biggest one. I loved everything about the concept, the mission, and the community it served, but it still had to make sense financially. Even after deciding to move forward, figuring out the right funding option was another hurdle. I also had some concerns when I realized some of the early franchises were doing all the training themselves, which limited revenue. When Gerry came on board and helped shift the model toward franchisees as owner/operators, it gave me a lot more confidence in the long-term potential of the business.
From start to finish, what was the process like of becoming a franchisee?
It began pretty organically. I saw an ad on Facebook, clicked through to the site, and filled out the pre-qualification form. That led me to information about financing, and then I attended a webinar hosted by Daniel. From there, I had a screening call with Craig, and eventually spoke with Dominique and Daniel. Throughout that whole process, I had lots of contact with Gerry and Daniel. They were always available to answer my questions—and also making sure I was a good fit for them, which I appreciated.
During the process, what did you learn from talking with other franchisees?
I reached out to as many franchisees as I could. What struck me was that they all said the same thing—they’d do it all over again. Each person had their own story: some were retired, some were growing families, others felt called into it. They came from totally different backgrounds, but what united them was their heart for the mission and how highly they spoke of the team at corporate. That really stood out.
What would you tell someone else who is considering becoming a franchisee?
Pray about it. Be honest—with yourself and with the Special Strong team. This isn’t easy work, and it will challenge you, but it also has the potential to transform your life. And the support from the corporate team—Daniel, Gerry, Adam—it’s been incredible. They’ve been a blessing to me even in this short time.
What were some of the most attractive components of the business model?
For me, it was the alignment of three big passions: the special needs community, fitness, and my faith. When I saw the values and purpose behind Special Strong, I thought, “This is too good to be true.” I also loved that I didn’t have to build everything from scratch—things like digital marketing, financial tools like Quicken, and systems like GloFox were already in place. That support was a huge plus.
What made you overcome your fears and say YES to Special Strong?
My husband and I were very cautious. We asked a ton of questions, had lots of conversations, and did our due diligence. I had a sense of peace the entire time, but I still wanted to be wise about such a big decision. The peace I felt, the honesty from the franchisees I spoke to, and the clarity I received from the leadership team helped me say yes with confidence.
What did you think about the start-up costs and fees with Special Strong?
Coming from the swim school world—where our start-up estimates were over a million dollars—this felt much more manageable. Not having to build out a storefront or invest in a full gym setup keeps the cost down. And the potential to recoup those costs within 18 to 24 months? That really showed me this was a smart.
