Recently a post popped up on my social media feed where someone was wondering how people manage to run a business or work for themselves with ADHD. The OP was curious about the prospect of self-employment, but they couldn’t see how it would work given their challenges with executive function and inability to focus etc. They knew it could work theoretically as they were aware of people with ADHD running businesses, but it felt out of the realm of possibility for them.
As a coach working with entrepreneurs with ADHD, I wanted to pass on best advice but also communicate to both the OP (and others who might read my comment), that it is possible to build a successful business with this amazing/frustrating brain, and the best way to do that is with your eyes wide open!
When I’d finished typing everything out and pushed go, I realised how long my reply was and thought it would make a great blog post, so I expanded on the main points I shared and here we are!
How to keep up as a solo operator with ADHD
This can be hard for sure, and it does create challenges for many of my clients (and myself!).
In my experience there are probably three core issues that cause problems for the self-employed person with ADHD:
- Lack of accountability/external pressure,
- Lack of structure, and
- Lack of clarity around what you should (and shouldn’t) be doing.
Here are some of my suggestions based on things that have worked, both for myself and my clients:
✅ Get a body double
Use a service like Focusmate to create some accountability and also add structure to your day, especially for the boring stuff like paperwork or email.
Many with ADHD find that having a body double can be helpful for motivation another advantage is that it forces you to choose a task or project to focus on for a set amount of time which can add much needed clarity to your day.
✅ Add structure with (early) appointments
Schedule appointments (with anyone really) as often as you can, especially when you’re just starting out, and ideally in the morning so you have to get up and get going. Afternoon appointments will kill your day because you’ll end up in waiting mode.
Your appointments don’t need to necessarily be work related, especially at first, but do be mindful of losing too much time to social catch ups. A good strategy might be meeting a friend for a coffee first thing and then staying on to do some work at the café or you could plan to meet near a library or local co-working space. Some other options could be signing up for in person or online workshops or networking events, or having a Zoom check in with your business buddy (see below!).
The most important element is that your appointment involves someone else or something else that will keep you obligated to show up!
✅ Find a buddy
Get a “business buddy” who you have regular check ins with, perhaps even daily to let each other know your plans for the day or week.
Believe it or not there are plenty of other folks out there in the same boat as you! If you can find just one of them and create a system that works well for both of you it can be hugely beneficial. Imagine if you could find an accountability buddy, sounding board, cheerleader, body double and mate all in the same person!
✅ Work to your strengths
Get a good understanding of your core strengths and where your genius lies. If you don’t have a sense of this yet I highly recommend looking at the Extended-DISC, VIA Character Strengths or Gallup Strengths assessment to get you started.
Once you’re clear on exactly what you’re best at, focus on that space as much as possible so you’re doing work that excites you and you don’t have to rely as heavily on motivation to start. This is also what you’ll be able to charge the most for because nobody else will do it as well as you.
✅ Hire for the gaps
As soon as you can afford it, hire someone who has the strengths that you don’t to do the work you don’t want to do or can’t do well.
You won’t perform effortlessly across all domains, none of us do.. (in fact you might feel like you don’t perform effortlessly in any domain, in which case you should re-visit the last point!).
✅ Look for the laziest way
While you’re waiting to hire someone (and even after that) you should try to systemise and automate as much as you can in your business.
This way you can minimise the time you spend outside your genius zone and at the same time create a better experience for your clients or customers. When deciding what to automate or systemise take any task you have to do more than once and find the laziest way you could get it done to the necessary standard!.
✅ Find a coach or mentor
Work with a coach (or mentor) who can help you clarify, plan, and prioritise what needs to happen and provide some additional accountability too.
Find someone who understands ADHD and what it entails so they have in depth understanding of the challenges you face and can offer support in the way that you need to receive it. Having a bootcamp-style coach might seem appealing for motivation, but in practice you might find yourself skipping sessions and/or agreeing to things you regret (and don’t follow through on) when the conversation ends and you’re left to your own devices again. It’s important to know what style will work best for you before you invest your hard earned $$.
✅ Add novelty
Think about how you could add novelty and excitement to your workday (without just inventing new services or products!).
This could be through having multiple work locations, spinning a wheel to decide what you start on each day, or picking a fun treat to reward yourself for doing something you loathe! It can be very tempting for an ADHD brain to meet the need for novelty by creating new and exciting offers, but this is one that I’d suggest avoiding where possible!
✅ Get a support crew
Find a mastermind/group of other self-employed people who get it and who can provide support in the hard moments.
Having people who know you and your goals and who have their own challenges with ADHD or executive dysfunction can make a huge difference when you’re on your own in business. Just knowing that you’re not alone is great, but having a support crew that has your back and is there to help you celebrate wins, commiserate when things go awry, and help solve your trickiest problems can be a game-changer.
✅ Simplify & get crystal clear
ADHD brains can do a great job of overcomplicating stuff, and we tend to err on the people-pleasing side of things. This provides the perfect conditions for a messy, multifaceted mission to emerge as you endeavour to be all things to all people. It’s not only not sustainable, we can make it so complex it’s not even likely to get off the ground! No judgement, I’m speaking from experience here.
The alternative is to get very strict about what you offer and how you’ll market and deliver it. I know, it sound scarily boring, but believe me when I say that it’s the fastest way to generating the revenue you’ll need to replace the income from a job. When you’ve established that solid foundation you can look at diversifying, but if you’re starting out, simple wins the day.
The added bonus is that the more straightforward your business model is, the easier it is to determine and execute the steps you need to take to reach your goals – and with an ADHD brain you can never underestimate the value of having crystal clear next steps.
✅ Charge more than you’re comfortable with
If your business is service based (or if you’re an artist), charging more than you think you’re worth can be an effective strategy for helping you get stuff done. It’s a potentially tricky one because it can be a disaster without the right support in place but charging more than your comfortable with can force you to “show up” in a different way and you otherwise might.
I see a lot of coaches making blanket statements like “take what you want to charge and double it!” when it comes to advice on how much to charge in your business. While I’m all for people, especially those who are marginalised, being paid more for their work, I think indiscriminate advice like this kinda sucks. However, it has its merits!
BUT!! Proceed with caution! Without adequate support in place charging more than you’re ready for can also lead to imposter syndrome and “please-let-me-crawl-in-a-hole-and-die syndrome”, which is why having a coach and/or mastermind group is essential to use this approach successfully.
✅ Join a program like Execute
Execute is a program I run for ADHD business owners which covers a lot of the elements I’ve listed above and is open to Australian-based business owners. It’s designed specifically for entrepreneurs who struggle with executive dysfunction and ADHD and provides lots of touch points and options that allow you to use it however you need as you build your ideal business.
Visit nextlevelyou.com.au/execute to find out more.
Have you tried any of these suggestions? Do you have your own? Leave a comment below or delve into our ADHD Business Tips series for more ideas to help you on your journey.