You ever feel like the system was designed to keep people like you out? You’re not imagining it. If you’re autistic, trying to find a job—or worse, trying to build your own—is like fighting through molasses with ankle weights. In a thunderstorm. While on fire.
Employment: A Neurotypical Circus With No Room for You
- Interviews aren’t for honesty. They want charisma, banter, and the ability to pretend you’re thrilled about KPIs and open-plan offices. Say something blunt? You’re “difficult.” Stumble socially? You’re “not a good fit.”
- Workplace culture isn’t built for brains like yours. You’re expected to mask constantly. Smile even when overloaded. Hide meltdowns. Avoid sounding “intense.”
- Mental exhaustion becomes routine. The effort to just be acceptable every day leads to long-term burnout. And neurodivergent burnout isn’t fixed with a weekend off.
So You Try to Start a Business Instead…
You dream big. Maybe a little holistic shop. Candles. Crystals. Ethically-sourced teas. Something that feels good. Real. Healing. You put your heart into it.
- No loans. No grants. No support. If you’re not already successful, the system wants nothing to do with you. Banks want perfect credit. Grant programs close before you hear about them.
- The high street is dying. Wilko? Gone. The Body Shop? Crumbling. House of Fraser? Withering. Rent and bills make physical shops a high-risk gamble for the underfunded.
So You Go Online… Because It’s Cheaper, Right?
- Getting visible online is brutally hard. You’re competing with corporate giants who dominate SEO and ads.
- Social media is a black hole. You post, maybe three people see it—your mum and two bots selling fake followers.
- SEO is a slow burn. Months of tweaking pages and building backlinks might get you on page 2. If you’re lucky.
- Advertising costs are insane. Want exposure? Better have a marketing budget the size of your rent.
So What Can Help? Community.
One of the best survival tactics for small holistic businesses is this: team up.
- Refer to each other. Holistic wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all. Collaboration builds trust and customer loyalty.
- Build a network. Share each other’s content. Link to one another. A rising tide lifts all ships.
- Share resources. Talk about dropshipping, packaging, SEO tips. Mutual aid beats corporate competition every time.
So Why Bother?
Because you don’t fit the mold. You’re not here to chase profits—you’re here to build something real. And that’s worth the fight.
The system isn’t on your side. If you’re autistic, broke, and starting from nothing, you’re playing a game that was never meant to be fair. But if you’re still trying? That makes you powerful.
Keep going. But do it eyes open.
Your story matters, even if the system doesn’t want to hear it.
You’re not broken. The world is.
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