This is the Most Difficult Thing About Being a Startup Founder with ADHD

If You are Prepared For It, You Can Overcome It

A few months ago, I was finally figuring life out. I was officially diagnosed with ADHD and I was finally understanding how to live with it. I wrote about how everything was starting to make sense for me.

And then two months later, I quit my job to launch a startup. All of my research and planning came to a head and I knew it was time. In true ADHD fashion, I made the decision to leave my job quite suddenly and ended up quitting with no notice. I felt like I had no other option at the time so I made my decision.

Looking back, it was maybe not the best way to do it. I could have more carefully considered my situation and worked it out a different way. But it was the right decision even if the execution left a little to be desired. Had I waited, maybe I would have talked myself out of it.

And then reality started to hit me over the next 3 months. Everything I thought I knew about starting my own company was wrong. Or at least, not right for me. And this is something that can be hard to grasp.

Having ADHD makes most of the advice on the internet irrelevant. Or at least unreliable.

That’s been the hardest part for me. Until I took the leap and started trying to do things on my own, I didn’t really understand this. I thought I had some things truly figured out and I really did, but only within the context of my life at that exact time. I didn’t realize how much of a support structure I had built for myself with the tools and resources offered by my employer.

For example, I didn’t need to make choices about what software I would use for certain tasks. There was a company standard and so I used it. On my own, I now have a lot more options. For everything.

I would love to just use the same tools I was already familiar with. But it turns out that a Fortune 20 company has more resources than I do. And software costs money. Know what I don’t have as a new startup?

Having ADHD makes most of the advice on the internet irrelevant. Or at least unreliable.

I also get to have fun with Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). One piece of advice that is pretty common for new startups: get ready to hear “no” a lot.

Do you know what happens when you hear “no” with RSD?

One of the things I have been doing lately is talking to investors and potential business partners. In one such meeting last week, we got some great feedback. It wasn’t a good time to partner yet but there is definitely some potential for future partnerships.

About an hour later, I was hit with an overwhelming flood of negative emotions. For some reason, my brain was trying to convince me that this was the final straw. If I couldn’t close that deal, I might as well not even try. Everything is just futile. It was time to give up. Rationally, I knew that this didn’t make any sense. It was actually a super helpful meeting that gave us a good deal of information on where our company currently stood and where we needed it to go.

And yet I felt absolutely crushed. It isn’t easy to get much done when you feel that way. I had to just ride the wave of emotions I was experiencing until I finally got them under control.

Know how many articles I read about that experience? 0.

I am not saying they don’t exist. I am sure they do. But they aren’t nearly as plentiful or as obvious as the “prepare to hear ‘no’ a lot” articles.

I aim to change that a bit. I want people with ADHD to understand that it is possible for us to build successful companies. I know that there are a ton of founders out there who have ADHD. But it just doesn’t seem to be something that we talk about enough.

I am going to be very open with it. Because it can really suck at times. The overall experience has been worth it. You just have to realize that it will probably be harder for you. You need to figure out strategies to deal with suck. What works for me probably won’t work for you. But if I can warn you where it might suck, you can prepare yourself. You know how to cope if you have ADHD. You likely developed various approaches because you had to.

Just be prepared. It will suck at times. Things will be harder for you than others at times. But you can handle it. And don’t be afraid to talk about it.

If you don’t have anyone to talk about it with? You have me. Feel free to reach out. I know the suck. I am always willing to listen. Let’s make the internet a little more ADHD-friendly.

Want to help me build out a friendlier internet? Check out the company I am building!