Why Entrepreneurial ADHD Traits Don’t Always Mean You Should Start a Business

Is it possible to have a brain wired for entrepreneurship, but actually thrive best within traditional employment? In this insightful episode, host Diann Wingert flips the script on the common narrative in both the ADHD and business worlds: that entrepreneurial traits automatically mean you should start your own business. 

Instead, she explores the concept of intrapreneurship—bringing creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit into an existing organization—and how this path might be the most strategic decision for many ADHDers.

If you’re wrestling with the decision to go solo or stay employed, give this episode a listen. It just might give you permission to build a life—and career—that truly works for your brain.

Three key takeaways:

Entrepreneurial traits ≠ Entrepreneurial career: 

You can be creative, visionary, and disruptive without having to start your own business. Don’t fall for the myth that employment is “settling.”

Intrapreneurship unlocks impact & stability: 

Express your entrepreneurial strengths inside an organization. Lead without authority, innovate processes, and treat your role like you own it—while benefiting from structure, resources, and a steady paycheck.

Signs that traditional employment isn’t right for you:

Not everyone is meant to shine as an intrapreneur. If every manager is a nightmare, structure feels suffocating, or your best ideas die in committee, maybe going solo is your move. But it’s all about matching your brain and real life with the right path—not shame, not hustle-culture FOMO.

Workplace roles & cultures where ADHD-ish traits thrive:

Look for product development, business strategy, internal consulting, startups, project-based work, or innovation labs. Go where experimenters are rewarded, hierarchies are flatter, and outcomes matter more than bureaucracy.

Mic Drop Moment:

“Infrastructure isn't the enemy of innovation. Structure, when it's the right structure, is what lets your brain do what it does best without getting derailed by all the shit you hate doing."

Action Step:
Take 10 mins for honest self-reflection. Where do you really do your best work? What structure supports you? Then, make the choice that serves your life—not LinkedIn optics or anyone else’s expectations.

About the Host:

Diann Wingert (she/her) is seasoned coach, consultant and the creator/host of ADHD-ish. Drawing from her many years of experience as a former psychotherapist, business owner, and someone who thinks "outside the box," Diann is known for her straight-talking, no-nonsense approach to the intersection of neurodiversity and the world of work.

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© 2025 ADHD-ish Podcast. Intro music by Ishan Dincer / Melody Loops  / Outro music by Vladimir /  Bobi Music / All rights reserved.