The 3 reasons ADHD founders burn out.

Hey

“I feel like I’ve found my people.”

That was said yesterday during one of my favorite group coaching sessions yet in the community.

We had a powerful conversation about something I don’t hear talked about enough:

As ADHD entrepreneurs, we move fast.

We want results. Clarity. Progress. Now.

But without the right structure, speed makes us take a wrong turn.

You guys remember the video by Dr. Hallowell right?

That’s what burns us out.

Over the past few years, I’ve worked with hundreds of ADHD founders—and nearly all of them are wrestling with the same invisible forces.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Trying harder isn’t the answer.

But come on! The whole entrepreneurial world is built around hustle.

That's gotta be it….

WRONG. 

Your brain is wired for urgency. 

So, counter-intuitively, working harder is not the answer.

Our ADHD brains work differently from neurotypicals because of how they process time, motivation, and reward.

Here’s the scientific breakdown.

This is what we all face:

1. Impaired Time Perception (a.k.a. “Time Blindness”)

ADHD brains struggle to perceive and manage time in a linear way.

• There's no reliable sense of past, present, or future.

• Instead, everything is either happening right now or it doesn’t exist yet.

• This makes delayed rewards feel meaningless—even if they’re important.

Do you ever hyperfocus on urgent tasks, and completely avoid anything without immediate reward?

(Did you know impulsive snacking is common amongst us?)

2. Lower Dopamine ("I don't feel like it")

ADHD brains have lower baseline levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for:

• Motivation

• Reward anticipation

• Task initiation

• Focus

This is why we thrive in fast-paced job environments, where "feeling like doing” something isn't part of the equation. It allows us to turn our brains off.

This feels good if we want to fit in.

But long term?

We're lying to ourselves.

3. Executive Dysfunction (Need……. structure….)

Planning, prioritizing, and resisting impulses are VERY difficult for our brains. Reason is because that part of our executive functioning is regulated by a part of our brain we don't use as much—the prefrontal cortex.

• We know what to do.

• We want to do it.

• But we can’t reliably execute without external structure or urgent emotional stakes

Without structure, we may just burn out.

In our group coaching call yesterday, we unanimously recognized the strong appeal of large corporations.

They provide the structure that we think we so desperately need.

When you're a founder, though, you don't have to build alone.

Build amongst like minds (literally lol) at Accountable. (btw I just opened up some new spots for 1:1 strategy call, book here by April 30th for a limited-time 14-day trial)

When I started my first business a decade ago, I burnt out.

I went back to corporate America.

But then I took time to learn my nervous system.

And I realized there's so much missing education for ADHD entrepreneurs.

Today, here’s the reframe I wish I’d heard years ago:

You don’t need to fix yourself.

You're not alone. You're not broken.

In the words of Dr. Hallowell:

You just need to learn how to control that powerful engine.

More soon,
— Ian
Founder, Accountable 

P.S. There's still time for 80% off of ADHD Sales Mastery. Get it now before price goes up April 30th (that’s less than a week)