ADHD Female Entrepreneurs and Imposter Syndrome: How to reduce it using your Brand

As an ADHD Female Entrepreneur I've experienced the inner critic of Imposter Syndrome. It started as soon as I announced I was starting a business. Those fleeting vicious whispers of "You're not good enough", "Who are you to charge that much for your services?!" and "Who the hell do you think you are calling yourself an expert?!" Ran around my brain for at least the first two years of business.

As we all know, words carry weight. And as an ADHDer Imposter Syndrome feelings amplify in a world that is not made for my brain. The constant comparison to neurotypical standards and the pressure to "fit in" (which as an Entrepreneur that's the last thing you want to do).

I would discount my services, give things for free (Even though others told me I was being ridiculously generous) because that little nag told me I wasn't good enough to go above that.

But over the years that inner critic has piped down, it's voice doesn't impact me the way it did and whilst I know it will always hang around somewhere, I know how to deal with it. And that's all down to my brand identity.

Branding: Your shield against Imposter Syndrome

If you're new to my space then I have news for you: Your Brand identity is much more than a logo, a colour scheme and a few selected fonts that you thought looked "nice". A brand plays a big part in your business and is the most valuable asset you have. It embodies who you are, what you do, why you do it and how you do it. It is the plan part of your business and for ADHD Female Entrepreneurs a grounding force for you and your business, providing clarity and confidence.

1. Being Truly Authentic

   Authenticity is a social media trend, but rarely is it used properly, and for ADHD Female Entrepreneurs, authenticity can be confusing - considering our authentic-self is usually regarded as being "too weird" or "too much". But, authenticity done the right way - using your brand identity - can not only show how awesome you are, but provide you the control to protect what you want to keep private. It allows you to embrace your ADHD traits - creativity, resilience, hyper-focus, your big idea thinking - as assets rather than liabilities.

   
   

2. Clarity in Communication

   If you've ever stumbled over your 30-second pitch, or struggled to work out what is the most important thing to say about your business then your brand identity is going to help you. You brand gives you clarity on your business: where you're going, where you've come from, how you're going to do it, and who you're going to do it for. It creates a consistent message that helps you articulate your value proposition correctly (and I have a really easy way of doing it in my course: The Brand Balance Blueprint) With your brand identity, you reduce ambiguity, making it easier to communicate your work to clients and stakeholders.

   
   

3. Visual Identity as a Confidence Booster

   Your brand's visual elements - colours, typography, imagery - serve as constant reminders of your professionalism and purpose. It shows that you are indeed a Business Owner and like putting on your favourite, dopamine changing clothing, it's acts as a confidence booster.

   
   

4. Boundaries

   A lesser, yet important part of your brand identity is the creation of boundaries. The saying goes that "...if you don't define your brand, someone else will." so establishing your brand puts you in control of what information is out there.

Practical Steps for ADHD Female Entrepreneurs to reduce Imposter Syndrome using your Branding

Here are three ways to get started in minimising that nagging Imposter Syndrome using your brand identity.

1. Decide your Mic-Drop Moment (AKA Vision)

   Spoiler: you already know this. Because as an ADHDer your Vision is probably the WHOLE reason why you started your business in the first place. As we have an inner social justice compass it's likely you started your business because you wanted to create change or impact. So tell others about it. No one embarks on a quest on their own.

   
   

2. Tell your story

   No one has your story: how you started your business and why you started your business and that's a good thing. Our stories are an easier and gentle way of telling people how awesome we are and works perfectly for ADHD brains.

   
   

3. Decide who you're going to help

   This is normally the bit where ADHDers like me get a bit what I call wiggly. Because we want to help everyone but, if we're going to run businesses (which means, making money) we have to be focused on those who are going to benefit the most from what we do.

Embrace Your Brilliance

As an ADHD Female Entrepreneur you have beautiful and unique qualities that deserve to be seen. By embracing them through your brand identity you can start to reduce the impact Imposter syndrome has on you.