Saturday, August 14, 2010

Have you ever heard the term INTRA-preneur?

Have you ever heard the term INTRA-preneur?
It's a play on the word entrepreneur that basically means "being an entrepreneur within a big company". In other words, it's someone with a regular job who has a boss just like everyone else - except they have the “way of thinking” of an entrepreneur.

But what does that mean exactly?

An intra-preneur could be someone who leads a new project within the company, like the launch of a new product. This would have similarities to a launching a new company based around a single product because they'd still have to handle a team, look at a new market, and generally wear may hats.
An intra-preneur could also mean an engineer who thinks about the business in a broader intelligence. Most engineers are 100% focused on the technical work that consumes their time, but if an engineer was also involved in, say....bringing in new customers for the company, and making sales....he or she would be thinking like an entrepreneur.

Having an intra-prenurial state of mind within a company is grand, and I'm sure it would help you in your job. But there is one major problem with being an intra-preneur: YOU DON'T REAP THE FINANCIAL REWARDS LIKE A REAL ENTREPRENEUR!
Lets say that through networking you brought in a large new client for the firm. Let's say that through analysis outside your normal job you optimized part of the manufacturing process and saved the company 2% on every sale. Let's say you helped create a new division of the company that went from 0 to 25% market share in one year!

After all that, you would get a pat on the back and probably even get a big endorsement or bonus. But you would never be compensated for the full 100% of the value you added to the business. You could save the company $1 Million....and if you were lucky they'd give you a $10,000 bonus. It just doesn't add up.
The motive is simple: the business (and those who own it) get the profit. Not you.
A friend of mind (we'll call him JR) has a great entrepreneurial mindset, but before he fully embraced it he used up some time working at a fortune 500 company as a frustrated intra-preneur.

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