When we rolled out the new brand messaging for Grow Disrupt, we received both an overwhelming amount of support, and pushback! Surprisingly, a decent chunk of that pushback came from mentors and individuals who I placed a lot of emphasis on their opinion.
Primarily, the concerns revolved around whether we’d alienate guests by publicly stating that our events are built for ADHD entrepreneurs or around the challenges of marketing to individuals with ADHD, or keeping their attention at our events.
Ultimately, obviously, we took a page from Richard Branson and said “screw it, let’s do it!”
Here’s how we prepared for the potentially tumultuous transition, and why it was so important to us!
The Preparation
Before taking the leap, we dedicated the time to ensure all our ducks were in a row and tested the message thoroughly one-on-one and in small groups. We reached out to multiple mentors for feedback, and took that feedback with a grain of salt.
Ultimately, we made the decision to proceed with it because at its heart, ADHD is a superpower as an entrepreneur. Not a hindrance! And it’s time more of us realize that.
Stephanie’s Story
Our founder, Stephanie spent adolescence through adulthood battling with ADHD. While building her first business, she spent so much time setting up guardrails and bumpers to control the way her brain worked, that she had less energy to focus on growing the business overall. Wherever she struggled and found a potential pitfall, she built an SOP or guardrail to keep from falling off the path. There was so much time shoring up problems that there was little energy for growth. As Stephanie says, “When I spent so much time fighting that part of myself, I began to lose sight of the ways that it helps me be a better business owner.”
Despite confirmation in her mid 20s that she is ADHD, Stephanie never really spent time to understand what that meant until the past few years. Now she’s focused entirely on helping other ADHD entrepreneurs tap into their superpower with acceptance over constant correction and shame!
Conclusion
To all those who said that making this message our branding was a terrible idea, you might be correct... However, we are going to do it anyway, because we believe it is time that we talked about the advantages of having ADHD and accepting who we are. It is time to realize that ADHD is a wonderful ability, and you are amazing!