Are you an Entrepreneur or Intrapreneur?

The term entrepreneur is common. Not so with intrapreneur. This is a new word adopted by 1992 when the American Heritage Dictionary adopted it to mean "A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation". It is an employee who takes initiative and self-motivated to use a corporate management style that integrates risk-taking and innovation approaches as well as the reward and motivational techniques, that are more traditionally thought of as being the province of entrepreneurship.

While much is today talked and advanced about entrepreneurship not much is said about intraprenurship. Before venturing into business, you need to search within yourself to find out what you best suited. Your gifting might lead you to be more suited to work within an organizational structure that is already established and running rather than to create your own.

Gifford Pinchot's out-of print book " Intrapreneuring, Why You Don't Have to Leave the Corporation to Become an Entrepreneur" provides 10 commandments for intrapreneurs:

Do any job needed to make your project work regardless of your job description.
Share credit wisely.
Remember, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Come to work each day willing to be fired.
Ask for advice before asking for resources.
Follow your intuition about people; build a team of the best.
Build a quiet coalition for your idea; early publicity triggers the corporate immune system.
Never bet on a race unless you are running in it.
Be true to your goals, but realistic about ways to achieve them.
Honor your sponsors.

As an entrepreneur, you are well aware of the great risks you have to take to enter into new ventures on your own. Are you ready for this lonely journey?

Before taking a leap out of employment as yourself what you are best suited for – an entrepreneur or intraprenur?