Did you know that July 13th is  ADHD Awareness Day?! As an OBM for ADHD business owners, I LOVE that there’s a dedicated day to bring awareness to ADHD because honestly, I think a lot of people hear the term, but not everyone knows what it actually means. 

Perhaps you’re already aware of ADHD. Maybe you have a diagnosis, suspected diagnosis or know someone with ADHD. 

But being aware isn’t just knowing that ADHD exists. It’s about tearing down what you think you know about ADHD. 

Did you know that people with ADHD are about 300% more likely to start their own business than neurotypical people? 

That’s a hefty (research backed) number. 

Many people with ADHD start their own business because the typical workforce wasn’t designed to work with their brains. 

To help you understand that further, in this blog post I’m busting a few myths about running a business with ADHD so you can see how ADHD is more than just getting distracted easily or having trouble staying organized. There’s more to it than that! 

Myths about Running a Business with ADHD

“ADHD just means you get distracted easily”

It’s more like attention dysregulation than just being “distracted”. People with ADHD have a neurological difference in how they process both internal and external stimuli. People with 

ADHD also have the ability to hyperfocus on a stimulating task or something they’re interested in for hours without noticing the time passing. 

This is an asset to business owners with ADHD to hyperfocus on the parts of their business that light them up!

Yes, it can make mundane, administrative tasks or anything your ADHD brain decides isn’t exciting feel almost painful. But with the right systems or support in place, those tasks that don’t excite your brain can still get done. Gamifying anything boring is one of my favorite strategies!

“You need to fix your ADHD to run a business successfully”

Bleh, gross. People with ADHD do not need to be “fixed” because they are not broken. Having differences as a neurodivergent person is not bad or something that needs to be changed.

Do not get it twisted, I’m not the kind of person that says “ADHD is your superpower!” because the reality is that the world is not set up for neurodivergent people. Your brain can be incredible and it can also make it really challenging to accomplish basic tasks.

There are tools and supports to support your brain and help support the decision paralysis or low energy times.  You can seek support that’s both free and paid that can be beneficial to helping you run a business successfully as a business owner with ADHD.

People with ADHD can leverage their incredible differences like creative problem solving, out-of-the-box thinking and perseverance to be an asset to them as a business owner. 

The goal as a business owner isn’t to “fix” your ADHD symptoms, it’s to find accommodations and resources that allow you to work to your full potential. 

“People with ADHD can’t stay organized” 

I mean, there’s plenty of neurotypical people who also aren’t organized soooooo…

Being “organized” is all about perception. Are you replying to client communication? Do you know where things are when you’re trying to find them? 

Yes, people with ADHD likely have to work a lot harder at staying organized. People with ADHD struggle with working memory which helps us store information to use later. With ADHD, your brain is responding to whatever is happening around you immediately so your attention may shift and you forget you were putting something away resulting in a doom pile. 

When your brain is responding to whatever external stimuli got you excited, it’s probably chasing down some new, exciting idea for your business or to support a client. 

Once you have systems in place to make sure you’re not dropping the important balls like client communication or deadlines, is it really that serious if you have to do a turbo clean of your desk every Friday?

“People with ADHD just need to try harder”

ADHD symptoms aren’t a choice. People with ADHD are already trying hard and have possibly been trying very hard for years, even decades. 

ADHD impacts executive functioning – all the skills we need to plan, focus, shift attention, initiate tasks and more. 

People who have been diagnosed with ADHD especially later in life are often high achieving women. Women who have masked for years and developed their own ways of coping finally get a diagnosis and understand why they could research a topic for hours, but couldn’t find the energy to pay a bill. 

This also means that people with ADHD have incredible perseverance. They have overcome, struggled and worked hard even when they didn’t know why things felt so hard. Perseverance is an incredible asset as a business owner. 

Additional Resources for Business Owners with ADHD 

Although this world is for neurotypical people, starting your own business is a neurodivergent’s dream with the right strategies and support. You can follow your energy, say “yes” only to things you want to do and create your own systems that support your brain.

If you’re a business owner with ADHD, you’re doing a good job! 

But if you’re still looking for systems and support that work with your brain, I have a free weekly newsletter with neurodivergent friendly tips just for you and I have a ton of blog posts that you can dive into for more ADHD friendly tips, resources, and strategies!