5 ms·

Hey. Sorry to hear this. I have also been fired a bunch of times, and people describe interacting with me in the exact same way as you just described it. Your

Hey. Sorry to hear this. I have also been fired a bunch of times, and people describe interacting with me in the exact same way as you just described it. Your brother is consistently going for the wrong kind of job, from the sound of it. Operations jobs. I eventually succeeded when I switched to work that is more strategic and creative. I got really into language learning, blogging, website building, and then just followed things forward. I then eventually became head of marketing for two different startups. And now I run a bootstrapped company that is exploding in growth. We’ll probably do $10m+ next year in revenue. I pay people to take care of details while constantly explaining to them what my vision is. I KNOW the feeling when you see people lose faith in you. You can literally see it in their eyes. And I also - finally - know the opposite feeling. That of admiration and appreciation. Please show this to your brother.

methyl 4y ago
I also run a bootstrapped company around with $10M reve as an ADHD founder. Drop an email to lucjan at surferseo.com, I’d love to chat and share experiences.
- Disruptive_Dave 4y ago
  Big fan of you guys.
ekanes 4y ago
+1. As a founder with adhd and it was a strength not a weakness. Constant change and problem solving is exhilarating.
cowpig 4y ago
I've had a less extreme version of this but similar arc: I have ADHD, I've always underachieved at normal jobs, founded my own company and now run a successful business (though it's certainly been a bumpy ride).
adhdguy 4y ago
I think I'm like you. I'm usually the smartest guy in the room, a phenomenal problem solver and brainstormer, and a great engineer and lawyer. I'm currently doing great in a very easy and rewarding job I stumbled into, but it has a time limit. I tried stimulants years ago but it made me feel physically awful (jaw grinding, digestive problems, heart palpitations, exhaustion, etc.) and didn't actually help (I'd just get hyperfocused on distractions). Also tried guanfacine and had other negative reactions. I've actually been thinking of starting a business as a better match than a desk job before I saw all this ADHD founder talk. Reading these comments makes me feel so encouraged. Thank you.
- riwsky 4y ago
  > I’m usually the smartest guy in the room Taking you at your word, here: being the smartest in the room might be making things harder for you, not easier! If you’re regularly figuring stuff out in the first five minutes of a meeting to then watch others spend 25 (or, god forbid, 55) minutes reaching the same conclusions, you’re going to end up frustrated with meetings no matter what your dopamine chemistry is.
  - josiahpeters 4y ago
    I can relate to this. Spending the better half of the meeting catching people up to you can be exhausting sometimes.
- marketerinland 4y ago
  Thanks. It has been an absolute grind in many ways but I’ve found my way forward. In terms of being the smartest guy in the room.. I know the feeling but in my last role .. pretty much everyone there was highly intelligent. The only person I can think of who (probably) wasn’t would be the office manager. In the end, while it was a bit of a weird moment to at first to no longer be ‘special’ in that regard, it was a lot more rewarding. (And how nice it is to be in meetings where everyone can keep up!) Even then - people appreciated my creativity and ability to distill complex ideas into simple explanations. The challenge has an ADHD person for me has been to recognise exactly where my limitations are and how to put people with the right skillsets into roles to balance me out. Regarding drugs I tried Vyvanse and didn’t really like it but now am on Ritalin and despite stereotypes, for me it’s been great.
reagan83 4y ago
This is the first comment I’ve favorited on HN in almost 15 years. I know too many people that deserve the hope you describe. Thank you.
RationPhantoms 4y ago
I appreciate you writing this and will absolutely show him what can be achieved.

methyl 4y ago

I also run a bootstrapped company around with $10M reve as an ADHD founder. Drop an email to lucjan at surferseo.com, I’d love to chat and share experiences.

Disruptive_Dave 4y ago
Big fan of you guys.

ekanes 4y ago

+1. As a founder with adhd and it was a strength not a weakness. Constant change and problem solving is exhilarating.

cowpig 4y ago

I've had a less extreme version of this but similar arc: I have ADHD, I've always underachieved at normal jobs, founded my own company and now run a successful business (though it's certainly been a bumpy ride).

adhdguy 4y ago

I think I'm like you. I'm usually the smartest guy in the room, a phenomenal problem solver and brainstormer, and a great engineer and lawyer. I'm currently doing great in a very easy and rewarding job I stumbled into, but it has a time limit. I tried stimulants years ago but it made me feel physically awful (jaw grinding, digestive problems, heart palpitations, exhaustion, etc.) and didn't actually help (I'd just get hyperfocused on distractions). Also tried guanfacine and had other negative reactions. I've actually been thinking of starting a business as a better match than a desk job before I saw all this ADHD founder talk. Reading these comments makes me feel so encouraged. Thank you.

riwsky 4y ago
> I’m usually the smartest guy in the room Taking you at your word, here: being the smartest in the room might be making things harder for you, not easier! If you’re regularly figuring stuff out in the first five minutes of a meeting to then watch others spend 25 (or, god forbid, 55) minutes reaching the same conclusions, you’re going to end up frustrated with meetings no matter what your dopamine chemistry is.
- josiahpeters 4y ago
  I can relate to this. Spending the better half of the meeting catching people up to you can be exhausting sometimes.
marketerinland 4y ago
Thanks. It has been an absolute grind in many ways but I’ve found my way forward. In terms of being the smartest guy in the room.. I know the feeling but in my last role .. pretty much everyone there was highly intelligent. The only person I can think of who (probably) wasn’t would be the office manager. In the end, while it was a bit of a weird moment to at first to no longer be ‘special’ in that regard, it was a lot more rewarding. (And how nice it is to be in meetings where everyone can keep up!) Even then - people appreciated my creativity and ability to distill complex ideas into simple explanations. The challenge has an ADHD person for me has been to recognise exactly where my limitations are and how to put people with the right skillsets into roles to balance me out. Regarding drugs I tried Vyvanse and didn’t really like it but now am on Ritalin and despite stereotypes, for me it’s been great.

reagan83 4y ago

This is the first comment I’ve favorited on HN in almost 15 years. I know too many people that deserve the hope you describe. Thank you.

RationPhantoms 4y ago

I appreciate you writing this and will absolutely show him what can be achieved.