More people than ever before are working from home right now. In the past, being able to work from home would usually mean having your own business, but today there are so many different ways to do this, and new roles are being carved out to fit the everchanging climate all the time.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or work for a company there are plenty of pros and cons, which can make it hard to choose which is best for you. However, a new working style is now available, and it might just be the perfect compromise: Intrepreneurship.
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What is an Intrepreneur?
An intrepreneur is kind of like the halfway point between being an employee and an entrepreneur. It’s a relatively new term describing somebody who works for a company but takes total ownership and responsibility for a certain section of the business.
The subtle differences begin right from the hiring process. Rather than applying to an existing role, an intrepreneur will often be hired for their skills, personality and values. Their position and tasks may change and develop over time.
Their salary is also different from that of an employee because they earn based on performance rather than a set monthly wage, similarly to an entrepreneur. This means their income may fluctuate and they’re responsible for how much they make and directly benefit from the work they put in. Certain companies, such as Financer.com offer a profit share to the intrepreneurs in their team as well as pay per hour, per task and bonuses.
An intrepreneurs role can be very independent, and they’re in charge of their own success. However, this does not mean they don’t work as part of a team. Although there is usually less of a hierarchy system in place than a traditional company, there are always more experienced colleagues to learn from and a whole community of like minded-individuals to bounce ideas off.
Who is an Intrepreneur?
Before going over some of the common characteristics of intrepreneurs, I want to make one thing clear. None of the following working styles is superior to the others, all have pros and cons and will suit different people.
It’s also possible to be all three at different stages of your life, but these are just some common traits to consider.
Entrepreneur characteristics
- Enjoys leading a team and being in charge
- Willing to fail quickly and often to grow stronger in the long-term
- Embraces the excitement of being in control of what they earn
- Laser focussed and will outsource tasks to people with skills they don’t have
- Works as many hours as required at the time
Employee characteristics
- Enjoys working as part of a team
- Perfectionists who thrive on pleasing a boss or manager
- Likes the stability of a recurring paycheck
- All-rounders with many transferable skills
- Works set hours
Intrepreneur characteristics
- Enjoys working independently towards a shared vision
- Contributes to the success of the team by pushing themselves out of their comfort zone
- Thrive on being responsible for hitting financial goals
- Always learning and training their existing skillset
- Works hours which suit their lifestyle
To summarise, in the idealogy that every business requires an executor (employees are generally great executors) and a visionary (this is usually an entrepreneur/founder), an intrapreneur is the middle ground who enjoys being both.
Is Intrapreneurship for you?
Do you have an entrepreneurial mindset but haven’t thought of your ‘big idea’ yet? If you don’t like to feel like a cog in a machine or that your passion and ideas are wasted in a traditional role, but don’t want to start something up from scratch right now, becoming an intrepreneur may just be the perfect option. Intrepreneurship also offers a lot of balance. A balance of responsibility while also having a team to rely on when needed. A balance of financial ownership without total control, and so on.
Only you can decide if intrepreneurship is for you, but the best way to find out is to try it out for yourself.
Short Bio: Johannes Larsson is the founder and CEO of www.financer.com, an SEO geek and affiliate marketing expert. He’s been practising entrepreneurship and digital marketing for over a decade and runs a global remote team. In his blog www.johanneslarsson.com he shares his expertise in SEO, affiliate marketing and finance with a wealth of free resources for digital entrepreneurs.
Connect with him at @mrjola on Instagram and @mrjolar on Twitter.
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