Young Ones to Watch: Daniel Stein, CEO & Founder of Special Strong

Founded in 2016 by Daniel Stein and his wife Trinity, Special Strong is a fitness franchise that works with clients affected by autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Down syndrome, ADD/ADHD, cerebral palsy and other similar afflictions. After struggling with a learning disability and an autoimmune disease for most of his life, Stein learned first-hand about the life-changing effects of proper exercise. With this in mind, Stein set out to create a business that could help individuals impacted by mental, physical and cognitive challenges live a more independent and abundant life. 

Today, Special Strong has grown to feature multiple franchise locations and has helped more than 1,500 clients with special needs and other disabilities overcome their challenges. Looking ahead, Stein says he is excited to utilize franchising as a way to share this service to more communities across the country.

“My advice to up-and-coming franchise brands is to pick something that you are passionate about and focus on it,” said Stein. “People often get too distracted by shiny objects. Throughout our journey, we’ve had so many people suggesting new ideas and ways we should change our business model, but we’ve stayed true to our core focus — providing adaptive fitness for people with challenges — and as a result we’ve been very successful.”

Watch the full interview above, or click here to watch it on YouTube.