Become an Intrapreneur with These 5 Easy Tips

Do you have the entrepreneurial spirit but work for someone else and don’t see that changing anytime soon? You can make the most of your entrepreneurial drive by being an intrapreneur.

An intrapreneur thinks and behaves like an owner, even though they’re an employee and don’t take the financial risks that entrepreneurs do. You bring a unique perspective to the company you work for, so as an intrapreneur you’d be able to bring new ideas and solve problems in new ways.

Being intrapreneurial works best if your company encourages you to be innovative and think outside the box. If they do, then you’ll be able to leverage your company’s resources to pursue passion projects.

So, what does it take to become an intrapreneur?

1.    Be Persuasive

To explore your ideas, you’ll have to get buy-in from your company and convince your boss that they should take a risk on your plan. When you present your ideas, you’ll have to be able to clearly and fully explain your reasons for wanting to pursue the project.

You can help convince your company to take a risk on your idea by creating a business plan – which will outline how you’ll execute your idea and how it will help the company.

2.    Be Creative

As an intrapreneur, the projects you pursue or the problems you try to solve will usually mean you have to think outside the box and try something brand new, which requires you to be creative.

If you’re not sure what project to pursue, look for a problem that everyone’s ignored or worked around, then figure out a solution.

3.    Strike a Balance

Even though you’re testing your ideas, you’ll still be expected to handle your normal duties and responsibilities. Carve out time for yourself to test your ideas, without letting your job duties fall through the cracks.

4.    Build a Team

An entrepreneur rarely works alone – they usually have advisors and mentors to help them think through their ideas.

Likewise, you don’t have to work alone. Recruit your coworkers and ask them to help you follow through with a project. Look for coworkers who are excited about taking on new projects and passionate about helping the company succeed.

5.    Be Prepared to Fail

Just like starting a new company, not every idea you have will be successful. When you encounter a problem, don’t give up. Have a Plan B in place and figure out how to work through the problem.

If an idea fails completely, don’t give up on being an intrapreneur. Learn from the failure so you can build something successful next time.