I've built a £1m business despite having ADHD, ME and autism

When Jessica Lorimer was diagnosed with ME (and later ADHD and autism) aged 23, she was working over 70 hours a week in a demanding corporate job. Doctors gave her a stark warning: Prioritise your health or end up in a wheelchair by 35. So Lorimer quit her job and began her own business, which has now generated over £1 million.

I have had two major diagnoses in my life, one made me terrified, the other was a relief.

The first came when I was 23. I was struggling with extreme fatigue, joint and nerve pain, and several scary bouts of illness that would leave me bedridden for two weeks at a time, all warning signs of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

At the time, I was working in a demanding sales role and was told by a doctor that if I didn’t start to prioritise my health over work soon, then I would be in a wheelchair and fighting longer bouts of chronic fatigue by the time I was 35.

Health became a priority. It had to. I created a business so that I could work more flexible hours, and I’ve used a combination of time management and alternative therapies to mitigate my symptoms.

In the nine years since, I’ve only had two subsequent attacks.

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The second diagnosis came in March this year: I was formally diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. After being described for most of my life as 'direct', 'blunt' and 'matter of fact', it was no real surprise to me to learn that I wasn't a top scorer for social niceties.

I've always suspected that I had some form of neurodivergence as I've always struggled with things that most people find simple. Time management for me is incredibly challenging – I'm not sure I've ever actually arrived on time to any social engagement. I also find note-taking difficult and often go through one to two notepads per week.

A 'liberating' diagnosis

I appreciate that most people find that getting a diagnosis of neurodiversity is really challenging; but for me it was liberating. There was finally a label to describe how my brain worked. It felt like I was being given a manual to understand how to work with my brain, rather than constantly fighting symptoms and feeling abnormal or less-than because I wasn't able to focus in the same way as other people.

Six months after I was diagnosed with ME I quit my job and started my business. It was a really tough time and I had to make some really difficult choices. Starting a business is hard, let alone starting one when you know that you're not 100% fit and well all of the time. At this point I knew my body wasn’t capable of working 60-plus hours per week, which meant it was difficult to completely lean in to the hustle culture needed when branching out on your own.

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So many people would tell me that I needed to appear 'everywhere' on social media, but I found this overwhelming and draining. Social media is so surface level; I find the 'small talk style' really hard to tolerate and resented having to show up in a way that didn't feel authentic to me just to make sales. My autism also made it difficult to connect, while my ADHD means that I have a righteous sense of justice and I was unable to make those false connections.

The £1m idea

Luckily, I did end up finding my people, but it took a lot of hard work, soul-searching and staying in my own lane.

Instead of trying to dip my toe in every social media platform, I turned to the one I felt most comfortable with and launched my Selling to Corporate podcast.

This enabled me to build genuine relationships with people who were interested in learning about business-to-business sales.

I was able to generate more than £1m in 99 episodes through direct sales on my podcast. This means that the audience would listen to my podcast and then buy my products and services through my site.

In the first six episodes, for example, we made over £23,000 in ticket sales for an event.

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The podcast has allowed me to build solid relationships and I now spend my days working with small business owners and help them to tap into skills they already have.

Business assets

Despite having been diagnosed with three conditions, I’d say these are an asset to my business, rather than a hindrance. My ADHD and hyperfocus mean that I only work on projects that really light me up. In turn, it means that the clients I work with have better experiences, get better content and better results.

I consider my conditions to be an asset to my business, rather than a hindrance.

My ADHD and autism both also mean that I think differently. Unlike the traditional salesperson, I've spent years analysing why certain people make great salespeople and the skills involved, and my ability to think objectively, rather than emotionally, means that I've been able to develop programmes based on a variety of learning styles.

Plus, having ADHD means that I can work all day on something I'm passionate about without the need for caffeine!

Nearly a decade on from my first diagnosis I feel incredibly fortunate to be where I am today. It's been 10 years of hard work and tenacity, and there have been plenty of personal and professional goals that I've felt like giving up on.

Running the business in the way that I do has allowed me to manage my condition successfully and achieve things (like running the London Marathon in 2021!) that I honestly never thought I'd be able to manage.

Not having full energy every day, always being in pain and having to build a business is a lot for anyone to take on, but it was my choice and I couldn't be more proud of where I am now.