Launching a business while suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome

June 5, 2022|Natalie Harrison

June 5, 2022

Christchurch woman Natalie Harrison launched a business while struggling with chronic fatigue.

When she launched Kiri10 in June 2020 to produce supplement pills made from keratin extracted from New Zealand coarse wool, Covid-19 economic and social disruption was at its height.

But Harrison was battling her own health troubles. Despite being fired with enthusiasm and the ambition to own her own socially-useful business, she was struggling to get through her days.

“I was getting up in the morning, going to the office, doing a bit of work, hitting a wall, sitting at the desk, not being able to concentrate, and going home and sleeping anywhere from three to five hours,” she said.

It wasn’t until earlier this year that she was diagnosed as having myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome, a long-term condition characterised by a range of symptoms, the most common of which is extreme tiredness.

Despite struggling with exhaustion all her adult life, it had been dismissed with the idea that she had a weak immune system following two severe illnesses when she was a teenager.

The chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosis, which she only got when she changed doctor, opened a new chapter in her life, and business.

She joined a myalgic encephalomyelitis Facebook group, opened up about what she was trying to do, and appealed for advice.

“I just said, ‘I need a bit of help. I’ve got my own business. I really want it to succeed, but the brain fog, the fatigue is really getting to the point where I’m struggling to do a couple of hours a day’,” she said.

Harrison got more than advice by joining the online group.

“In a weird way it gave me a bit of peace, a bit of acceptance, that I wasn’t alone,” she said.

She also met people with far worse fatigue than her own, preventing them from undertaking any work at all. “It opened my eyes,” she said.

She made changes to her diet, largely removing dairy and gluten, and stopping drinking alcohol, which have seen her fatigue lessen, as has finding supplements that worked for her.

Serendipitously, she also came across life and business coach Kate Ruby Aroha who provided invaluable advice for people trying to build up a business on limited hours.

Looking at other business owners, including one of her close friends, had led Harrison to think she needed to be working all hours to succeed.

“I sometimes still get into that mindset, thinking that’s what I have to do, putting all those hours in, but that training with Kate, she said the opposite.”

“As a business owner you have to work out how many hours you can put into your business, whether you are working another job while you are building a business, or working full time at it,” she said.

“That really helped me in regards to my ME. I can’t do 10to 14-hour days, but I can do five hours a day, so let’s make those hours count,” she said.

“It’s really changed my mindset,” she said.

Other people’s mindsets have also changed over the past two years, as Covid has reshaped the way people work, as well as normalising the idea of fatigue following illness.

“The Covid pandemic is a blessing in disguise for people out there like me that are really struggling,” she says.

Long Covid has normalised the idea that people can suffer from long periods of fatigue following illness, and made it easier to talk about.

Kiri10, which Harrison co-owns with her partner and a friend, sells its keratin supplements through its website, and through nail and hair salons. Hair and nails are composed of keratin, and the supplements are used by people in a bid to support the health of their hair and nails.

Harrison said keratin use in products like Kiri10’s supplements, shampoos and wound care bandages overseas was helping keep New Zealand coarse wool production economic.

Each year around 80 tonnes of wool from farms in Otago and Southland were processed to extract keratin, and the export of keratin is now a multi-million dollar industry for New Zealand.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Natalie Harrison is the founder of Kiri10, a New Zealand-based wellness brand launched in June 2020. She co-owns the business with her partner and a friend. Kiri10 produces keratin supplements extracted from New Zealand coarse wool, as well as complementary hair care and wellness products. Natalie launched the business during the height of Covid-19 disruption while personally battling undiagnosed chronic fatigue syndrome (ME). Her diagnosis, along with joining the ME community, eventually became the catalyst for rethinking how she built Kiri10, prioritising sustainable work hours and realistic business growth over burnout.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is a long-term condition characterised by extreme tiredness that doesn't improve with rest. Natalie was diagnosed with ME in 2021, years after struggling with fatigue throughout her adult life. She'd initially been told she had a weak immune system following severe illnesses in her teens. Her diagnosis and connection to the ME community shifted her perspective on business success: she realised that sustainable work (5 hours a day of focused effort) was more achievable and realistic than the 10-14 hour days she'd previously thought were necessary. This mindset change directly influenced how Kiri10 operates today.

Joining a myalgic encephalomyelitis Facebook group was transformative for Natalie. She found community support, acceptance, and practical advice when building a business on limited energy. Meeting people with more severe ME than her own gave her perspective and gratitude. The group experience directly shaped Kiri10's values around compassion, realistic expectations, and supporting customers who may also be managing fatigue, stress, or health challenges. Kiri10's messaging now reflects understanding that not everyone can work full hours, and that's okay, quality matters more than quantity.

Natalie made significant dietary changes: she removed dairy, gluten, and alcohol from her diet. These adjustments, combined with finding supplements that worked for her body (including keratin), helped noticeably reduce her fatigue levels. She also worked with life and business coach Kate Ruby Aroha, who helped her reframe what business success actually means. Instead of believing she needed to work 10-14 hour days, Natalie learned to focus on making her available 5 hours a day count through strategic, intentional work. These personal insights inform how Kiri10 approaches business operations and customer education.

Keratin is a natural protein found in food and throughout the body. Some people with chronic fatigue report that keratin supplements help support hair, skin, and nail health, areas that often suffer when the body's energy is depleted. However, every person's ME is unique, and energy management strategies (diet, rest, stress reduction) vary widely. If you have chronic fatigue or any long-term health condition, consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement. Kiri10 supports transparent, personalized health choices rather than making universal claims about treating or curing ME.

Kiri10's brand philosophy reflects Natalie's lived experience: people don't need to do everything, every day. Customers managing fatigue, stress, or busy schedules can benefit from consistent but modest supplementation routines, taking Kiri10 daily requires just a few seconds. The brand messaging around "realistic timelines" (3-6 months for visible results, not weeks) also removes pressure and expectation. Kiri10 encourages customers to focus on consistency and self-compassion rather than perfection. This approach resonates with anyone juggling health challenges, work, family, or limited energy.

New Zealand produces approximately 80 tonnes of coarse wool per year from farms in Otago and Southland. This coarse wool is specifically suited for keratin extraction because it contains higher keratin levels than fine wool. Kiri10 partners with these New Zealand farmers to extract bioactive keratin from the natural fibres. The keratin extraction process is a multi-million-dollar industry for New Zealand, supporting rural economies while producing a premium wellness product. This connection means Kiri10's business model supports local communities, sustainable farming, and ethical sourcing.

New Zealand's sheep farming produces coarse wool with naturally higher keratin content than fine wool breeds. The New Zealand climate (warm summers, cold winters) and pasture-fed farming practices create unique conditions that produce exceptionally pure, potent keratin. Additionally, New Zealand innovators hold around 180 patents covering keratin extraction processes, giving us proprietary technology competitors don't have. The combination of superior raw material, ethical farming practices, and decades of extraction research makes New Zealand keratin a global leader in quality and clinical efficacy.

Rather than assuming a business needs 10-14 hour work days to succeed, Natalie learned from her coach that quality and strategy matter more than quantity. She committed to 5 focused hours per day, the realistic maximum for someone managing ME, and made those hours count through intentional planning, delegation, and systems. Kiri10 applies this principle company-wide: working smart, not just hard. This approach resonates with entrepreneurs managing health challenges, parents juggling multiple roles, or anyone who knows their energy is limited. It's a reminder that sustainable business growth doesn't require burnout.

Long Covid has normalized the reality that people can experience extended fatigue following illness. This shift in public understanding has made it easier for people like Natalie to discuss chronic fatigue without stigma. Where ME was once dismissed as laziness or a "weak immune system," Long Covid has helped society understand that post-viral fatigue is real, measurable, and affects work capacity. Natalie calls Covid "a blessing in disguise" for people with ME because it opened conversations and workplace flexibility that simply didn't exist before. This cultural shift has also made Kiri10's messaging around realistic expectations and self-care more relatable and less niche.