The ADHD Entrepreneur’s Greatest Struggle [And How to Break Free]
The Dopamine Trap is the ultimate business-killer for ADHD entrepreneurs - it’s the biggest cause of overwhelm, it halts progress AND it triggers burnout. Learn what it is - and how to escape it - with actionable strategies that harness your ADHD mind so you can build a sustainable, successful business that works WITH your brain.
Prefer Video? ⬇
Creativity, curiosity, out-of-the-box thinking, problem-solving, an obsessive passion for your interests, and an openness to risk.
It’s a list that perfectly describes both an ADHD diagnosis and the qualities of a successful entrepreneur.
Now, add the stimulation business-building brings.
Top it off with the unparalleled freedom entrepreneurship has to offer.
Once you do, it’s easy to see that ADHD brains are practically built for entrepreneurship.
That’s why if you have ADHD, you’re 300% more likely to start a business than if you don’t.
It’s also why a disproportionate number of self-made millionaires have ADHD…
Still—entrepreneurship is hard.
Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or trying to sell you on a ‘get-rich-quick’ scheme.
And while ADHD gives you many entrepreneurial advantages - it also brings unique challenges.
Challenges that might make you question if entrepreneurship is even possible when you’re powered by an ADHD brain…
But nothing could be further from the truth.
It’s not about whether you can - it’s about learning how to work with your ADHD brain rather than against it.
Harnessing its advantages and managing the challenges.
Because once you know how to navigate the biggest obstacles, you unlock the full potential of your ADHD-powered business.
One of the biggest obstacles is The Dopamine Trap.
Here’s what it is, why it happens - and what to do to escape it.
The Dopamine Trap: The Covert Progress Killer For ADHD Entrepreneurs
The Dopamine Trap is a covert progress killer that creates a pile of failed business ideas for ADHD entrepreneurs.
If you’ve ever had an idea for a business, started working on it, and then abandoned it because you lost interest or it burned you out—The Dopamine Trap is probably to blame.
It’s the root of your overwhelm, inconsistency, and stalled progress.
Know that if you’ve found yourself stuck in this cycle - it isn’t your fault.
It isn’t a discipline issue, and you don’t need to “try harder.”
This happens because of neurological wiring - not because you didn’t write a to-do list or get up at 5 am.
The struggle you face as an ADHD entrepreneur is that you could read, learn, and implement every business book, guru hack, and social media video in the world and it won’t include anything that relates to The Dopamine Trap.
It’s an experience unique to ADHD entrepreneurs - 99% of business advice is designed for Neurotypical brains.
This is far from ideal because I’ve spent years supporting ADHD entrepreneurs, and
I can say two things with total confidence:
#1 The Dopamine Trap is the greatest challenge faced by any ADHD Entrepreneur launching a business
#2 Breaking out of it is not only doable - but sets the stage for unparalleled success.
All you need to do is understand it - then commit to doing what you must to be free of it.
Break free from The Dopamine Trap, and you set the stage for success in your ADHD-owned business.
Or don’t—and remain stuck in an exhausting cycle:
New business idea → overwhelm → lost interest → abandoned business idea → new business idea…
The ADHD Entrepreneurs Map
The Dopamine Trap is a fundamental challenge rooted in how ADHD brains function.
Dopamine is essentially a survival mechanism.
It’s released in anticipation of a reward in the form of motivation.
Think of it like this…
Imagine yourself travelling through the ages.
Riding through time to land way back in the Stone Age when cavemen roamed the earth.
In order to survive, cavemen needed to hunt.
The reward for engaging in the actions of that hunt would be food.
The anticipation of that reward [the food] releases the dopamine [motivation] to hunt and get that food.
Neurotypicals have an importance-based nervous system.
Motivation is derived from external or intrinsic factors.
ADHDers have an interest-based nervous system.
Tasks that are inherently interesting, novel, urgent, or provide immediate gratification create motivation.
This looks different in Neurotypical and ADHD brains.
Neurotypical Caveman knows it’s important to eat - that importance triggers the motivation to get the food.
ADHD Caveman probably doesn’t hunt until he is absolutely famished.
Or perhaps he has just found a new type of sharpening process for his hunting spear - giving novelty.
Or who knows - maybe he has a passion for cooking deer on open flames…
This is why ADHD entrepreneurs thrive in the early stages of business building.
The ADHD Happy Zone ➜ The Lead Up To The Launch
This is Stage 1 on The ADHD Entrepreneurs Map.
The Idea → Launch Phase.
In this stage:
The work is novel and exciting.
Your brain is flooded with dopamine.
Hyperfocus kicks in, and everything feels effortless.
There’s little emotional dysregulation because it’s back-end work with no risk of public judgment.
The Reality Sets In ➜ The Hyperfocus Wears Off...
In stage 2 knowledge and skill gaps emerge - tasks lose their novelty.
The hyperfocus wears off - replaced with overwhelm.
ADHD traits - emotional dysregulation and executive dysfunction - amplify that overwhelm.
Your dopamine rapidly declines - and your motivation goes with it.
This drives your brain to try to chase it.
But here’s the problem…
Dopamine Doesn’t Pay The Bills
I’m so passionate about this that I made it the title of my book.
[coming soon!]
Now, instead of focusing on building and implementing systems to tackle it, you abandon ship.
You change course - start a new idea - you cycle back to Stage 1.
This is The Dopamine Trap...
Escaping The Dopamine Trap
You need two things to break free from The Dopamine Trap:
An understanding of how to work with your ADHD brain
Systems that keep you focused when dopamine runs low.
First - understand how The Dopamine Trap manifests in your entrepreneurial journey.
Awareness is everything.
Without it, you’ll stay caught in the cycle of high-dopamine excitement followed by low-dopamine overwhelm.
Start by identifying how The Dopamine Trap manifests in your entrepreneurial journey.
Find Your Dopamine Trap Triggers
Reflect on past projects…
When did you lose momentum?
What tasks overwhelmed you?
How often did you pivot to something new instead of finishing what you started?
This awareness lays the foundation for building systems to keep you consistent and focused, even when the dopamine fades.
Reverse Engineer The Overwhelm
Overwhelm happens when there’s low clarity (not knowing what to do) combined with high demand (too much to do).
Low clarity = not knowing what to do, when to do it, or how to do it.
High demand = a significant need for your time, energy, and attention.
ADHD characteristics like emotional dysregulation and executive dysfunction amplify overwhelm - so we want to stop it before it starts.
To remove overwhelm, you reverse engineer it.
High clarity: A clear plan of what needs to be done and how to do it.
Low demand: Systems that reduce the mental load on your brain.
To do this effectively, use The Domino Framework.
Define the moves that will make the biggest impact - commit to those.
Then use project learning to fast-track getting them done.
Finally - we build systems.
You increase your time and energy by systemizing your repetitive tasks.
You implement tools, platforms, and software to remove yourself from tasks that don’t appeal to your interest-based nervous system [your ADHD motivators].
The Domino Framework
The Domino Framework is the key to leveraging hyperfocus, removing overwhelm and alignment with your need for novelty.
Define Your Current Goal
If you focus on everything, you focus on nothing - it only leads to overwhelm, burnout and stalled progress.
Start by getting clear on what you’re trying to achieve right now.
Is it creating an offer?
Building your audience?
Running a launch?
What is the one big thing you are trying to get done in your business?
Commit to making that your core focus - dedicate your energy to it.
Forget anything else until that’s completed.
Outline Your Domino Project
Your Domino tasks are those that, when completed, will make the biggest impact on that goal.
List them out.
These tasks make up your Domino Project.
Review your list - narrow your focus further by mapping the order they need to be completed.
Now you have only one task - high clarity + low demand.
You simplify your focus and eliminate decision fatigue and information overload.
Build With Project Learning
As an entrepreneur you have a consistent need to acquire knowledge and skills.
In school we are taught to do this with what I call passive learning.
Consuming large amounts of information and taking notes to try to retain it.
This is ineffective for ADHD brains.
So much so that research done by the ADHD Foundation found that 68% of students with ADHD are frustrated by school.
Instead, build with project learning - active learning that’s hands-on.
Learn only the Foundations
Research only what you need to start that task —not everything you need to complete that task.
For example: If you’re building a website your task might be choosing a platform.
Research the ones that are best for your needs, then start setting it up…
Tackle Gaps as You Go
Let the process reveal your knowledge and skill gaps.
When you find one - study what you need to fill it and then resume the project.
For example, You start designing your website page and need to add a payment button - you don’t know how.
Research what you need - then build the button and continue.
Keep Moving Forward
Do this for each task in your Domino Project.
When they are complete - begin a new one.
The goal isn’t to master everything—it’s to make consistent progress.
The Domino Project method aligns perfectly with the ADHD brain because:
It reduces overwhelm by narrowing your focus to one core task.
It creates clarity, making it easier to start and maintain momentum.
It’s rewarding because you see immediate progress, which fuels your interest-based nervous system.
It builds confidence by proving to yourself that you can follow through and complete important projects.
Systems Systems Systems
The goal is to systemize tasks that require high executive functioning - removing yourself from them as much as possible.
To do this, you implement tools, platforms, and automation to reduce your workload.
Review, Remove, Automate, Delegate.
Make a list of all of the tasks and moving parts in your business.
What things in your business are you currently doing that are unnecessary?
I used to do an Instagram live once a week - it was time-heavy and produced very little results so I stopped.
This doesn’t have to be permanent - it’s about minimizing the moving parts of your business.
Automate
Which tasks on your list are repeated?
What can you turn into a template or checklist?
Which can be handled by tools, platforms, or automation software?
Delegate
What could be handled by a freelancer?
Admin, editing, and accounting are a great place to start…
The Turning Point for ADHD Entrepreneurs
Escaping the Dopamine Trap is the defining moment where ADHD entrepreneurs stop spinning their wheels and start building a business that truly works for them.
Breaking the cycle of starting and stopping, chasing the fleeting thrill of new ideas but never reaching the consistent progress that builds success.
Recognizing the patterns of the Dopamine Trap and implementing strategies that work with your ADHD brain, you turn your creativity and energy into sustainable results.
It’s a transition from frustration and burnout to clarity and momentum.
I strongly recommend putting these things in place of this is something you’ve struggled with.
And if you want to build a business with strategy and systems that ensure you don’t get stuck in the dopamine trap and instead build a successful and sustainable business check out the ADHD entrepreneurs StarterKit.
.png)
