For this blog, I wanted to deviate a little from what I have being discussing and give you what it is like to be a neurodiverse entrepreneur for something like “Going the Distance.”
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As many of you know, I founded “Going the Distance” on Memorial Day of last year for one simple purpose: to share my story of growing up on the autism spectrum and share my views of Neurodiversity in the world today. The journey has been going for 8 months now and has no signs of slowing down, but it certainly has not been easy.
It’s as Walt Disney himself put it in 1941, just before the Disney Animators Strike:
“In the 20 years I’ve spent in this business I’ve weathered many storms. It’s been far from easy sailing. It required a great deal of work, struggle, determination, confidence, faith, and above all unselfishness.”
-Walt Disney, 1941
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Granted, “Going the Distance” has been in operation for far less than 20 years, but it’s been starting to make an impact. Since being founded, I have done numerous speaking engagements and interviews even long before I founded “Going in the Distance.”
Of course, it has not been easy.
One of the things about me that you probably may notice is that I am not the most patient person sometimes and I will sometimes do things that bother others, such as excessive correspondence, because I am either blinded by actions, caught up in the moment or just plain impatient. This is something that I must and will continue to work on for the sake of what I do.
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Then, there is also the matter of finding things to do for the business. One of those things that I am always doing is either finding speaking engagements or promoting them. I always like to have a plan in place, but sometimes I get overloaded from trying to put a plan in place.
You might be interested to know that prior to adapting the structure that I have in place today, it was always believed that I had to do my speaking engagements in person which meant travelling all over the country.
Now thanks to COVID and video platforms like Zoom, I have been able to get my message out there in more ways than one and will continue to do so. This is not just because it’s been easy on my mental health, but also because I’ve found that virtual events and conferences can also be inclusive.
This is especially true when it comes to those who either are financially unable to afford attending a conference or convention or have mental or physical health issues of their own.
You have to give into what the customer wants and that’s exactly what I am doing in the following practices:
If the customer wants me to present virtually, I will present virtually.
If the customer wants me to present in person, I will present in person.
If the customer wants me to present for profit, I will present for profit.
If the customer wants me to present for pro bono, I will present for pro bono.
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Naturally, that doesn’t mean that I will try to often find a speaking engagement for myself from time to time. Being an entrepreneur, I have product that I need to deliver to the customer and one thing I don’t like is letting product going to waste. If I do need to find something out there, then I will typically use three different websites:
Now, you may also notice that I will frequently promote my services on social media as well and will tag some people but mostly organizations, specifically on LinkedIn because that is where the professionals gather and conduct business. In fact, I had managed to get a few interviews via LinkedIn in the same manner as SpeakerHub.
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The truth of the matter is that not everyone is going to fall for you and what you put out there. I have been fortunate, despite the sometimes-stupid mistakes that I make both professionally and socially, to have built some pretty strong business and personal connections within the neurodiversity and disability communities.
Let me tell you, I never take any of this for granted and if you are looking to get into the field, remember that like all businesses, the customer needs to come first and you need to be prepared to adapt to any method that the customer wants whether it’s virtually or in person.
Remember, being flexible isn’t a necessity, it’s a survival skill.
Be prepared to sometimes present for either pro bono in addition to profit and also it’s important to also have a day job to keep the money coming in on a weekly basis. It may not be the most flashy job, but it’s payable because let me tell you, you don’t get paid weekly for speaking engagements.
Finally, its really important to be humble for what you do as an entrepreneur. Remember that being famous isn’t being the same as being a true hero. Fame and Fortune will not get you anywhere in life and there are other aspiring entrepreneurs that are in the same boat as you, so you can’t walk over them.
Have empathy for those who either look up to you and if you look up to someone, remember to have the same respect for them as they would for you. Respect is a two-way street and it’s important to respect their boundaries just as much as they will respect yours.
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Keep all these tips into account and who knows? You may be inspired to follow in the same footsteps as me and my colleagues in the disability and neurodiversity community!!
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Catch you all later!!
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