So, why do it? Why put myself through this actual, physical pain of trying to pitch my consultancy? Why not just stay in Corporate? A good question: One that I ask myself regularly, as I try to work out the mechanics of building a pipeline of contacts and potential business. The reality is, because of my autistic brain, I am really good at visualizing ecosystems, particularly within businesses, and where training and enablement can be streamlined and made more proactive, effective, and collaborative. I have experience and skills that can boost ROI from training and enablement, once I get these systems in place, and I create it with neurodiversity in mind. It’s rare to find a corporate job that will allow you to provide so much benefit and growth to individuals across multiple organizations.

Now, I don’t want to make it sound like I’m speaking for all founders or business leaders who are autistic. Not everyone expresses their autism the same way (hence, “Spectrum”), and there are several successful business owners who are autistic that make sales calls, kill it in meetings, and at the end of the day decompress. Others struggle to find a job at all. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 85% of autistic adults are unemployed. Think about that for a minute: Those with phenomenal skills at analysis, focus, and detail work struggle to find a job in corporate America, many of which are left trying to start their own business.

The Challenges

Autism expresses itself differently with many, and while masking can cover up the challenges many autistic entrepreneurs experience, it’s often too exhausting to maintain. Common struggles that an autistic founder can have are:

• Difficulty with Social Interaction: A common expression of autism is difficulty with social interactions. I can’t tell you the number of times I would come away from a meeting feeling it went very well, when I find out it had not. Subtle social queues and body language signals are missed, derailed conversations that go outside of the prepped script require more time to process, and other voices who are louder and more insistent are likely to dominate the meeting, the autistic founder sitting back and listening with no input.

• Over-customizing Solutions: Autistic founders find it hard to say no, eager to please and generate business. Customizing solutions, adding features for the sake of features, building everything and anything to make the customer happy. Instead of stopping and asking “why,” we just say “yes.”

• Masking or Ignoring Sensory Needs: Not allowing the knee-bounce, the finger flex, a quick hum or rock can be exhausting. Masking takes a lot of energy for autistic adults, and yet we mask when we fear others will see us as weird or strange. Ignoring the need for stimming, taking a break when overwhelmed, or even just turning off fluorescent lighting that flickers subtly (and causes headaches) will eventually overwhelm.

• Deferring to Another’s Vision: You know what you can do, you know what you can offer, but if you spend all your time listening to other people saying “You should do…” it will drain your energy more than anything else.

• Perfectionist Paralysis: Whether wired for it or learned from years of “corrections” by teachers, therapists, and parents, autistic brains are wired to try to be perfect the first time to avoid any arguments. Why? Because every mistake is remembered, ruminated on for weeks afterward, and becomes a trigger point. Often an autistic brain will delay something until everything is perfect: the idea of a MVP (minimally viable product) that can be iterated on doesn’t exist.

It’s daunting, trying to start a business, getting the advice you need, making sure you have what your customers will want, and then getting the word out about your offerings when you struggle to hold a conversation with a stranger.

So Why Do It?

If it’s so difficult to get the word out and sell the product or service, why bother starting a business? Sure, it’s often the only option for many autistic adults, as corporate jobs ramp up the challenges with little to no support (unless they have worked with Aubilities shameless plug). But autistic founders have several advantages over their competitors:

• Deep Focus and Persistence: Autistic brains are, generally, wired for deep focus, and do not tire from repetition, making our brains very persistent. It’s why my favorite part of Learning and Development is the Analysis: Figuring out what needs to be taught, breaking it down into digestible chunks, and reinforcing the skills, knowledge, and behaviors needed for successful business outcomes. If it doesn’t work, they will iterate, work until it is successful, instead of sending a client into “customer success” handling.

• Pattern Recognition: Autistic brains are wired for pattern recognition, seeing the connections between siloed organizations and departments, and how they can be best supported. So, instead of reinforcing siloed experiences within an organization, autistic brains can see how they influence each other, building collaboration and efficiency across departments.

• Integrity and Honesty: Autistic brains find it difficult to lie and deceive, valuing authenticity, honesty, and engagement. Not only is this the best way to engage with clients and customers, autistic brains are also wired to be more inclined to inclusion and belonging.

• Hyper focus on Special Topics: When an autistic founder is hyper-focused on their problem, nothing else matters. The customer’s or client’s project is the only thing on mind, 24/7. It also means that you may get analogies that will be interesting and, often, very detailed. For instance, I’m deeply focused on sailing and sailboats, and often will use sailing examples in my videos or articles as they apply.

So, How Do I Do It?

So, what’s the secret? How does an autistic entrepreneur start a business and start making money? It’s not easy, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. Some features that make it easier:

• Build an Autistic-Friendly Communication Pipeline: I find that I’m a much better (though verbose) writer than I am a speaker, particularly with unknown contacts. So, I use LinkedIn posts and articles, blog articles, and videos on YouTube that allow me to write, edit, and refine my presentation, and I’ll often write and record several posts, articles, and videos in a row, catering to my deep focus need, and then schedule them for release (I likely scheduled this article for release ^_^).

• Build and Document Everything: I have a Notion page that contains my offerings, playbooks, and procedures so I can reference them quickly and easily during a conversation. I’ll also build presentations that highlight specific items without creating “text walls” that overwhelm. I also like to have the text opposite a related image to help set the tone.

• Have Complementary Support: I know my limitations, and I know what is needed to be successful, so I work closely with colleagues and friends that help me with communication, sales pitches, business structure, etc. Many of my friends are either neurotypical, or are complementary, such as having ADHD, so they push for me to move faster and have communication skills I lack.

• Keep it Authentic: I don’t try to be anything than I am, and stay honest in what I can do and what I can’t do. If things change, I take it as it is. I’ve had some opportunities fall through over time for various reasons, and I don’t take it personal. I accept what is, try to learn from the experience, and move on.

• Keep Sensory Needs in Mind: I work in a shed in my backyard (with air conditioning and a wood-burning stove for comfort when needed), with my dogs on hand when needed. I use an Apple Vision Pro with water sound-effects playing and Bora Bora as an environment to set an environment that’s calming and conducive for deep focus. I take breaks when I need to, spend time walking to burn off energy and stimming needs, and decompress with my dogs or cat if needed.

As an autistic founder and entrepreneur, I have a lot of struggles that my neurotypical peers may not experience, but it doesn’t mean I can’t potentially be successful. It just means that I need to approach my process differently to bring value to clients and customers.

Are you interested in learning more? Book a free Strategy session and I’ll be happy to discuss how I can help your organization grow and scale faster.