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Key Takeaways The term “intrapreneur” describes entrepreneurial behavior inside established organizations by high-performing individuals and executives. They have lots of the same characteristics as a business owner: They innovate at scale, manage stakeholder ecosystems and balance agility with governance.
You, as a business owner, can’t do everything. It’s important to have intrapreneurs on staff who you can trust to share the workload and responsibility.
For decades, the word “entrepreneurial” has been almost exclusively reserved for business owners who chase lofty ideas and put their personal finances on the line. That image, popularized by icons like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson, shaped how we defined entrepreneurial behavior: ownership equals entrepreneurship.
But that definition is outdated. And I would argue that today every entrepreneur needs an intrapreneur — or maybe even a few.
What’s an intrapreneur?
The term “intrapreneur” describes entrepreneurial behavior inside established organizations by high-performing individuals and executives. They have lots of the same characteristics as the business owner. They innovate at scale. They manage stakeholder ecosystems. They balance agility with governance. That is not lesser entrepreneurship; it’s evolved entrepreneurship.
So why is it so important to have these individuals on staff and retain them?
Simple, the entrepreneur can’t do it all. I know I thought I could, but without key intrapreneurs on staff, it was tough to keep up with all the changes in my industry. And let’s face it, all industries are changing dramatically. Can the entrepreneur be an expert at everything? Can we be the only ones expected to:
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