I just consider myself slightly left-of-centre. I’m not your average bear. I — what’s the word? I’m not — normal.
You know that person that stands at the back of the choir?
The one who knows every single word, has a cracking voice, and could absolutely hold their own at the front, but stays tucked away in the back row, blending in, not drawing attention, playing it safe?
That’s what a lot of neurodivergent business owners do with their best qualities.
Not because they don’t have something worth sharing. But because somewhere along the way, they learnt that standing out was risky, being different was a problem, and the safest place was the back row where nobody could really hear you.
What do I say about that?: step forward. Because the back row is no place for a soloist.
As the great Eddie Van Halen once said:
“I just consider myself slightly left-of-centre. I’m not your average bear. I — what’s the word? I’m not — normal.”
Neither are you. And that is genuinely brilliant news.
The Problem With Playing Someone Else’s Tune
If you’re a neurodivergent biz owner, the rulebook for “how to do business properly” was not written with you in mind. Not even slightly.
The traditional networking format — small talk, elevator pitches, working the room — is a particular kind of torture if your brain is wired differently. The standard advice on how to show up on social media, how to write your website, how to position yourself — all of it tends to assume a certain type of thinker. Logical, linear, plays-well-with-the-system.
And if that’s not you? You spend years trying to perform a version of yourself that fits, exhausting yourself in the process, and wondering why it all feels so bloody hard.
As I wrote in my book, Sing Like No-One’s Listening!: “Traditional society rules are not created with [neurodivergent] peeps in mind. The rules are too restrictive and confining, and don’t allow for individuality, quirky, creative thinkers and problem solvers.”
The people pleasing and perfectionism trap — that relentless need to show up the “right” way — isn’t just tiring. It actively gets in the way of building a business that actually works for you. Because you can’t play your best music if you’re constantly trying to cover someone else’s song.
“Authenticity” Is a Business Strategy
I know, I know. I’m going to use the A word…authenticity. It’s been done to death on LinkedIn (other platforms are available), and it makes people’s eyes roll so far back in their heads, they can see their own brains. But bear with me, because I think we’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater on this one.
Real “authenticity” isn’t a content strategy or a carefully curated “behind the scenes” reel. It’s simply doing things that are genuinely aligned with who you are and what you believe and backing your words up with your actions. That’s it.
For neurodivergent business owners, it’s actually the smartest move you can make. Because the things that make you different are the things that make you memorable. Your quirks are your differentiator. They’re what make the right clients think “oh, she gets it” and come looking for you specifically.
Your Unique Voice Is Your Most Valuable Asset
When I finally stopped trying to run my VA business like I thought a VA business was “supposed” to be run, everything shifted.
I stopped pretending I was comfortable with services I found tedious. I stopped trying to appeal to everyone. I leaned into the fact that I love both processes and creativity in equal measure — which is not exactly a typical combination! — and built my business around working with neurodivergent, creative business owners who needed exactly that.
The very things that had made me feel like a square peg in a round hole as an employee — the sideways thinking, the “why are we doing it this way when we could do it THIS way?” energy, the genuine passion for words and systems in the same breath — turned out to be precisely what my dream clients needed.
Your story will be different from mine but the principle is the same. When you stop performing and start showing up as the actual, unedited, slightly unconventional you — the right people find you. And the wrong ones quietly wander off, which is honestly a huge bonus.
There Is Only One YOU — Use It!
This is the bit I want you to sit with for a minute.
There is only one YOU. There is no other person in the world who is exactly the same as you.
That’s a genuine business advantage – if you let it be.
Think about the businesses you’re drawn to. The ones where you read someone’s About page and think “yes, THAT one.” It’s rarely because they ticked every conventional box. It’s because something in their voice, their angle, their slightly unusual take on things made you feel like they were speaking directly to you.
That’s what your quirks do, when you let them out. They act like a tuning fork — vibrating at exactly the right frequency for your people.
Your Practical Takeaway
Here’s a small, low-pressure thing to try this week: write your own mini life manifesto. Short, honest, unapologetically you. Just four questions to answer:
🎵 What are your quirks?
🎵 What are your values?
🎵 What are your passions?
🎵 What are your strengths?
Don’t overthink it. Don’t polish it. Just see what comes out when you stop trying to make it sound impressive and start trying to make it sound true.
Your Playlist for This Chapter
Three tracks to play while you’re stepping out of the back row:
🎵 True Colors — Cyndi Lauper
🎵 If We’re Honest — Francesca Battistelli
🎵 Crazy — Seal
Turn it up. Own it.
Ready to Go Deeper?
This is just one track off the album. Sing Like No-One’s Listening is full of honest, practical, occasionally sweary support for late bloomers and creative business owners who are done hiding the best bits of themselves.
👉 Buy your copy here
The stage is yours. Sing out loud and proud.🎤