Running a Company on Empty
Tomorrow marks 21 years since my dad passed away suddenly, and it feels like the right time to share what I’ve learned from finally doing things differently with my health over the last year and a half.
For most of my career, I told myself I’d focus on my health “later.” Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I thought I was making a rational trade-off: push hard on business now, fix myself later when I’d exited or “had time”.
I’ve since realized it wasn’t a trade-off at all – it was a false choice that made business success less likely and a major health event more likely. Talk about a lose-lose.
A few years ago, deep in the post-pandemic grind, I looked at the routine summary you get after a doctor’s office visit, and read at the top alongside my name and date of birth “non-morbidly obese male”. Obese was a rough word to see – and the ‘non’ was doing a lot of work.
So, while I did what I promised and focused on health after selling Accelo, I hope what I learned doing it is useful for other entrepreneurs grinding away every day – in short, don’t wait.
The Basics That Actually Work
The good news is, if you want to improve your health, the fundamentals work even if you’ve ignored them for years. Anyone who’s gotten in shape after a long period of being anything but will tell you it isn’t that hard – but it does take time and commitment. While there’s lots of nuance and advice if you’re an athlete, if you’re a “normal person”, it really comes down to three things:
- Eat less – and better – food. This one’s mathematical: if you consume less calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. This is also where cutting alcohol consumption comes in – booze is super calorie dense. The main change I made was getting 150g of protein a day.
- Exercise regularly, especially resistance training. This isn’t actually about burning calories as much as having a strong structure for health, and because muscle burns a lot more calories just to operate, it helps with getting the calorie deficit. But you can’t train your way to weight loss.
- Prioritize sleep. There’s no bragging rights for pulling all-nighters the day before a deadline. Building a company isn’t like cramming for exams. You need sleep for good judgment and sound decisions.
Aside from promising myself I’d get in shape post-exit, I had another motivation to get healthy – my three girls. I knew if I didn’t do something about my health, I might not be able to walk them down the aisle one day.
And there was a lot to do. When I started this journey in April last year, I weighed in at almost 102kg (224lbs). I was unfit, sleeping poorly and eating too much (especially snacking).
The New Operating System
While I set a big goal – to get down to 83kg (183lbs) for a healthy BMI for the first time in my adult life – I started small. This was about a sustained change of lifestyle and outlook, not a quick and temporary win:
- April 2024 – Began on a GLP-1 medication (Ozempic), ramping up over a few months to 1mg/week. I hated needles, but loved the appetite control. It made calorie restriction easier, and that made exercise not just possible but actually enjoyable. There’s ways to do this that don’t break the bank, too.
- August 2024 – Joined a gym and started strength training with a trainer, Avishai. I knew almost nothing (and still have plenty to learn), and after he moved away in October, I used ChatGPT to take pictures of the equipment in my new gym and then create a workout plan, which I then loaded into Hevy. This syncs with Strava and Fitbit, and helps me track performance.
- December 2024 – By the end of the year I was down 12kg (26lbs). For the first time in forever, I didn’t create an empty New Year’s resolution around “getting healthy”, but instead just had to stay the course.
- September 2025 – In less than a year and a half, I hit my goal! And while I haven’t set a new target yet, I’m now committed to working out at least 5 days a week and continuing to get stronger to be a better father, husband and leader.
While it feels great to have lost 18.7kg (41lbs) so far, the bigger benefit is how much more energy, mental sharpness, and focus I’ve gained. There’s no way those five extra hours I used to spend grinding on the business instead of exercising were worth more than the performance I’ve gained every other waking hour by making health a priority.
What I Learned (and What I’d Tell Other Founders)
Here are a few lessons that stood out along the way – and that I wish I’d understood earlier.
1. Your performance is the company’s performance.
You probably already know this, but when you’re the founder or leader, you are the company’s pace setter. If you’re tired, foggy, and sluggish, your team and decisions are too. You can’t lead on empty.
2. It’s never been easier.
Modern medicine, wearables and AI training tools have changed the game. GLP-1s make calorie restriction sustainable, and an Apple Watch, Fitbit, or smart scale gives more feedback than a doctor’s visit used to. ChatGPT can also help you put together a workout plan. You still have to do the work, but the friction is lower than ever.
3. Most advice is noise.
Like startups, 80% of the results come from doing the most important 20% of things consistently. If you read one thing, make it Peter Attia’s Outlive. Then:
- Do a resistance workout 2-3 days a week. Lift weights or use machines: whatever works for you. The key is building strength for the long term, especially avoiding injury.
- Do a cardio workout 2 days a week. 30 mins in Zone 2 (about 120bpm) seems to be the best advice.
- Stay in a mild calorie deficit. This isn’t dieting or starvation stuff. Only fast if you can’t help yourself around food.
- Sleep more than you think you can afford. With three young kids and a puppy, I’m still failing at this. But don’t stay up late grinding.
That’s it. The compounding is real.
4. Don’t wait.
I used to think I’d “get healthy once things calm down.” They never do. There’s always a product launch, a funding round, a fire to put out. You wouldn’t go on a road trip with empty tires – don’t try to build a company without also building your strength and physical resilience.
Where I Am Now
My VO₂ max has improved, my blood pressure’s down, and I can lift more than I could at 25. But I’ve still got a long way to go. My sleep is terrible (I’m lucky to average six hours each night), and wine on school nights is still a habit I haven’t fully kicked. But I’m operating at a higher level – physically, mentally, emotionally – than I have in a decade.
I’ve learned that getting healthy isn’t a side project or something for later. It is the main project – because without your health, you can’t build or lead anything that lasts.
geoffmcqueen.com 