Hello, there. My name is Nel. As you might have guessed from the name of this website, I am an entrepreneur with an autoimmune disease. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been interested in owning my own business. My obsession started with our annual family garage sales in the summer and progressed to lemonade stands. It eventually led to developing websites for clients and affiliate marketing.
Many businesses have plenty of challenges to overcome in order to be successful. Unfortunately, I have those challenges and then some. I struggle with the autoimmune disease Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. It's a chronic illness in which the immune system attacks the thyroid. And since your thyroid controls every cell in your body, you can imagine how difficult that can be to deal with. Sometimes, when my Hashimoto's is not under control, holding down a regular job can be difficult. Especially when I'm suffering cognitive problems, brain fog, and fatigue so severe that I struggle to stay conscious. And my chosen profession is in the tech industry, so you can only imagine the stress I deal with. Have I mentioned that stress is incredibly bad for the thyroid?
Throughout my 20+ year career, I've always had side businesses to make a little extra money. They were more hobby than a necessity. Now, however, I'm realizing that running my own business is a necessity. In order to take charge of my own health, I need to work for myself and remove myself from the incredible stress that permeates my chosen profession. I need to build the life I want instead of feeling like I'm sitting on the sidelines of life, watching it pass me by.
I know there must be other entrepreneurs out there dealing with autoimmune disease and similar issues. The mission of this site is to create a community of autoimmune entrepreneurs. I want to connect with others dealing with similar health circumstances and to offer support and ideas to those with autoimmune disease looking to own their own business. I want to create a place where people can share their experiences and insight with other autoimmune entrepreneurs. And most importantly, I want to showcase the stories of successful autoimmune entrepreneurs to give hope to those struggling with health and building a business. If you're an autoimmune entrepreneur and want to connect, drop me a line or check me out on Twitter or Facebook.