Can entrepreneurs and marketing professionals thrive with ADHD?
Join our Chief Wise Squirrel, Dave Delaney, as he is interviewed and featured on Constant Contact’s Be a Marketer with Dave Charest podcast.
In episode 47 of the Be a Marketer podcast, host Dave Charest sat down with Dave Delaney, a keynote speaker, author, and founder of Futureforth, to explore his journey as an entrepreneur and how his recent ADHD diagnosis has transformed his personal and professional life. The conversation is packed with valuable insights on how late-diagnosed adults with ADHD can adapt their work habits and how business owners can manage their time more effectively for marketing success. Here's a summary of the key topics covered in this insightful episode.
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1. ADHD Diagnosis and Its Impact on Work and Life
In 2023, after 12 years in business, Dave Delaney was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. He shared how this diagnosis provided clarity on many aspects of his life, including how he approached his business and personal challenges. Delaney had long struggled with focus, impulse control, and stress management, but he didn’t connect these issues with ADHD until later in life.
Before his diagnosis, he dealt with feelings of self-doubt and impostor syndrome, common among adults with ADHD. Now, with the help of medication, therapy, and an ADHD coach, Delaney has adjusted his routines to better accommodate his condition. This includes adopting practices like meditation, regular exercise, and mindfulness to help reduce stress and maintain focus.
2. Coping Strategies for ADHD in Business
Delaney emphasized the importance of finding coping strategies that work for you, especially for those who might be dealing with ADHD without knowing it. Some key techniques he uses include:
Meditation and mindfulness: Delaney adopted a daily practice to improve focus and reduce stress.
Exercise and movement: Regular physical activity, including daily walks, helps him stay grounded.
Time blocking: He schedules specific blocks of time for crucial tasks like journaling and brainstorming, allowing him to manage distractions and stay focused on his goals.
Delaney also shared a humorous but poignant realization about his inability to use planners, noting that while he could not stick to detailed planners, journaling allowed him to get his ideas out and make progress in a way that worked better for his ADHD brain.
3. Recognizing the Strengths of ADHD
While ADHD presents challenges, Delaney highlighted some of the strengths that come with the condition, such as creativity, passion, and hyperfocus. In fact, hyperfocus—the ability to deeply concentrate on a task or project—can be a superpower for entrepreneurs. For Delaney, this allows him to dive into projects like his podcast or keynote presentations for hours without noticing the time passing. He emphasized that embracing the strengths of ADHD while finding workarounds for its challenges has been key to his success.
4. Navigating Challenges as an Entrepreneur with ADHD
The discussion also touched on the broader experience of managing a business during crises. Delaney shared his personal struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic, where a tornado destroyed his children's school, his home was severely damaged, and the global crisis affected his business. Through these challenges, he learned to adapt, and his decision to quit drinking during this period led to a greater focus on health and mindfulness.
Delaney's story serves as an important reminder that resilience and adaptability are critical traits for entrepreneurs, especially when dealing with unforeseen personal or global challenges.
5. The Importance of Time Management and Marketing Discipline
One of the key takeaways from the podcast is Delaney’s approach to marketing, which he likens to an “always be marketing” mindset. Instead of approaching marketing as a separate activity, Delaney incorporates it into his daily life and sees it as part of his business's operating system.
He also discussed the value of time blocking for marketing tasks, emphasizing the importance of being intentional and disciplined with your time. Delaney has found that setting aside non-negotiable time for marketing activities, such as email campaigns or podcasting, ensures that they don’t get lost in the shuffle of day-to-day business operations.
6. Authenticity as a Key to Success
In the era of social media and constant online engagement, Delaney advocates for authenticity as the foundation of successful marketing. He believes that being true to yourself helps build trust with your audience. Whether it’s speaking engagements, podcasting, or consulting, Delaney’s approach is to be transparent and genuine, focusing on long-term relationships over quick wins.
He emphasized that when people know, like, and trust you, they’re more likely to do business with you. This authenticity, paired with quality content and meaningful connections, forms the core of his marketing strategy.
Key Takeaways for Entrepreneurs with ADHD.
Identify What Works for You: Whether it’s a planner, journaling, or mindfulness, find tools and strategies that help you manage your time and energy effectively.
Know Your Obstacles: By understanding your challenges—whether related to ADHD or not—you can give yourself grace and develop plans that work for you.
Time Blocking: Setting aside time for essential tasks, like marketing, ensures they receive the attention they deserve.
Be Authentic: In both marketing and personal interactions, authenticity builds trust and long-term success.
For entrepreneurs, especially those dealing with ADHD or other neurodiverse conditions, Delaney’s story is a powerful reminder that success doesn’t come from following the same path as everyone else. Instead, it comes from embracing your unique challenges, building systems that work for you, and staying true to your authentic self.
To learn more about Dave Delaney’s work and his ADHD-focused podcast, ADHD Wise Squirrels, where he shares resources and insights for late-diagnosed adults with ADHD, fellow Wise Squirrels.
If you're looking for actionable marketing tips or a deeper dive into managing ADHD as a business owner, this podcast episode is a must-listen.
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[Music] Today on episode 47 of the Be a Marketer Podcast, you'll hear from an owner who, after 12 years in business, was diagnosed as an adult with ADHD. This is the Be a Marketer.
[Music]
Podcast Be a Marketer. I'm your host, Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and I help small business owners like you make sense of online marketing. And on this podcast, we'll explore how to find the time to be a marketer. Remember, friend, you can be a marketer, and at Constant Contact, we're here to
[Music]
help.
Well, hello friend, and thanks for joining me for another episode of the Be a Marketer podcast. Today's guest is Dave Delaney. He's a keynote speaker, author, and he offers workshops and communication consulting through his business Futureforth. Now, in 2023, after 12 years in business, Dave was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADHD. Not only did this diagnosis lead to lifestyle changes, but it also changed Dave's coping strategies as an entrepreneur and how he approaches his work today.
Dave hosts a podcast called "ADHD Wise Squirrels," where he and his guests discuss and explore the coping mechanisms of late-diagnosed adults. Although Dave started his business in 2011, it was through a series of events starting in 2020 where he'd learned the most about himself as an entrepreneur and a person. Let's pick up the conversation there.
"2020, we had the pandemic, and—I mean, still around—but we had this global pandemic. Nobody knew exactly what was happening; it was pretty scary. And then we had civil unrest; we had political stuff going on that was pretty horrendous. We had just so many things that seemed to be imploding, and 2020 was just such a mess that way.
"On top of that, in March of 2020, a tornado came through Nashville and destroyed my kids' school. So their school is gone, and neighboring businesses and homes are gone, and whole areas are just wiped off the map. That was pretty heavy for my family, so that period was pretty tough.
"Fast forward three more months—now we're talking May 2020—to the day, another storm came through, and this time it took down ten of our trees—or excuse me, seven of our trees—put ten holes in our roof, including shish-kebabing my roof, attic, and living room with a huge branch. And so because of that damage and the water damage and all that, we had to move out of our house for three months.
"And so now we're getting into the summer of 2020, and now we're not home, and now my business is in the toilet for the most part because of not being able to go to conferences and meet with clients. In addition to all of that, now I'm dealing with, you know, shoddy contractors and insurance agents all during COVID. So it was extremely stressful, and it got to the point where I made some choices.
"One was taking meditation and mindfulness way more seriously. I'd dabbled over the years, but it was time to take that much more seriously, so I started a daily practice. My wife and I started meeting with a virtual trainer to start working out at home or, you know, at the gym—the place we could go—just to get healthier and to take our health more seriously, especially with the pandemic, not knowing exactly, you know, what would come.
"Then a big choice I made: I was drinking too much during that time, and so I thought, you know, I'm going to take 30 days off. And so I did, and I found some non-alcoholic beers that were actually really good and tasty. And so that 30 days is now over three years since I've had a drink. And so all of these decisions I made were just so important.
"And then, you know, fast forward to 2023—oh, and I was also seeing a therapist because of the stress that I was under with everything, just a virtual therapist. And she sort of—you know, she wasn't a psychologist or psychiatrist—so she, you know, loosely diagnosed me with anxiety, like heavier on anxiety and a little bit of depression, and learned some valuable lessons from that experience.
"But then, you know, fast forward to 2023, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and that has been like an epic revelation, and the clouds have parted, and everything makes sense."
"So yeah, tell me a little bit about that then, right? So you get to this place where you're, you know, you're doing this stuff, you're living your life, and then 2023—I mean, that's not too long ago—you get diagnosed with ADHD. What was it like to hear that?"
"Well, it was very interesting because, you know, so in 2016, my wife is a school teacher, and so she said I have ADHD multiple times over the years."
"And you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah. There was a lesson here."
"Yeah, always listen to your spouse. Just, if you take away anything from today's conversation, always listen to your spouse. So in 2016, I was under some stress and things, and so I did go see my doctor, and I went to see a psychologist, and I had a couple sessions with him. And again, the diagnosis was more around anxiety, but we didn't do much with that information.
"I say that because 2023 came, and I'm in a mastermind with a couple friends—one guy I know well and the other guy I didn't know very well at all—and we were texting one day after a few months of working together, and the guy I don't know very well texts me out of the blue, and he says, 'Do you have ADHD?' And I'm like, 'No.' And he said, 'I think you do, and you should go talk to your doctor.'
"He has ADHD, and so he saw it in me. So I went back to my doctor, and for whatever reason, he looked up my charts and found that, 'Oh yeah, you're a candidate for ADHD.' So somehow that got missed from the 2016 sessions. And so it wasn't a shock that I have ADHD.
"My mom kept all my old report cards from school, and I have them in a box in my closet. So I pulled them out, and my wife and I were just in stitches laughing at all the comments because it's like the signs were there the whole time.
"'Oh my God, it's so clear.'
"So clear.
"And of course, in true ADHD form, what do I do? I start a new website, I start a new keynote, and I started a new podcast. And the podcast is called 'ADHD Wise Squirrels,' and the idea is 'wise' because for late-diagnosed adults with ADHD, we've learned a lot of coping mechanisms without realizing we have ADHD. So we've earned a lot of wisdom, so we're wise from our experiences. And then 'squirrel' because squirrel, of course."
"Well, tell me about this then, because I think this is part of the issue, right? I guess what were the signs, or what are the things that you're like, 'Oh yeah, of course, that makes sense now'? Because I would say even regardless, like just everyday things where I'm like—you don't really know unless somebody tells you or points it out to you, right? Or says something. Because I'm like, yeah, this is just—I'm thinking of myself personally, right? Like, this is my life, or like, that's just how my back feels, or this—you don't really know that there's something—I don't want to use 'wrong' because I don't think that's the right term—but you don't know that this is something that, 'Oh, you should probably talk to somebody about that.' So what were the things—and for people listening who might even be like, 'Maybe, I don't know'—what were the signs?"
"Yeah, so for me it was—and I should preface all of this by saying that ADHD shows differently in different people, so there's different types of ADHD; it shows up differently. However, there are some consistencies. And in the podcast, I've talked to a lot of experts and high achievers—like I spoke to the former NASA director of the International Space Station, Dr. Bob Dempsey. He was diagnosed at 60, so after he had left NASA, and now he's with Blue Horizon, so I guess things are still going okay.
"The things for me were certainly a lack of focus, but the more that I learned about ADHD, the more I realized, 'Oh my God,' like it was so obvious. So things quickly for me: I interrupt a lot, I talk a lot, I have trouble focusing on some things. That's part of the confusion of ADHD is that you actually become hyper-focused on whatever you're working on. Like for my podcast, for example, I love doing it, I love editing it, I love putting it all together. And so for the podcast, I can lose all hours of the day just working on the podcast, or working on a blog, or working on my new book or a presentation. I lose all that time easily; I get into what we call 'flow.'
"The difference though is that for me to do something that I don't want to do, like accounting—let's say, my taxes—there's this weird invisible wall that's like literally stopping me from doing it. And it's like, I just can't do it. Now, with full disclosure to any IRS people listening, I've done my taxes—everything's good."
"'There's nothing to see here.'
"'Nothing to see here, yes.'
"But that's another thing is you kind of fall into that. There's hyperactivity—that's another real confusing thing because ADHD used to be called ADD, and then they changed it and added 'H' for hyperactivity. But the confusing stuff with ADHD or ADD—it's just now called ADHD, just to be clear—is traditionally it was like a naughty boy thing. So it was the boy bouncing around the class, not sitting down, not paying attention, the class clown—which was me. And for girls, it often shows up differently, where girls are more, you know, daydreaming out of the window, and so it doesn't show up—it's not as loud and as obnoxious as the boys, and so girls didn't get diagnosed also because of just sexism and things like that traditionally.
"And so now a lot more women are being diagnosed—and men—but certainly a lot more women. So it's pretty fascinating to learn about this, and this is what 'The Root Down' is all about, is this keynote and the book that I'm working on. The keynote is made, as I said, to help anybody in the audience or the company to better know themselves, to identify and understand their strengths, and then to accept themselves and respect themselves, as I mentioned, and then connecting themselves. And part of that is about the loneliness that we all feel, finding community, connecting with peers, and so forth.
"But I mention that because—so the purpose of the presentation isn't just for neurodiverse audiences; it's for anyone. But a big part of it is my story about ADHD. And so what comes from the presentation is teaching audiences about ADHD, partly to remove stigmas, to understand that yes, there are certainly challenges with being a wise squirrel. However, there's also some strengths and some really great things. We're highly creative and very outgoing and very loving people too, and we can work like hell on whatever great projects that we're working on. So there's a lot of great positive stuff too.
"And so part of 'The Root Down'—really the gist of it is to help educate people and to remove stigmas, but also just celebrate ourselves, whether we're neurodiverse or neurotypical."
"So how has the diagnosis impacted how you work today then?"
"Oh, it's huge. It's really huge. Self-doubt, impostor syndrome are up to eleven for many folks with ADHD. And so the fact that I wrote my first book with undiagnosed ADHD, I'm still like scratching my head how I was able to pull that off and meet my publisher's commitments for chapters and all that. It wasn't pretty, but I somehow knocked it out, and it was my wife who held me accountable.
"But it's different now because I got help. So I'm seeing an ADHD coach, Roxanne Turner—she's awesome if you're looking for one. I have a therapist; I'm seeing a psychologist who's handling my meds, so I'm on medication as well—I'm on stimulants. So that's all playing a role in helping me. And also just writing the book and doing the podcast, I'm learning so much as well. But I've learned just to give myself more grace and understand that there are limits to some of the stuff. But at the same time, you know, I've existed this long and had the biggest successes—you know, 25 years with my wife, two amazing teenage kids who are loving and creative and awesome—and this is stuff that most people, you can't buy it. So, and incredible experiences and things like that.
"And I'm learning new skills and also applying—not just re-evaluating but using the skills that I've learned over the years, like meditation, as I mentioned—that is huge, and that is especially helpful for folks with ADHD. Same with quitting alcohol; I'm so glad I did that, because what I didn't know about ADHD is if you have ADHD, you're more likely, more susceptible to addiction. And I'm not saying I was necessarily addicted to alcohol—I wasn't like an alcoholic—but I would always have, not always, but a lot of times I would have like one extra, a couple too many, you know? I probably didn't need to have those two extras, three extras. And it was the same when I used to smoke cigarettes a million years ago, you know, I would finish a pack, no problem. Or like compulsive eating; I would eat my kids' food on the table—like at a restaurant, 'I'll finish the chicken fingers and those—you gonna eat those fries?' And so you get to be—you realize addiction is a big problem for folks with ADHD.
"Part of that also is because—and again, I'm not a scientist, I'm not a doctor, I don't claim to be—but one thing that I've learned is about how we have neurotransmitters don't produce as much dopamine, and so the addiction part, it's served by, you know, whatever your vice is—you receive dopamine from that. It doesn't help, depending on what it is, right? So if you're smoking, obviously that's not going to help you in the long run. It's why we drink coffee like fiends as well.
"But it's also something—another realization I've had is, as a speaker, somebody who loves being in front of audiences on stages, it's that rush of dopamine that I get from the audience. I'm like, that's why I love it so much. I mean, I'm great at what I do, I know I am, but when I get that rush of, you know, laughter from the audience, it's just like, yeah, that puts me in my happy place. And then when you get the dopamine, that can like accelerate, so you take—you know, you can get tons done when you've had that rush of dopamine.
"So I've been rambling here."
"No, no, you're—I want to talk about some of the coping strategies that you've learned, but before we go there, I'm just curious, how has understanding what you know and learning some of these things, how has it changed your, I guess, your typical day-to-day before in terms of just running your business? Has that had an impact there?"
"Yeah, I've started taking my—like blocking time but committing to it, and being more—I'm finding it's much more effective now. I've dabbled with different ways to block my time in the past, but I find what I'm doing now is really helpful. Having non-negotiables in a day: meditation, stretching—my back is L5 S1, if you know, you know—but yeah, so working out is a huge—or just exercising, going for walks, all this stuff—non-negotiables, journaling, all this stuff has been really helpful. So blocking time to do that stuff in a day is important. Celebrating small wins.
"As far as like changing the rest of the day, I think I haven't changed too much because I was already doing a lot of this stuff."
"That's the interesting thing, right? Like, one of the things that I did—I actually just posted a video on YouTube and TikTok today about this. So I was talking to a couple friends, and they recommended this great planner, and so I bought it, and it came, and it is—it's great. It's got a guidebook with the planner, it's got videos online that you can watch on their website. It comes in a really nice box, it's beautiful, really well-designed hardcover. It's got the little tassels in the center so you can—and it's really well laid out, and it's a 13-week planner. And I haven't done—I got it in December, and I haven't even written my name in it.
"And what's interesting is someone else that I know produced a really great planner years ago, and he also sent me a copy—sent me one of his—and it's an even nicer one. And I never did anything with it, but I would carry it around with me, I'd flip through it, and I would never just write my name and start.
"And so I saw my therapist recently, and we were talking about this—I brought this planner with me, this new one—and I said, 'What do you think of this?' And she flipped through and she's like, 'Oh, that's great, yeah, it's really well-designed, it's—yeah, I could see this could be helpful.' And I'm like, 'Why the hell can't I write my name in it? Why can't I use this? What is wrong—it's bizarre—like, what is wrong? Like, it's perfectly laid out.' And she's like, 'Your brain doesn't work that way.' And I'm like, 'Oh.'
"And so what I learned from the conversation was that because there's so many steps to it, because it takes so much time to fill it out and to think through it all and to, you know, make sure you're doing it right and watching the videos and all that stuff, it becomes this huge—the more that I think about the steps involved, the more overwhelmed I feel from the whole idea, and the more likely I am to just chuck it out the window and say, 'Ah, just forget it.'
"So it's not to say that I can't plan adequately, I just realized just recently that planners are a no-no. Journals, yes. I can write, share my, you know, my notes, kind of come through ideas and things like that.
"So I realized that this is a big one for me. And then the more I thought about it, that's what's happening now is I keep getting these revelations from different things. So like that made me start thinking about friendship. And, you know, we're talking a little bit about loneliness and how I've been very active in Nashville over the years with running events and conferences and so forth, and a lot of people know me, and I know a lot of people, but I only have like a couple really close friends. But I would love—there's plenty of people in my network that I would love to be closer friends with, but what I've realized now is because I know so many people, and I start thinking about all these different people that I'd love to get to know better and I'd love to be closer friends with, it makes me feel overwhelmed, and I don't do anything.
"And that's another thing where I've realized, like, getting overwhelmed with relationships is another thing that I've—yeah.
"But learning these things about myself helps me to give myself some grace and also helps me to devise a plan, knowing where the obstacles are, so that I can do things more effectively."
"I do want to talk a little bit about marketing and those things, but I'd love to spend a little bit of time—so you mentioned a couple of things just for other folks out there who might be kind of going through something similar, right? Meditation was something that you mentioned, exercise. What are some of the other coping strategies that you've learned that have really helped you?"
"Yeah, so as I said, like exercise is a huge one. It's a big one. It's not one I do well enough right now, but I am diligent with walking my dog every day for half an hour, so I'm at least doing that, although I could be doing better, and I'm working on that.
"Are you saying for people with ADHD or—?"
"Yeah, yeah.
"Find a coach that can help you. There's a website called Psychology Today, I think it is, that has a great listing so you can find people in your area. I interview a lot of coaches and psychologists and psychiatrists, among other people, on my podcast on 'ADHD Wise Squirrels.' I'm not saying you have to get on medication—that's, again, I'm not a doctor. However, there's a name, Dr. Russell Barkley, who's kind of a very reputable name in the ADHD space, and he's now retired, but he's doing these YouTube videos, which I highly recommend, where he's either debunking misinformation—which there is a lot of out there—a lot of misinformation about ADHD—so go to credible sources like him.
"He also reviews studies, and then, like, there was one recently about how ADHD can lead to Alzheimer's and dementia, and I lost my dad to that, so this was like especially scary. But he debunked it—the headlines everywhere, of course—he didn't debunk it 100%, but he proved through reviewing the studies that there were just too small a sample set and blah blah blah. He was able to say, like, this isn't enough to make this conclusion, so don't panic. So he's a really good person to follow.
"But what I'm saying is, like, find—go see your doctor, first of all. Like, it starts with your GP, it starts with your doctor, and then your doctor or psychologist or psychiatrist can prescribe you medication if that's something that you agree you need or feel you need.
"But I mentioned Dr. Barkley too because he recently—I'm going to paraphrase this because I don't remember it specifically, and I've been meaning to look it back up because it's pretty recent—but he looked at a combined number of studies about early death for ADHDers, and again, don't quote me on this, but it's something to the effect of if you have ADHD that is untreated, undiagnosed—I guess untreated—the likeliness of you living ten years less than a neurotypical person is quite high. So in other words, you know, if you want to live a longer life, a happier life, then it's worth being diagnosed and then understanding, you know, what the next steps are. And the best place to do that—like, we have a free assessment linked from at whysquirrel.com, but even after doing that, regardless of what the results are—and I don't see those results; that's not my assessment—just go talk to your doctor."
"Got all this stuff going on just in terms of, one, being a business owner—there's so many hats you have to wear, all these things you have to do—then, you know, you find out all of this other stuff, which adds or helps, but just adds another layer of things that you have to do. I guess the question is, how often are you marketing your business, and what specifically are you doing to do that?"
"Yeah, this is when it starts to get interesting, right? Because when you have ADHD, you like to do different things and create different things. And as I mentioned, ADHDers are very creative, and so I launched 'Wise Squirrels' as a whole other thing—it's more of a hobby, but I am in talks with some potential sponsors and things like that that can help support the show.
"For me, it is, as I mentioned, like time blocking, making sure that 'Wise Squirrels' is really more of a hobby right now. So when I first launched it, I was working on it hours a day, and then I realized, 'Hold on, this isn't your nine-to-five, so cool it, Dave.' And so I work on it after hours mainly, early mornings, and then on weekends too sometimes.
"As far as growing Futureforth and being booked for speaking engagements and things like that, a lot of my business comes from both organic search—so people searching for a keynote speaker on communication skills or leadership skills, Nashville consultants, things like that. As I mentioned earlier, you know, as a speaker for Google for five years, you would hope I know a thing or two about SEO, although most of the time anyone who says they can get you to number one in Google, just run away. If they guarantee it, run away because they're lying.
"So what I'm doing is primarily—it's word of mouth. Over the years, I've built several different email lists, and email marketing is obviously still a really important thing, and then just podcasting and just spreading the word and talking to great people like yourself."
"So you mentioned time blocking—is marketing an activity that you specifically put time in the calendar to do?"
"Yeah, that's a great question. No, not anymore. I don't think—I haven't been asked this, but it's an interesting question because I don't even really—I think I've—I studied and majored in and worked in marketing my whole career. Instead of thinking of like the five P's and all the things, right? Like instead, I'm thinking more around do people know me, do they like me, do they trust me, will they do business with me, and am I creating great content and results and recommendations? All of that is part of the marketing mix, and there's certainly different strategies I have and different creative ways.
"Like, for example, in my speaker sizzle reel, I include quotes from LinkedIn and quotes from speaking engagements—from other speaking engagements, or from Google or wherever. I have a specific strategy where I take the LinkedIn recommendations and then repurpose them and use them in additional content depending on what I'm promoting on my website, on Futureforth as well.
"So I almost feel like the answer is like I'm like Alec Baldwin in 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' except it's 'Always Be Marketing'—ABM, 'Always Be Marketing'—because I think that's kind of what I'm doing. I think it's almost like it's part of my operating system, is 'Always Be Marketing,' not 'Always Be Selling,' and maybe I could be selling more often, but I've always approached things in more of a humble kind of way. And yes, I have college tuition to pay for, and another one after, and so things are heating up in the 'Let's make a lot of money and retire soon' space. And I'll report back and let you know how that's going."
"Yeah, well, I'm right there with you, so if you figure anything out, let me know."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, hopefully everybody will be calling me after this and booking me for their businesses. But yeah, so I think a lot of the marketing stuff that I'm thinking about is something that I'm doing automatically all the time anyway. It's like wax on, wax off—the marketing Miyagi. It just becomes part of the flow of—I just do it."
"Yeah, so how do you measure the success of your marketing then?"
"So, you know, I still use Google Analytics. I still use analytics even though now that I'm not speaking for Google, GA4 is a bit of a mess. Still free, so who's complaining? So I still use analytics to see where folks are coming from to my website. I still measure conversions on my website, so if people are filling out my form, I can measure and see where they're coming from without getting creepy about it, but, you know, just having an idea of where folks are finding me.
"I include different lead magnets and things in my presentations. I never sell from the stage, but I'll include something as a download that, you know, you can exchange an email. I mentioned my free book for you, nicemethod.us or 'us,' and BAM24—if you use that, I'll be able to—you know, you'll exchange an email for that free copy of the book, and then I'll follow up with you. I'm not going to spam you or annoy you, but I will follow up. And what I hope is these follow-up conversations are usually what turns to conversions, what turns to new clients, new business."
"So as you think about the many years you've been doing this and what you've learned and how it has become kind of part of you, if you think back or you think about what you are doing, what would be your best piece of marketing advice for someone else?"
"That's a good question. I think—I forget which dictionary chose 'authenticity' as the word of the year, but if you haven't heard it enough—because that's certainly a word that we've all preached a lot: transparency, authenticity in sort of the early social media space.
"By the way, I have to add that I'm fully disillusioned with the state of social media these days. It's—you know, I was singing its praises earlier on, but these days I'm like, 'Eh, kind of dumpster fires everywhere,' it seems. But that all said, the best piece of marketing advice is really—it is, it's be authentic. It's be your true self.
"I've struggled with it a bit over the years with impostor syndrome and also just sometimes—I've always been honest; I've never pretended to be an expert in something I'm not. However, I feel like sometimes I could be—I could let my hair down a little more and be a little more real, and I have strived for that over the years, but I'm certainly doing that much more now.
"And I think, honestly, like I mentioned, like the old cliché, but people do business with those they know, like, and trust. And so your best marketing is you at the end of the day. And if you're somebody that's cool and honest and smart and can help people, then I think that's the best foot forward with your own marketing."
Well, friend, throughout this conversation, Dave mentioned some things that have helped him cope with his ADHD as an entrepreneur. His success has really come from working closely with his doctor to come up with a plan that works best for him. Now, although our discussion was framed around ADHD, there were still a few items that apply to any entrepreneur trying to maneuver their business forward and find time for things like marketing. Here's what stood out to me:
Number one: Identify what works for you. In one story, Dave shared that he found he couldn't commit to using his expensive and beautifully designed planner. There were just too many steps and details involved, and it actually made him feel more overwhelmed. Instead, he learned that journaling works better for him to work through his ideas and to make progress on them. So don't be afraid to try different approaches to find something that matches your style.
Number two: Know your obstacles. When you're honest with yourself about where you struggle, you're able to give yourself grace. Then you can start to explore what you need to do to do things more effectively. Once you know what's going on, then you can make a plan to move forward.
And number three: Block your time. It's easy to lose time on things other than what you really need to get done. Discipline is important to make sure you're focused on what's most important, so use your calendar and commit to it.
Here's your action item for today: If you want to learn more about late-diagnosed adults with ADHD, check out Dave's site whysquirrel.com for more resources, including details on an ADHD assessment. Also, be sure to check out the show notes to find out how you can get a free copy of Dave's eBook, The NICE Method: A Winning Framework to Improve Retention, Communication, and Culture at Your Company.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast. If you have questions or feedback, I'd love to hear from you. You can email me directly at dave.charest@constantcontact.com. If you did enjoy today's episode, please take a moment to leave us a review. Your honest feedback will help other small business marketers like yourself find the show. Well, friend, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and continued success to you and your business.
