Some entrepreneurs launch their business in a flurry of spontaneous conversations and ‘that’ll do for now’ ideas. They find a fast route to bringing in some revenue, and figure out the systems and strategy further down the road. It means there’s a bit of disorganisation or re-routing to be done later, but by that time there’s some cash coming in.
That trajectory for an autistic person? No way.
I’m not saying it never happens (and with AuDHD it’s more common), but most autistic business owners need to map out the strategy and plan ahead before things get started. We need to know where we’re heading; to feel the congruence and realism of the idea before we share it with the world.
If you’ve got plenty of time – say you’ve already got another business or you’ve got a job whilst you get the ball rolling – it can work well. But even then it can seem endless, and can wind up in months or even years of preparation. You’re getting more impatient and frustrated with yourself as the clock ticks on, but there doesn’t seem to be a shortcut or another way to ‘just get on with it’.
Why autistic business owners struggle with overthinking and decision making
It’s not quite the same as perfectionism or imposter syndrome, although those can be part of the puzzle. It’s more like a drive to make sense of things, to process them to a level of depth where it ‘clicks’. It’s like it’s all a blur until you’ve researched, figured out and grappled with all dimensions of what you’re creating.
The exasperation comes when you need to push forward, and you know you’ve done enough already in theory. This kind of overthinking – also known as analysis paralysis – isn’t procrastination. You know that there comes a time to just say ‘f*** it’ and launch. But you can’t. There are still these questions that need to be clarified, and you’ve now got so much information, so many ideas, so many possibilities… that it’s overwhelming to filter them into answers.
For example, you’ve dug deep into your target market, your positioning, clarifying what you offer and how you’re going to market it. You’re so close, but you find yourself unable to narrow it down and make it workable. How do you turn all of those inter-connected ideas into a clear positioning statement, or translate them into actual messaging for a website?
How to move past strategy overload and turn deep research into action
This is a process I go through with many of my autistic clients, and it’s one that I know deeply from my own experience as an autistic business owner. The usual bits of advice you hear, like ‘just pick one and move forwards’ or ‘it doesn’t have to be perfect’ don’t actually work here.
A few things that are better suited to get you into the next phase:
Talk through the work you’ve already done with at least one person. You might feel you can go straight from a deep-dive strategic or research process straight into launching, but it’s often too difficult.
There needs to be an in-between step, where you have a sounding board to sense-check. You’ll end up with a better sense of all you’ve done, what you’ve learned, where it’s enough for now, and what’s still needed. Of course, working with a neurodiversity coach can provide this essential outside perspective.
Divide the strategic work and planning into phases. Because you experience things in a hyper-connected and non-linear way – characteristic of autistic thinking patterns – it’s hard to have boundaries around what’s needed now versus what’s needed later.
The freedom comes in allowing yourself to include all of it, but not to develop it all fully right now. You need a minimum viable strategy, knowing that it remains connected to phases 2 and 3 (etc.) that you can refine later.
Do small things right now that are visible. There’s often a fear of being perceived behind the strategic drive. It’s not the whole picture, but there’s usually some unconscious avoidance of being visible, or getting things ‘wrong’ somehow in the public eye. By taking small risks in the direction of visibility, you can shortcut this.
Do small things that don’t require a complete strategy or clear systems: launch a very simple landing page that says what’s coming; start some simple social media posting even if it’s not fully clear what the goals or audience are; speak to some other business owners and tell them what you’re working on.
Stop training yourself on All the Things. You’ve probably rationalised to yourself that you need to learn how to build a website, that you need to understand all the ins and outs of social media strategy before you start posting, that you need to figure out CRMs and automation before your first customer signs up.
It’s a strong pull, but it keeps you stuck. Again, come back to a minimum viable solution in each of these areas. What do you actually need in place, even if it falls short of what you would prefer? For example, you might not even need a website at first, or you might be able to get your first clients without having any systems or processes clarified at all.
Delegate or outsource at least one piece. Even if it’s a skill swap or a very small piece of the work, just get at least one other human involved. It’s not just about having one less thing to do, it’s having a different brain working on the execution.
This makes it feel real, it changes the pace. It naturally pulls the monotropic focus away from the strategic rabbit hole, supporting you to get things out there because there’s another person in the mix.
Even though it’s hard to believe this when you feel like you’re never going to get anywhere… your hyperconnected cognition is an important asset. Things might take longer sometimes, and you might be budgeting to outsource some things sooner than other entrepreneurs would. It’s frustrating, but I really do see the positives in action too.
If you’re autistic you probably can’t bring yourself to start selling something until you know it’s deep-down authentic and viable. And I see this leading to real stability and staying-power; autistic business owners who might have taken the long road, but have wound up finding the perfect fit for their skills and values.