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Did you know that adults with ADHD are 300% more likely to pursue entrepreneurship than our neurotypical counterparts? When you think about it, this makes perfect sense – we’ve spent our whole lives as square pegs trying to fit into round holes. The appeal of creating our own business, designing a life that works for our unique brains, and following our interests is incredibly compelling.
But here’s the problem: despite our natural inclination toward entrepreneurship, many of us get stuck in the idea phase and never actually take action.
So in this post, I’m sharing the five most common pitfalls I see in my ADHD entrepreneur clients (and experience myself), along with practical strategies to overcome them (so you can get out of your own way!).
If you see yourself in any of these pitfalls, don’t hesitate to check out the ADHD Entrepreneur Roadmap – a blueprint for launching a business that addresses your unique brain wiring, while guiding you through a simple framework for getting you from idea to launch.
Pitfall #1: Shiny Object Syndrome – Entrepreneur Edition
If you’ve ever found yourself jumping from business idea to business idea without following through on any of them, you’re not alone. Our ADHD brains crave novelty and dopamine, making us susceptible to chasing the next exciting idea. But it goes deeper than that.
When things get challenging or ambiguous (which happens often in business), our amygdala kicks in and starts distracting us with seemingly better opportunities. “Look over here!” it says. “This new idea won’t have any roadblocks!”
The Solution 💡
Create an “Idea Parking Lot” – a designated space where you can acknowledge and store new ideas without acting on them immediately. The key rule: you can’t revisit any idea for at least 48 hours. This cooling-off period allows you to move past the momentary discomfort that triggered the new idea and evaluate it more objectively.
Pitfall #2: ADHD Perfectionism Paralysis
This one hits home for many of my clients. It manifests as endless research, planning, and preparation – always getting ready to do the thing, but never actually doing it. This pattern is driven by fear of failure, triggering avoidant behavior. After all, if you never start, you can’t fail… right?
The Solution 💡
Give your brain strategic questions to solve instead of fears to stew on. My two favorites are:
- “What’s the fastest path to revenue?”
- “What are we optimizing for right now?”
These questions shift your focus from perfection to progress and help you identify the essential next steps.
Pitfall #3: Complexity Driven ADHD Overwhelm
It’s easy to get lost in the sea of tools, systems, and platforms available to entrepreneurs today. Should you use WordPress or Squarespace? Which email service provider is best? What about payment processors, CRMs, and project management tools?
The Solution💡
Remember what we’re optimizing for: speed to market and simplicity. At launch, you only need four things:
- A simple one-page website
- An email service provider
- One clear offer
- One platform to sell it on
That’s it. Everything else can wait. The more complexity you add to your launch process, the less likely you are to actually launch.
Pitfall #4: ADHD Entrepreneur Energy Mismatch
This is perhaps the most critical pitfall for ADHD entrepreneurs to understand, which is why it’s the starting point in my ADHD Entrepreneur Roadmap. Many of us try to force ourselves into business models that fight against our natural energy patterns and strengths.
The Solution 💡
Before designing your business, get crystal clear on:
- Your natural energy fluctuations
- Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert
- Your core strengths and interests
- Your specific ADHD traits and how they manifest
The goal is to build a palace, not a prison. Trust me – being trapped in a business you hate is far worse than being stuck in a job you hate. Take the time to design your business around who you are, not who you think you should be.
Pitfall #5: The Everything-All-At-Once Prioritization Disaster
This is something I still struggle with regularly. As ADHD entrepreneurs, we often have difficulty with task organization and prioritization. Everything feels equally urgent and important, especially when we’re venturing into unknown territory.
The Solution💡
Follow a structured roadmap that breaks down the launch process into clear, sequential steps. This takes the burden of prioritization off your plate so you can focus on executing one task at a time.
Here’s What to Takeaway:
✓ Use the 48-hour rule for new business ideas
✓ Focus on revenue-generating activities first
✓ Keep your initial systems minimal
✓ Design your business around your energy
✓ Follow a clear, step-by-step launch process
A Final Note For All My Fellow ADHD Entrepreneurs
Self-awareness is your superpower – now that you can recognize these pitfalls, you can implement strategies to overcome them and keep moving forward.
Ready to build your business the ADHD-friendly way?
Sign up for the ADHD Entrepreneur Roadmap to get the complete roadmap and support system you need to turn your business idea into reality – without fighting your brain.
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