Running a Business With ADHD: What You Need To Know
Running a business with ADHD comes with its own set of challenges, however, when cultivated properly, our ADHD can be the driving force for our success.
So, whether you’re years into your entrepreneurship journey and feeling a little lost or if you’re just starting, these are the essential steps to seeing more success as an ADHD business owner.
How do I Start my own Business with ADHD?
Firstly, starting a business as an ADHD business owner is no different from starting a business as somebody without ADHD.
Having ADHD shouldn’t hold back from deciding to pursue entrepreneurship. If anything, it should encourage you to use your creative mind.
That being said, as an ADHD person, our mind works slightly differently to those with neurotypical brains. 😉
Often people with ADHD tend to be very creative and visionary-minded.
We usually have lots of new ideas and like to push boundaries. Because of this, ADHD business owners may require support with the day-to-day running of their business.
7 Essential Tips for Running a Business with ADHD
Here are some of our best tips for running a business with ADHD.
Set Realistic Goals
The first requirement for running a business with ADHD is that you have to set yourself achievable goals.
One thing about ADHDers is that we can easily become demotivated, especially if we are not seeing the results that we hoped for.
By setting realistic goals, you can make sure that you are constantly hitting new milestones in your business which will therefore keep you motivated.
Also, make sure to reward yourself as you achieve these goals, as the dopamine hits will encourage you to keep moving forward!
Identify Your ADHD Skills
If you’re struggling to gain momentum in your business, it may be because you’re seeing your ADHD as a bad thing. So, you need to gain a fresh perspective!
Often people with ADHD are very creative and favour doing the fun tasks within their business.
This usually means that you can show up authentically online and connect with people easily! You may also even attract neurodivergent business owners or clients to your business.
Take a moment to reflect on what parts of your ADHD could actually be used as a benefit in your business. Then, outsource the tasks that you struggle with and prioritise the tasks that you enjoy.
Delegate Tasks
Another one of my best tips for running a business with ADHD is to start delegating tasks as soon as possible.
As ADHD business owners, we often want to go from one idea to the next and can lose focus when we have to do tasks that we don’t enjoy.
By delegating these tasks to a virtual assistant, you make running a business with ADHD far easier as you can do more of what you love. 🥳
Here at The Virtual Assisters, we have ADHD-trained virtual assistants who work directly with ADHD business owners to help with the day-to-day running of their business.
This can be anything from social media management to general life and business admin. There are so many benefits to hiring a virtual assistant!
You can access a virtual assistant for FREE by applying for government funding! We have a FREE mini-course on how to apply or you can contact us directly at hello@thevirtualassisters.co.uk
Take Regular Breaks
There are two sides to running a business with ADHD.
Firstly, you’re going to have moments when you hyper-fixate on a task, and other times, you’re going to experience periods of burnout.
Whilst hyper-fixing on specific tasks within your business isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you need to understand your limits.
By taking regular breaks, whether that’s during the day or planning a day off during the week, you can avoid burning out. I know, I know… Sometimes that can be really difficult because we usually LOVE what we do!
Understand Your ADHD Triggers
Next on this list of essential tips for running a business with ADHD, is identifying your triggers.
When running a business with ADHD, you may be working from home a lot of the time.
Therefore, understanding the things that cause you distractions or make you easily overwhelmed is vital.
Take a personal inventory and notice when specific triggers come up and create a space that is friendly to your ADHD.
Establish a Routine
Okay, so I know this is easier said than done but creating a routine is vital when running a business with ADHD. 😉
Putting things in place such as a 9 AM meeting with an accountability buddy can be one of the best ways to hold yourself accountable and show up every day for your business.
However, one great thing about being a full-time business owner is that you can set your own schedule.
If you are more productive during the afternoons, then create a routine that favours that works with your ADHD, not against it.
Set Deadlines
Most people with ADHD struggle to complete tasks unless they are urgent, interesting or challenging.
Setting deadlines for every single task that you have, even if they don’t require one, will help you to move forward in your business and push past that initial procrastination.
As you spend more time within your business, it may start to become a little less novel, so setting yourself new challenges and strict deadlines will help you keep on track toward your goals.
Or we always recommend having your virtual assistant set deadlines for you, this will give you the accountability that you need to get stuff done!
Key Takeaways on Running a Business With ADHD: What You Need To Know
From identifying your ADHD skills to delegating tasks to a virtual assistant, running a business with ADHD can be very empowering.
The main thing to remember is that your ADHD can be a positive aspect of your business and should never, ever deter you from pushing for more and more success.
Are you currently running a business with ADHD and looking for someone to keep you accountable and help you with tasks within your business, you can contact us to discuss working with an ADHD virtual assistant!
Just send us an email at hello@thevirtualassisters.co.uk and we will be more than happy to help!
Alternatively, you can apply for the government funding, Access to Work, and access a virtual assistant, ADHD coaching and more for free!
Check out our free mini-course on how to apply!
