Spoiler alert: Michael is my husband, making this episode that much more special!

Michael Dickey’s journey into understanding ADHD began with our son’s diagnosis several years ago, which led to revelations about his own experiences with ADHD. After seeing how proper support and strategies transformed both our son’s life and his own ability to focus and communicate, Michael discovered his true passion: helping other entrepreneurs with ADHD build successful businesses.

As a business coach specializing in ADHD, he brings a unique perspective to our conversation, combining personal experience with professional expertise. Having experienced the challenges firsthand – from scattered thoughts and missed deadlines to the frustration of feeling overwhelmed by basic business tasks – Michael now helps other business owners turn what many see as a liability into their greatest strength.

Through his coaching practice, Flow State Executive Coaching, Michael teaches entrepreneurs how to work with their ADHD rather than against it, creating systems and strategies that actually work for their unique brain wiring. In this interview, Michael shares insights from both his personal journey and his work with clients, offering practical advice for anyone running a business while managing ADHD.

MICHAEL: With ADHD and running your own business, there are both advantages and disadvantages. The most common negative experiences my clients share are frustration and overwhelm. They’re close to taking that next step in growing their business, but they’re doing everything themselves. They only have time to work in their business, not on their business. They’re handling sales, administrative tasks, creating SOPs, content creation, invoices, quotes, paying bills, scheduling – all the roles they probably consider boring and tedious.

People with ADHD tend to avoid boring and tedious tasks, but these tasks are crucial for business success and must get done. This leads to frustration, overwhelm, and disappointment in themselves. They struggle to finish ideas or projects because while they get initial excitement and vision, the execution and planning parts are challenging. This results in projects fizzling out and being abandoned.

They feel like failures because they frequently “drop the ball” – missed appointments, forgotten tasks, poor follow-through with prospects or referral partners. There’s significant self-doubt and imposter syndrome because they continue making what seem like simple mistakes and missing deadlines. They think, “I’m not good at this,” when in reality, they’re probably excellent at many aspects of their business – the parts that made them start the business in the first place. But when forced to do everything, even tasks they shouldn’t be doing, their failures overshadow their wins.

MICHAEL: ADHD acts as a multiplier and amplifier. Everyone has these same problems, but with ADHD, there’s emotional dysregulation – an overactive emotional reaction to something seemingly small and insignificant. There’s also intense avoidance of boring, tedious, or repetitive tasks that aren’t fun and energizing. ADHD takes normal small business owner problems and amplifies them significantly.

MICHAEL: First, while I’m not a doctor, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist for diagnosis if you aren’t already diagnosed, and considering medication if you qualify. ADHD medications are among the best-researched and safest pharmaceuticals available. They’ve been extensively studied, and the risk-reward ratio is high. Medication can make those boring, tedious tasks significantly more manageable. The key is finding a psychiatrist who will proactively help adjust your dosage through experimentation.

For self-assessment, you can find ADHD questionnaires online – the same ones psychiatrists use. These can be helpful to bring to your physician or psychiatrist.

For books, I recommend two specifically. First is “ADHD 2.0” by Doctors Hallowell and Ratey. It’s newer and focuses on destigmatizing ADHD and medication while discussing new treatments, including physical therapy exercises and balance training to help improve ADHD symptoms. The second is “Succeeding with Adult ADHD” by Abigail Levrini, which provides practical, day-to-day strategies you can implement immediately.

For getting diagnosed, I recommend Klarity ADHD. They’re virtual providers who connect you with psychiatric professionals in your state. They offer reasonable cash rates and accept insurance, making the diagnosis process much more accessible.

Two additional resources I recommend are Comigo.ai, an AI app I’ve helped develop that assists with ADHD-specific work situations and planning, and Tick Tick, a task management app that’s excellent for organizing yourself simply and flexibly.

MICHAEL: Before diagnosis, I had little to no planning – I would wing it throughout the day, which isn’t ideal when you make your own schedule. I’d constantly forget tasks, even when specifically asked to do them. My brain felt like I was listening to five different heavy metal guitar solos simultaneously. In meetings, I couldn’t focus on conversations because everything was distracting – doors opening, lights flickering, multiple conversations happening at once.

The day I started medication, within an hour, everything changed. Standing in the kitchen, suddenly all the guitar solos went away, replaced by calm classical music. I could actually think about what I needed to do and focus on one task without constant distractions. It was like going from driving in New York City at rush hour to driving leisurely through the country. That first day, I worked for six hours straight on projects – something I’d never been able to do before.

MICHAEL: First, it’s important to understand that if you’re a small business owner with ADHD, you’re not alone. Business owners with ADHD have amazing strengths and gifts to offer the world, but no single person can do everything. We’re all born with different natural limits to our mental energy capacity for certain tasks and roles.

For many people with ADHD, we have what I call a ‘shot glass size cup’ for planning and organizing – the mental energy required for planning, organizing, and performing repetitive actions. We naturally resist and avoid these tasks. Because ADHD is an amplifier, if we find something boring or lack mental energy for it, we avoid it intensely.

The main obstacles come down to two things: thinking you have to do everything yourself and being unable to ask for help. The challenge is knowing how to get things done without doing them yourself.

MICHAEL: The first strategy is building habits and routines. A habit operates in a different part of your mind than other tasks. Create a morning routine using something like Tick Tick or your calendar. Set up daily reminders for essential tasks that will set you up for success. Remember what James Clear says in “Atomic Habits” – it takes 66 days for a new behavior to become a habit.

The second strategy is creating a “second brain” system to reduce dropping the ball and forgetting important tasks. I recommend Tick Tick because it’s accessible everywhere – phone app, desktop app, web browser. There’s a widget on your phone where you can quickly capture thoughts or tasks through voice recording or typing. This follows David Allen’s principle from “Getting Things Done” – our brain is for having ideas, not holding them.

AI can also be incredibly helpful as a brainstorming partner. You can use ChatGPT, Gemini, or Come to help prioritize and time-block your week. Simply provide your availability and tasks, and the AI can help plan your schedule effectively.

MICHAEL: Your ADHD superpower – similar to what’s called your “zone of genius” in “The Big Leap” – consists of things you love to do, are good at, and that energize you. These are tasks that only you can do, generate revenue, and give you purpose in life. Most people didn’t start their business to handle boring administrative tasks – they started it to make an impact in their specific way.

Every task or responsibility that doesn’t align with your superpower becomes your ADHD kryptonite. Following the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle), 20% of what you do is responsible for 80% of your results. By focusing on your superpower activities – that critical 20% – you’ll get the majority of your results while doing less work.

For the remaining tasks that still need to be done, there are only four options:

  1. Delegate it: Find people whose superpower aligns with your kryptonite tasks.
  2. Delete or pause it: Evaluate the ROI of each task. Some things can wait six months or a year.
  3. Automate it: Use technology, templates, or software to reduce manual work.
  4. Develop strategies: For tasks you must do yourself, create systems that work with your brain.

MICHAEL: I’m finishing up a free, self-paced course called “Ignore the Shiny Objects,” a goal-setting system for growth-oriented ADHD entrepreneurs. It includes an ebook and audiobook, available here.

Every year on the first Friday and Saturday of December, I hold a free virtual goal-setting and annual planning retreat.

I also offer one-on-one coaching through a six-month program where we identify your ADHD superpower, set aligned business goals, and develop specific strategies. My approach is inspired by Michelangelo’s famous quote about creating the David statue – he said he simply chiseled away everything that wasn’t David. Similarly, my coaching helps chisel away everything that isn’t your superpower, making you as efficient, productive, and energized as possible, while finding solutions for everything else.

About Michael Dickey

Michael Dickey spent 15 years in physical therapy and sports medicine, including working with The Harlem Globetrotters, before switching careers to join his wife’s financial coaching business. After receiving his ADHD diagnosis and becoming a Certified Kolbe™ Consultant, he now helps small business owners leverage their natural problem-solving strengths. Based in Arizona with his wife Kelsa and their twins, Michael enjoys powerlifting, disc golf, jam bands, and coaching flag football.