You were likely drawn to running your own business via a potent combination of ambition, risk-taking and a compulsive desire to turn your vision into reality. And being an entrepreneur can be one of the most fulfilling and exciting experiences anyone can have.
However… it can also suck. Big time. Firstly, there’s the immense pressure that starting your own business places on both your finances and your time. Then there’s the crushing responsibility that comes with actually employing people and having them depend on the success of the business for their ability to earn money! There’s also (ahem) FAILURE to consider—if it all goes wrong, you’re likely to lose a lot of money and your personal life and mental wellbeing might take a hit, too.
Yes, to be an entrepreneur often means being BORN an entrepreneur. It’s likely you are blessed with specific traits that make this path a very natural one for you. And that’s great.
But what if you’re inherently averse to risk and heightened responsibility, yet full of creative ideas and ambition, and enjoy working independently? If this sounds like you, intrapreneurship could be what you’re looking for.
Being an intrapreneur means becoming an entrepreneur within a company. You get paid to excel at all the things you love, such as innovation and creativity, but without any of the sweaty risk associated with owning the business.
Sound good? Here are three reasons why intrapreneurship might be what you’re looking for…
1. If things go south, you can go north (or east or west)
One of the things that scares a lot of people out of entrepreneurship is the fact that if the start-up fails (which the majority do!), you’re likely to lose a lot of money. But before you even get to that stage, you will have spent a lot of your own money on getting the business off the ground and paying salaries. And if you have a business loan, you’ll be paying that off too.
An intrapreneur doesn’t have to worry about any of this. You get to enjoy being creative while earning a regular salary, and if you start feel unhappy or the company bombs you can simply find a new place to work.
2. You’ll have less sleepless nights
As mentioned above, entrepreneurialism comes with an awfully large amount of responsibilities. Amongst other things to consider are recruiting the right team and managing them, keeping a keen eye on the financials, answering to investors, being the ultimate go-to for ideas and solutions, and being the face of the company.
Phew.
As an intrapreneur you can enjoy all the thrills and benefits of being ambitious and innovative, but with a LOT less stress. You have the option of switching off at the end of each working day, and enjoying your weekends. This is not an option for the entrepreneur (and they secretly LOVE this…)
3. You simply get to ENJOY what you’re doing
Entrepreneurialism can be a love/hate kind of thing. There’s the stimulation, prestige, freedom and financial reward that can come from leading your own business, but on the other side is the oft-mentioned burdens of heavy responsibility and pressures on your time and personal life.
If you can do without a title like CEO and the ego boost that comes with the ‘successful entrepreneur’ label, then intrapreneurship will work for you. You’ll get to revel in your work without all the extra baggage that comes with running the company (this is especially great if you’re an introvert and don’t enjoy attention anyway!).
So, if you’re cut out for the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, it can be a wonderful journey. However, if you have the urge to push boundaries and come of with original concepts, but without the multiple concerns that entrepreneurship inevitably entails, intrapreneurialism is exactly what you’re looking for.