"Somebody Stole My Sh*t!" : Copycats, Counterfeiters, and How to Protect What You've Built, with Dani Donovan — ADHD-ish™ ADHD Business Strategy for Busy Brains

Building something unique takes time, energy, talent, and a whole lot of heart. For any business owner with ADHD, that can make it especially painful when someone copies your work, sells a counterfeit, or makes you question the value of what you created.

In this episode of the ADHD-ish podcast, host Diann Wingert is joined by Dani Donovan to talk about what she learned after building The Anti-Planner and dealing head-on with copycats, counterfeiters, and intellectual property theft.

‍EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS & TIMESTAMPS:

03:10 - The Anti-Planner and Dealing With Copycats

07:00 - How the Anti-Planner Became a Viral Product

14:00 - The Reality of Intellectual Property Theft

21:00 - Counterfeiters and Protecting Your Business

28:00 - Copyrights, Trademarks, and Creative Work

35:00 - Why Successful Brands Target Counterfeiters

42:00 - Perfectionism and Valuing Your Creative Work

49:00 - Lessons on Building and Protecting a Unique Brand

Key takeaways for fellow creators and founders:

‍Protect Your IP Early - Dani Donovan’s story underscores the importance of copyrighting your content and considering trademarks before you reach mass awareness—even an overseas copyright or trademark if necessary.

Counterfeiting Can Happen to You - Whether you’re just starting out or have a viral hit, don’t assume your business is “too small” to be targeted. Copycats watch for what’s trending, and success makes you a target.

‍Community & Transparency Matter - Sharing the messy, challenging parts (like publicly addressing counterfeiting) can activate support from customers and fellow entrepreneurs—and may even lead to further growth and visibility.

‍Fun Fact From The Episode

‍When the first shipment of the Anti-Planner arrived, people (including myself) literally hugged it to their chest—and it wasn’t by accident! Dani intentionally made it “therapy pillow-sized” based on how she wanted users to feel about it.

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About today’s guest, Dani Donovan:

‍Dani Donovan is an award-winning designer and creator of the viral hit product, "The Anti-Planner: How to Get Sh*t Done When You Don't Feel Like It." Known for her relatable ADHD comics, tweets, and TikToks, she's been helping shape the online neurodiversity community since 2018.

Dani was the closing keynote speaker at the 2021 International ADHD Conference, and her work has helped thousands of people seek an ADHD diagnosis and treatment.

Mentioned during the episode:

‍Alibaba ‍ - Steve Peha - Copyscape Plagarism Checker ‍- MarqVision Brand Protection Agency

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About the Anti-Planner:

‍Tapping into her own frustrations and the lived experiences of ADHD peers, Dani Donovan spent over 3,000 hours creating The Anti-Planner, a “productivity spellbook”—a lovingly designed, non-linear, highly personalized compendium of over 100 strategies for overcoming procrastination and building emotional resistance.

‍Dani obsessed over every detail: the comforting size, playful illustrations, durable faux-leather binding, gold foil, thick paper, pen loop, and rounded corners. It is gorgeous, practical, and nothing like all the planners you’ve bought and abandoned two weeks later. I absolutely love mine!

‍Buy your copy of the Original Anti-Planner here. (Dani also has a Clean version if you are not so sweary…)

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Your ADHD-ish™ host, Diann Wingert

‍Diann Wingert brings decades of experience as a psychotherapist and serial business owner to coaching entrepreneurs with ADHD traits. Her style is direct and strategic, with a dash of humor, and filled with the insights of someone who lives and breathes the ADHD-ish™ experience. Diann is the creator of the ADHD-ish™ Method, host of the top-rated ADHD-ish™ podcast and proud mom of three neurodivergent adults.

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Should I have Dani back again?

Want Dani Donovan to return to ADHD-ish™ to talk about what actually happens when your business scales way faster than you expected? Let us know by leaving a voice message here or sending an email here. Thanks!

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