"The things that make ADHD difficult in a traditional setting are often the exact things that make you exceptional as an entrepreneur."
— Alex Urevick-Ackelsberg
In Episode 2 of The ADD Entrepreneur Podcast, Nick sits down with Alex Urevick-Ackelsberg, CEO of Zivtech — a Philadelphia-based digital agency specializing in open-source web development and digital strategy for enterprise clients. Alex built Zivtech from a one-person shop into a team of dozens, all while navigating an ADHD diagnosis that he describes as both his greatest challenge and his most powerful asset.
This conversation covers the experience of being diagnosed as an adult, the specific ways ADHD shapes leadership style, and the productivity systems Alex has built to compensate for executive function deficits while leveraging the creative and entrepreneurial strengths that come with the ADHD brain.
Nick: Welcome back to the ADD Entrepreneur. Today I'm joined by Alex Urevick-Ackelsberg, CEO of Zivtech in Philadelphia. Alex, thanks for being here.
Alex: Thanks for having me. I've been looking forward to this.
Nick: Tell me about Zivtech.
Alex: Zivtech is a digital agency focused on open-source web development — primarily Drupal — and digital strategy. We work with enterprise clients, nonprofits, and government agencies. We've been around for about twelve years now and we've grown from just me to a team of around 40 people.
Nick: That's a real company. When did you get diagnosed with ADHD?
Alex: I was diagnosed as an adult — in my late twenties. Looking back, the signs were there my whole life. I was the kid who was always in trouble for talking, always starting projects and not finishing them, always losing things. But I was also the kid who could hyperfocus on something I cared about for 12 hours straight. I just didn't have a framework for understanding why my brain worked the way it did.
Nick: What changed when you got the diagnosis?
Alex: Everything, in a way. It gave me a language for what I'd been experiencing. It also gave me permission to stop trying to be someone I wasn't — to stop trying to force my brain into a neurotypical operating mode — and to start building systems that actually worked for how I think.
The diagnosis didn't change my brain. But it changed how I approached my brain.
How ADHD Shapes Your Leadership Style
Nick: How does ADHD show up in how you lead Zivtech?
Alex: In a lot of ways. The positive side: I'm very good at pattern recognition, at seeing connections between things that seem unrelated, at generating ideas quickly. I'm comfortable with ambiguity and change in a way that I think is genuinely useful in a fast-moving industry.
The challenging side: I struggle with follow-through on routine administrative tasks. I have to be very intentional about delegation — not just because it's good management practice, but because if I don't delegate the things that bore me, they simply won't get done.
I've also had to be very transparent with my team about how I work. I tell people: if you send me an email and I don't respond, it's not because I don't care — it's because my inbox is a disaster and I need you to follow up. That kind of transparency has actually made me a better manager, because it forces me to build systems and communication norms that work for everyone, not just me.
Nick: That transparency piece is huge. For more on how ADHD affects workplace performance, see our guide on ADHD and the workplace.
On Productivity Systems
Nick: What productivity systems do you rely on?
Alex: I'm a big believer in externalizing everything. My brain is not a reliable storage device — I've accepted that. So everything goes into a system. I use a combination of project management software, a physical notebook for daily priorities, and a very strict weekly review process.
The weekly review is non-negotiable. Every Sunday I go through everything — every project, every commitment, every open loop — and I make sure nothing falls through the cracks. It takes about two hours and it's the most important two hours of my week.
Nick: That's essentially the GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology applied to an ADHD brain.
Alex: Exactly. The GTD system works well for ADHD because it's built on the premise that your brain is not a reliable storage system — which is doubly true for us. The key is that you have to actually do the review, consistently. That's where most people with ADHD fall down.
For anyone looking to build a complete productivity system for their ADHD brain, the ADD Hero Master Collection is the most comprehensive resource I've seen.
Advice for ADHD Entrepreneurs
Nick: What would you tell an entrepreneur who was just diagnosed with ADHD?
Alex: First: it's not a death sentence. In fact, for entrepreneurship specifically, many of the traits associated with ADHD — risk tolerance, creativity, the ability to hyperfocus, comfort with uncertainty — are genuine advantages.
Second: build systems, not willpower. Willpower is a finite resource and it's even more finite for people with ADHD. The goal is to design your environment and your workflows so that the right behavior is the path of least resistance.
Third: find your people. Surround yourself with people who complement your weaknesses. If you're terrible at follow-through, hire someone who's great at it. If you lose track of details, build a team that catches them.
The ADHD brain is a different kind of brain — not a broken one.
Related reading: ADHD and Executive Function | Signs and Symptoms of Adult ADHD | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ADHD
Written by
Nick Eubanks
Founder & Chief Productivity Officer, ADD Hero
Nick Eubanks is the founder of ADD Hero and a productivity strategist who has helped thousands of people with ADD and ADHD unlock their potential. Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, Nick turned his disorder into a competitive advantage — building multiple successful companies and developing the productivity frameworks that power ADD Hero.
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