Meet the failed missionary who built a $100 million kingdom business

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – A failed medical missionary seems an unlikely candidate to build a multimillion-dollar enterprise to advance the Kingdom through an unorthodox business model. Yet that is exactly where Jason T. Smith’s extraordinary journey began.

Unlikely is the inspiring true story of how Jason T. Smith went from failed medical missionary to $100 million+ Christian entrepreneur.

Jason explores triumph over spiritual adversity and faith in God in the face of personal betrayal, corporate espionage, sabotage and disloyalty.

The accidental businessman’s memoir has been described as “had to put down…” by Rev Tim Costello (World Vision) and “an authentic and accessible leadership story for those looking to integrate purpose and vocation” (SBS chairman George Savvides).

At just 24 years of age, Jason founded what would ultimately become Australia’s largest physiotherapy network, the Back In Motion Health Group.

The physiotherapist, entrepreneur and missions advocate is now a globally-recognised business strategist and award-winning leadership expert, sharing his experiences of building successful businesses without sacrificing his faith or spiritual conscience with audiences across Australia and around the world. These experiences are now detailed in his aptly-titled memoir, Unlikely, and does not just make for an interesting read, but will inspire Christian entrepreneurs the world over.

“This book began as a labour of love to give our four children an inside perspective on the miracles God did in and through us that they missed while growing up,” explains Jason.

“What started as journal entries and short testimonies eventually became over 1,000 pages of disconnected memories, prayers, reflections, and learnings. But it became apparent that a sanitised edition may be of value to a wider audience, and so my commitment to a third book was born.”

Business did not come naturally to Jason. Having tried and failed in his quest to become a medical missionary, he launched a small physiotherapy practice from his home carport. Convinced God was steering him into different pathways, Jason turned to franchising to expand his burgeoning business.

That business, the Back In Motion Health Group, flourished to become Australia’s largest physiotherapy network, with over 140 locations nationwide and a team of 700 people. In 2013, Jason was named global accountancy group Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year and by 2019, Back In Motion had been bestowed the BRW Fast Franchise Award for five consecutive years.

Its subsequent sale for over $100 million – achieved during the COVID-19 pandemic – set a new record within the industry, and became the largest and most high-profile of the many businesses Jason has successfully sold, having built from the ground up. Back In Motion Health Group was acquired in 2021 by ASX-listed company, Healthia.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

Among the major challenges Jason explores in Unlikely are reconciling his idea of calling and purpose, learning how to live out his faith in the marketplace, franchising the “un-franchiseable” of personal healthcare services, corporate espionage, legal and political entanglements, and the spiritual warfare in the face of betrayal, theft, and sabotage.

Yet his biggest challenge of all – which now forms his biggest piece of advice to other entrepreneurs – was learning how to hear God clearly and obey Him boldly when others had long since given up or claimed that something simply couldn’t be done.

“Convictions born of God trump genius ideas and creative vision. Convictions fuel these things and don’t let you give up… even when everyone and everything fails you,” Jason says.

Jason is also a firm believer in life-long learning. While Unlikely marks the third and most personal book he has penned (following 2012’s Get Yourself Back in Motion and 2018’s Outside-In Downside-Up Leadership), Jason admits to being “criticised for buying more books than I can possibly read” in a bid to soak up the wisdom and insights of others.

“My bedside stack of books is overwhelming and often prone to topple!” he confesses.

Not content to rest on his successes, Jason now spends his days trying to practice what he preaches as a lay leader in his local church, giving time and resource to missional philanthropic work aimed at empowering many of the world’s poorest communities, and discipling thousands of aspiring social and commercial entrepreneurs through his Iceberg Leadership Institute.

“Our lives are filled with the wonders of family, friendship, fame, fortune, and fun… but often lack a meaningful purpose: Faith! There is a personal mission for each one of us to discover from God. And we cannot afford to miss the daily opportunities to make a difference in the world around us,” Jason concludes.

“I hope Unlikely inspires others to live and lead with faith and conviction; to identify what is most important and do something about it; and to remember that God is faithful to his promises – a role model for us all to follow, in business and in life.”

Jason is also the author of three books, including his memoir Unlikely (Ark House Press, 2024), a keynote speaker, and founder of the Iceberg Leadership Institute. Unlikely, published by Ark House Press, is now available globally.

Find out more at jasontsmith.com.au/books/