The Story behind Bu.
We’re Suzy and Nicola, two neurodivergent
entrepreneurs who got frustrated watching
brilliant people burn out under systems that
were never designed for them.
Business Unmasked began as a pilot forAccess to Work–funded
founders who needed something different: a practical, supportive,
coaching-based approach that worked with their brains, not against them.
Our Mission
Support for sustainable self-employment,
built for neurodivergent founders.
Self-employment offers freedom, flexibility, and creativity – but it can also bring isolation, overwhelm, and burnout.
Traditional business advice rarely recognises what it’s like to live and work with ADHD or other neurodivergent traits.
We created Business Unmasked to close that gap.
Our mission is to help people build businesses that are sustainable, successful, and genuinely suited to the way their brains work.
We care less about growth targets and turnover, and more about helping you create work that lasts, without losing your spark, your health, or your sense of self.
Our Mission
Because the old ways weren’t working.
After years in business support, we both saw the same problems again and again.
The advice available to entrepreneurs assumed consistency, motivation, and follow-through – and when people couldn’t meet those expectations, the blame landed on them.
As we all discovered our neurodivergence, and learned more about the barriers in our way, Access to Work funding helped many understand their need for support, but in practice it often added more admin and stress.
Too many founders were left spinning, stuck, or exhausted, and despite so many attempts to help them, the erosion of funding and the lack of appetite to become a ‘manager of people’ left this group of people unsupported, downhearted, and frustrated.
It’s not fair.
So, we built something different.
Business Unmasked combines executive function coaching, business strategy, and accountability in a safe, supportive space that flexes with you.
We meet you where you are – not where the system thinks you should be.
Meet the Founders
We’ve both lived the ups and downs
of self-employment.
Suzy
Suzy’s background is in business advice and programme design, having worked with hundreds of founders, helping them start, stabilise, and grow their businesses.
An ADHD diagnosis reframed everything, and Suzy’s many side hustles subsided to create The Technicolour Project, supporting people to understand and work with their brains.
They bring the mix of structure, empathy, and creative problem-solving that turns scattered effort into meaningful progress.
Nicola
Nicola left teaching to carve out her own path, building a series of ventures focused on self-employed community and inclusion. She went on to found Celebrate Difference and The Hub, Consett – both social enterprises supporting people who don’t fit traditional career models.
Her experience of living and working with ADHD means she knows how much structure and connection matter, and how powerful it can be when you – finally – find both.
Together, we’ve created a space where neurodivergent founders can ‘professionally unmask’, show up, and build sustainable businesses with confidence and support.
