How Entrepreneurship Saved my Diabetes Management

As many of you may, or may not, know, I own my own business(es). I first started my own business back in 2009, but still worked full-time and just ran the business at night. During this time, I was not sleeping a lot. I worked until about 2 am and then woke up at 7 am to go back to my day time job.

During this time, I was hustling my ass off to grow my business on the side, while keeping my day time job. The day time job was important for two reasons.

First, I needed the money.

Second, I needed the health insurance.

There was a third reason, life insurance, but then I found a place that specialized in life insurance for type 1 diabetics.

This was back in 2009, so this was back in the day when pre-existing conditions were an automatic denial.

I wasn’t sleeping well at that time. I wasn’t eating healthy at that time. But I was hustling and growing a business and at that time, that’s all that mattered to me.

Fast-forward almost 10 years, I am still running that same business. It’s changed a bit, but not much. I own and operate an SEO and Social Media Management agency.

I also help my wife in running her Etsy business (soon to not call it an Etsy business, because we are launching our own site and adding more categories).

I also run an eBay / Amazon re-sellers business that takes up most of my weekend time.

Why am I talking about all of this?

Well, I made the decision a long time ago that I wanted to own my own business. I wanted this so that I am in control of my own income, my own future, and most importantly in control of my own time.

Time is the most valuable thing in this world and it’s something that we can’t buy more of or return and get back.

Entrepreneurship has allowed me to use my time how I see fit.

This is not only important for my family, but also for my diabetes.

In the last decade, I could schedule doctor appointments whenever I wanted. I could change an infusion set or a CGM sensor whenever I wanted. I could go exercise at any time that I wanted. I could eat lunch whenever I wanted.

I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

This is important to me. This has helped me manage my diabetes because I can take breaks when needed, I can be flexible on my appointment times, and I can also take the time to make a lunch during the middle of the day and prepare a healthy snack.

Now, listen, I know you can do that all when you work for someone else and work in an office or a typical 9-5.

However, when I was working a 9-5, I didn’t do those things. I ate out all the time. I didn’t exercise. I didn’t drink water.

Entrepreneurship has done wonders for my diabetes management.

I was always scared that I could never be an entrepreneur because of having diabetes. I thought that needing insurance would hold me back.

Well, it hasn’t and I’ve been able to do this for nearly a decade and I don’t plan on stopping here!

If you want to hear more about diabetes, entrepreneurship and the combo of both which I call my life, then subscribe to the Type One Entrepreneur Podcast. I tested the waters with this podcast earlier in the year, but I’m going all in on it. The scheduled re-launch date is August 13.