Veteran mentor Jon McCulloch was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 54. He says it makes him a better businessman. Here’s why.
Hot on the tail of National Autism Month, we speak with Jon McCulloch, widely known as the Evil Bald Genius in business circles on how his autism diagnosis has been his superpower.
“I was self-diagnosing as autistic for two or three years. I paid for a private assessment in 2019 which confirmed my suspicions. It has been a rollercoaster for me but it has also helped me clearly plan and execute a very successful business,” he says. ”Now I have established myself as an expert in helping trades businesses reach serious profit goals.”
“One of the effects of my autism is that I have no, what’s known as “affective” empathy. Far from being a hindrance in running a business, I have found this an advantage – I just tell people how it is. You’re born autistic, and you die autistic. And what happens between those two bookends of mystery is mostly up to you.”
“If you’re lacking in affective empathy, in particular, the mainstream view is there’s something wrong with you. This isn’t true.”
In his new book, he rails against “snowflakes” and offers a straightforward plan to financial success – for different types of self-employed tradesmen he dubs wallowers, followers, fighters, and flyers.
“I’ve a proven record of fixing broken businesses. My book may seem harsh and uncomfortable at times. My clients and readers can take in what I say and learn or they can waste time doing stuff that’s never going to get them where they want to be. I focus on personal responsibility, resilience, resourcefulness, and how to get the best clients paying the best prices,” he says.
“Growing and scaling your business is hard but it’s not complicated and doesn’t require you put in 20-hour days to pay off a mortgage on your soul.”
“A few simple changes can give you dramatic improvements in your cashflow, quality of clients, and slash the time you waste on unproductive and unprofitable activities. Anyone can get them set up and working within a week.”
Jon is launching Get Off the Tools in World Autism Month, partly in a bid to raise awareness of the benefits of being autistic in business. Get off the Tools is available in Kindle edition, and will be published in print in Q2 of 2021.
Published by: By Praseeda Nair
