Simplified Business Strategy Foundations: ADHD Style!

Our business foundations are exactly that — the solid groundwork we build everything else from.
Just like a house needs a stable base to stay standing, your business needs strong foundations to grow in a way that feels right, sustainable and clear.

They help you make decisions, stay focused, and move forward with more confidence - especially on the tough days!

For neurodivergent business owners, these foundations are more than just words on paper. They’re a way to reduce overwhelm, bring clarity, and make it easier to know what’s right for you and your business.

Personally, I come back to mine whenever I feel stuck or unsure. They help me stay grounded and aligned.

This blog will walk you through what each of these foundations really means, why they matter, and how they can help you run a business that actually works for your brain.

👉 And if you want support pulling all of this together, I’ve created a free downloadable guide to help you map out your business foundations step-by-step. Keep reading for a FREE workbook!

To break it down simply, here’s what I believe to be your guiding principles in your business strategy:

1. Passions: Identifying your passions helps you align your business with what genuinely excites you. This enthusiasm can be a powerful motivator.
2. Why: Your why is what gets you out of bed in the morning. This will help keep you determined throughout your journey.
3. Purpose: It’s about the greater impact you want to make. It’s your reason for being and the legacy you hope to leave.
4. Vision: It's the big picture - the future you are working toward.
5. Mission: Your mission defines what your business does and who it serves. It's the "how" of your vision.
6. Values: Values are the guiding principles that shape your business culture and decision-making. They set the tone for how you operate.

These elements not only provide clarity for you as a business owner but also resonate with your clients and connections. Keep your message simple and clear, and it will be more accessible to a wider audience, including those of you, like me, who may prefer straightforward and easy-to-understand content due to dyslexia or other learning difficulties.

If you’re still with me - let’s dive a little deeper.

Your Passion:

Passion matters - especially when you’re neurodivergent. Our brains work a bit differently, and one of the key things we often struggle with is motivation. That’s because we have lower levels of dopamine, a chemical messenger (called a neurotransmitter) in the brain that helps with things like focus, drive, and feeling rewarded.

When we’re passionate about something, our brains release more dopamine, which is why we feel more motivated, focused, and energised. But here’s the thing: that same dopamine can also lead to hyperfocus, where we go all in and lose track of time, energy, or priorities. And if we’re not careful, that can lead to burnout.

That’s why passion is essential and why boundaries are just as important. Doing something you love helps you stay engaged, but having structure around it helps you keep going without crashing.

So, think about – is your business really what you are passionate about? How can you involve what you are passionate about more? Is there something you want to do that you are passionate about and how can you make it a business?

Your Why:

Ever find yourself juggling so many things that you forget why you started this business journey? Or find yourself questioning what’s the point of all this - perhaps daily?

Take a moment to connect back to your why. It may have been blurred, forgotten or even changed.

I started my business journey to have flexibility around having a baby BUT I soon realised I NEEDED the flexibility for myself and how I work. This is why I need to run my own business and be my own boss.

So, why did you dive into this adventure in the first place? What gets you out of bed in the morning and what keeps driving you to move forward?

Connecting with our why is what will help you feel focused in the future. When things feel hard or overwhelming, remembering why you started can help be the motivator to keep you going.

Your purpose:

This is a biggy and it can take some time to come up with your purpose. Some people never find it, but I think most neurodivergent people are super passionate and therefore, finding your purpose can be easier.

Your purpose is about what impact do you want to create in the world and in your lifetime. While it can seem morbid, I always say to my clients, when you die what do you want people or the world to know about you – it’s your legacy as such.

This one isn’t essential to your business foundations and it’s not something you have to forcefully think about or come up with an answer. But, if you do know your purpose, then just like your why this can be really helpful to guide you in knowing the direction you want your life and therefore you business to go.

If you are currently a cleaner and you know your life’s purpose is to make sure no other neurodivergent business owner feels stupid (in case you didn’t guess that’s mine!), then it can help guide what your next steps can be. It can help you make decisions when they feel overwhelming.

So, what do you want to be known for?

Your Vision:

Let’s start at the end with your vision. (I’ve always worked backwards. It comes from my event management days, where you had the event date and then figured everything else before that.

Your vision is your destination - the future you want to create through your business or even in life. It gives you direction and keeps you going when things get tough.

Think of it as your long-term goal. It’s not about the day-to-day, but the big picture. What do you want to achieve in the long run? What impact do you want to have?

Some people like to create a vision statement like the big brands do:

1.  ADHD Foundation, The Neurodiversity Charity: A world that views neurodiversity and ‘thinking differently’ as a strength, whilst acknowledging and understanding the difficulties associated with lifespan neurodevelopmental conditions.
2.  LinkedIn: Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.

But you don’t have to write it like that.

Personally, I find a simpler, more flexible approach works better (especially for neurodivergent brains). It can be a sentence, a short paragraph, or even a rough idea that evolves over time – you could even get fun and create a mind map or I love to go into Canva and create a Vision Board!

My vision is twofold:

1. To have freedom and flexibility for myself and my family
2. To live in a world where neurodivergent people are embraced — and eventually, where labels aren’t even needed because everyone is seen as a Unicorn, a beautifully unique individual.

Your vision might change, and that’s okay. The important thing is having something to guide you.

Your Mission:

Your mission (yep, should you choose to accept it) is all about the how, how you’re going to bring your vision to life.

Think of it like this:
- What kind of business are you building?
- What services or support are you offering?
- What do you want people to experience when they interact with you?
- Do you want to create an inclusive community? A calm space? A bold movement?
- How will you make that happen?

Your mission helps you stay focused and remind yourself (and others) what you're really here to do, not just the tasks, but the bigger picture behind them.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. It can be one sentence or a few bullet points. You can even map it out visually if that’s your thing. The key is to make sure it feels right for you.

Your Values:

Your values are what really matter to you — they guide how you show up in your business and help shape the way you work with others.

They’re kind of like your internal compass. They help you make decisions, set boundaries, and build a business that feels right to run. When your values are clear, it’s easier to stay true to yourself, attract the right clients, and create work that actually means something to you.

And just like you, your values can evolve over time. I used to lead with flexibility, passion, and connection. These days, I’m more focused on impact, empowerment, inclusivity, freedom, and community.

There’s no right or wrong list — it’s about what you care about most and how you want to run your business day-to-day. You can choose to share your values – like I have done or you can have them just for yourself.

Implement your Foundations

Now you’ve covered the basics of your business and brand foundations it’s time to start implementing them. This is what starts to form your business strategy.

If you want a space to help you create these foundations I would love for you to download my FREE workbook which will help guide you through it. You can download it here.

If you're ready to move your business foundations to the next level and want to make a strategy that works for you and your brain then why not join me for Planning Circle - an in-person strategy day for neurodivergent business owners.

A chance to connect with like-minded business owners in a safe environment, work on the next steps in your business so you have clarity and a clear focus and finally come away with an action plan that works for you, your energy and your brain!

Next planning Circle is 5th June 2025 - more details here