5 answers
Ema
Student
Havre de Grace, Maryland
1
Question
Updated
492 views
How might i go about starting my own buisness and/or publishing books and sticking to one project if I'm neurodivergent?
My dream future is owning a live in bookstore that is kind of like a cat cafe except with added books and more animals and to become an author however i am nerodivergent and have an extremely hard time sticking with one project before moving on to another any tips on how to get out of this habit or the bookstore would be apreciated
5 answers
Alex Friedman
Sales
3
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Alex’s Answer
Hi Ema, I love your ideas! As someone who is also neurodivergent, if you have not done so already, I would recommend that you explore mindfulness meditation. While there are lots of groups and meet-ups and even apps like Calm and HeadSpace that teach meditation, you can also find lots of intro to meditation videos on YouTube. I think meditation is great, and can provide benefits to just about everyone, but especially to people who are trying to improve clarity and focus (like myself!).
The beautiful thing about writing and publishing books is that you do not even need to start a formal business to write a book - just look at J.K.Rowling when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. All you need is your ideas and something to write them down with. Eventually once you get pen to paper (pun intended) you can submit your works to publishers. If you're looking to be a publisher and not a writer, you might consider an internship down the road to discover if you actually enjoy the work that publishing entails.
As far as running your own bookstore concerned, here are three ideas:
1) You can learn more about entrepreneurship and starting businesses with lots of free resources from libraries and YouTube
2) You can get a job at a bookstore near you and learn the ropes of what it takes to help run a business without having any of your own money or investors money on the line
3) Build your network! Like many of us, you may have a family member or a family friend who runs their own business. Even if they don't run a business that is the exact same as the one you would like to start, these types of people can be great resources in sharing knowledge about business and entrepreneurship. Not only do they have years of experience and wisdom, but typically entrepreneurs like to support other entrepreneurs, especially young entrepreneurs.
Last but not least, if you need any inspiration, this is a great list of successful entrepreneurs who are also neurodivergent:
https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-learning-disabilities-2011-5#david-neeleman-is-famously-frank-about-his-adhd-6
Explore youtube for videos on mindfulness meditation
Check out youtube videos on entrepreneurship and neurodivergent entrepreneurs
Get an internship in publishing
Get a job at a bookstore to learn the business
Use your network to meet entrepreneurs in your area
The beautiful thing about writing and publishing books is that you do not even need to start a formal business to write a book - just look at J.K.Rowling when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. All you need is your ideas and something to write them down with. Eventually once you get pen to paper (pun intended) you can submit your works to publishers. If you're looking to be a publisher and not a writer, you might consider an internship down the road to discover if you actually enjoy the work that publishing entails.
As far as running your own bookstore concerned, here are three ideas:
1) You can learn more about entrepreneurship and starting businesses with lots of free resources from libraries and YouTube
2) You can get a job at a bookstore near you and learn the ropes of what it takes to help run a business without having any of your own money or investors money on the line
3) Build your network! Like many of us, you may have a family member or a family friend who runs their own business. Even if they don't run a business that is the exact same as the one you would like to start, these types of people can be great resources in sharing knowledge about business and entrepreneurship. Not only do they have years of experience and wisdom, but typically entrepreneurs like to support other entrepreneurs, especially young entrepreneurs.
Last but not least, if you need any inspiration, this is a great list of successful entrepreneurs who are also neurodivergent:
https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-learning-disabilities-2011-5#david-neeleman-is-famously-frank-about-his-adhd-6
Alex recommends the following next steps:
Kim Schiavone
Illustrator and Graphic Designer
48
Answers
Missoula, Montana
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hey Emma! Your idea is truly fantastic and full of potential! It seems like the perfect space for people like us to enjoy and thrive. As someone who also has a disability due to a chronic illness, I've been working on a new business that caters to my unique needs and capabilities. It's so empowering to design our own lives and careers based on the aspects that encourage and inspire us, while embracing our differences.
If your neurodivergence affects you with a disability, don't hesitate to check out your state's Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. They offer amazing support and even have programs for assistance in starting your own business which have helped me tremendously.
Always believe in yourself, your ideas, dreams, and abilities, for that's the key to achieving your goals. Sending all my best wishes as you create a future that's as unique and tailored to you as one could be! You've got this, Emma!
If your neurodivergence affects you with a disability, don't hesitate to check out your state's Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. They offer amazing support and even have programs for assistance in starting your own business which have helped me tremendously.
Always believe in yourself, your ideas, dreams, and abilities, for that's the key to achieving your goals. Sending all my best wishes as you create a future that's as unique and tailored to you as one could be! You've got this, Emma!
Caitlyn Johnston
Senior Technical Writer
44
Answers
Odin, IL
Updated
Caitlyn’s Answer
I'm neurodivergent, too, and am a successful writer. I recommend that to become a publisher, as with any business, you need to learn the industry first - you need to understand how the marketing side works. If you don't, you won't reach your audience. For example, a great chef will not have a successful restaurant unless they know how to market it. All the great cooking in the world doesn't amount to anything if no one knows about it. Get jobs with publishing houses and learn the ropes. Once you understand what it takes to run a successful house or imprint, then you'll be equipped to strike out on your own. But defiitely put in the time with them so you don't waste time and energy reinventing the wheel.
Go to the websites of the publishing houses you like and look at the qualifications for their marketing jobs. It's the marketing side that makes or breaks a business.
Caitlyn recommends the following next steps:
Ross Smith
Research specialist and editor
10
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Ross’s Answer
Hi Ema.
It sounds like you're being drawn in several different directions: writing, publishing and food service (a cat cafe with books).
Writing and publishing go hand in hand. As others here have said, they are as much a business as an art. To start learning the business, and to help you grow in the craft of writing, I suggest going to events hosted by books stores near you and by organizations like the Maryland Writers Association (https://marylandwriters.org/). Also check out local writing groups devoted to your favorite genres, such as Sisters in Crime (for mystery writers). These groups offer many classes, seminars, agent and publisher meet-and-greets and the like to help writers learn how get their words into print and into the hands of readers.
A cat cafe may look like a book store, but it is also a food establishment (providing coffee, baked goods, desserts, etc.) While some management tasks overlap with a bookstore (inventory, bookkeeping, marketing, personnel management), running a food establishment also requires very specific skills - menu or offerings development, dealing with city and state health departments, and knowledge of food handling rules. These particular skills are needed whether it's a coffee shop with cats & books, a barbecue joint or a high end Asian fusion restaurant, and as owner, you will need to know how all of them are done.
The good news is that by working in a restaurant or a bookstore, you can get paid while starting to learn how each business works. I suggest trying one for a year, then the other. (I believe working in a bookstore will teach you as much about what readers want and how the publishing industry delivers it to them as interning at a publishing house, and as a practical matter, it will be much easier to land a job at a book store.) While you may start out just serving customers or working a register, tell your managers that you're interested in learning the business end of the operation - many of them will be flattered at being asked to share their knowledge with you.
If you give both a try, you will know pretty quickly where your true passion lies.
It sounds like you're being drawn in several different directions: writing, publishing and food service (a cat cafe with books).
Writing and publishing go hand in hand. As others here have said, they are as much a business as an art. To start learning the business, and to help you grow in the craft of writing, I suggest going to events hosted by books stores near you and by organizations like the Maryland Writers Association (https://marylandwriters.org/). Also check out local writing groups devoted to your favorite genres, such as Sisters in Crime (for mystery writers). These groups offer many classes, seminars, agent and publisher meet-and-greets and the like to help writers learn how get their words into print and into the hands of readers.
A cat cafe may look like a book store, but it is also a food establishment (providing coffee, baked goods, desserts, etc.) While some management tasks overlap with a bookstore (inventory, bookkeeping, marketing, personnel management), running a food establishment also requires very specific skills - menu or offerings development, dealing with city and state health departments, and knowledge of food handling rules. These particular skills are needed whether it's a coffee shop with cats & books, a barbecue joint or a high end Asian fusion restaurant, and as owner, you will need to know how all of them are done.
The good news is that by working in a restaurant or a bookstore, you can get paid while starting to learn how each business works. I suggest trying one for a year, then the other. (I believe working in a bookstore will teach you as much about what readers want and how the publishing industry delivers it to them as interning at a publishing house, and as a practical matter, it will be much easier to land a job at a book store.) While you may start out just serving customers or working a register, tell your managers that you're interested in learning the business end of the operation - many of them will be flattered at being asked to share their knowledge with you.
If you give both a try, you will know pretty quickly where your true passion lies.
Ashley Paramo
Copywriter
3
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Ashley’s Answer
Hi there!
While I do not have the same career aspirations as you, I am a fellow neurodivergent (ADHD) who also has to manage additional mental health diagnoses like depression, anxiety, etc. I have learned a lot about how to achieve my goals while managing a body and brain that do not function the way I want them to all of the time, so I'm hoping this advice resonates with you :)
My ADHD is severe, so I am very inconsistent. I always have multiple personal projects going on, and I jump to one after another, hardly completing any of them. Here's what I learned about neurodivergent inconsistency:
Consistency in all things is an unproductive aspiration to have because it's unrealistic and makes you feel worse when you stop being consistent. The shame you might feel around not meeting those standards might make you feel like you wouldn't be successful in your dreams, but this is not true.
The key, in my experience, to achieving your goals (whatever they may be) while being neurodivergent is to meet yourself where you are. Don't try to work like other people work. Most advice is tailored to neurotypical folks, so finding your own system for functioning is key. Let me share a few random examples of how I meet myself where I am and still manage to accomplish my goals.
1. I have a goal of maintaining an organized home, but I am consistently messy and inconsistent about tidying up. To meet myself where I am while still keeping an organized home, I implemented a 'tidy basket' system. Where I keep a large basket in my home and if the home is messy but I do not want to organize it, I take everything that is out of place and put it in the basket. Eventually, I return to the basket and put things where they are.
2. I am a major procrastinator and have issues focusing on a task. At the same time, I know that I am a morning person and I have my most energy and focus in the morning. So, to meet myself where I am, I separate time every morning to sit down and work on my tasks, assignments, projects, etc. This sets me up for success because I am getting things done in a timeframe that works for me!
The big message here is that, as a neurodivergent person, you thrive more and accomplish your goals when you meet yourself where you are instead of trying to put yourself in a neurotypical box of rules. Treat yourself with compassion and be open to experimentation. If you want to publish a book or open a bookstore (which are huge goals), take the time to see what basic tasks you have difficulty completing. Then, tweak the process to suit your brain.
For example, publishing a book requires you to sit down and write consistently, but you might not be motivated to write every day. Find little tweaks to sustain motivation and make the writing process more enjoyable. Be accommodating to yourself above all!
Hope this helps :)
While I do not have the same career aspirations as you, I am a fellow neurodivergent (ADHD) who also has to manage additional mental health diagnoses like depression, anxiety, etc. I have learned a lot about how to achieve my goals while managing a body and brain that do not function the way I want them to all of the time, so I'm hoping this advice resonates with you :)
My ADHD is severe, so I am very inconsistent. I always have multiple personal projects going on, and I jump to one after another, hardly completing any of them. Here's what I learned about neurodivergent inconsistency:
Consistency in all things is an unproductive aspiration to have because it's unrealistic and makes you feel worse when you stop being consistent. The shame you might feel around not meeting those standards might make you feel like you wouldn't be successful in your dreams, but this is not true.
The key, in my experience, to achieving your goals (whatever they may be) while being neurodivergent is to meet yourself where you are. Don't try to work like other people work. Most advice is tailored to neurotypical folks, so finding your own system for functioning is key. Let me share a few random examples of how I meet myself where I am and still manage to accomplish my goals.
1. I have a goal of maintaining an organized home, but I am consistently messy and inconsistent about tidying up. To meet myself where I am while still keeping an organized home, I implemented a 'tidy basket' system. Where I keep a large basket in my home and if the home is messy but I do not want to organize it, I take everything that is out of place and put it in the basket. Eventually, I return to the basket and put things where they are.
2. I am a major procrastinator and have issues focusing on a task. At the same time, I know that I am a morning person and I have my most energy and focus in the morning. So, to meet myself where I am, I separate time every morning to sit down and work on my tasks, assignments, projects, etc. This sets me up for success because I am getting things done in a timeframe that works for me!
The big message here is that, as a neurodivergent person, you thrive more and accomplish your goals when you meet yourself where you are instead of trying to put yourself in a neurotypical box of rules. Treat yourself with compassion and be open to experimentation. If you want to publish a book or open a bookstore (which are huge goals), take the time to see what basic tasks you have difficulty completing. Then, tweak the process to suit your brain.
For example, publishing a book requires you to sit down and write consistently, but you might not be motivated to write every day. Find little tweaks to sustain motivation and make the writing process more enjoyable. Be accommodating to yourself above all!
Hope this helps :)
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