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Intrapreneurship vs. entrepreneurship

Written by: Amanda Phagan, Edited by: Joey Morris

Published: March 18, 2025

You have likely heard of entrepreneurship, but what about intrapreneurship? These two business skills can help you demonstrate leadership, develop innovative ideas, and advance your career in different ways.

Invest in your future by learning how to incorporate intrapreneurship, entrepreneurship, or both into your career path.

Defining intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship

What is intrapreneurship?

Intrapreneurship is the practice of applying an entrepreneurial mindset to an internal role at an established company. This may include brainstorming new products, proposing new processes, trying new strategies, and leading innovative projects that benefit the company at which the employee works.

What is entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is the practice of creating a new business that addresses a market opportunity or demand. Entrepreneurs are passionate, independent individuals who adopt the high-risk and high-reward potential of starting a new business from scratch.

Key differences between intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship

Intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs share an innovative spirit, a proactive approach to work, and leadership potential. While born from a shared desire to leave their mark, they differ in several ways.

Characteristics

Intrapreneurs

  • Team players: Intrapreneurs must work with teammates to achieve their goals.
  • Altruistic: Intrapreneurship can benefit the employee and employer.
  • Strong communicators: Working within a company's existing bureaucracy requires savvy communication and sharp persuasion skills.
  • Opportunistic innovators: Intrapreneurs actively identify opportunities for improvement within an organization.
  • Innovative: Intrapreneurs often find clever ways to address a need within an organization.

Entrepreneurs

  • Pioneers: Entrepreneurs carve their own path by addressing a specific niche.
  • Independent: Working for themselves instead of employers can be rewarding for entrepreneurs.
  • Passionate leaders: Entrepreneurs accept significant risks to grow their business, which requires passion, resilience, and confidence.
  • Curious experimenters: Entrepreneurs aren't afraid to try new strategies or invent their own systems.
  • Creative: Dreaming up a unique business idea requires creative vision and resourcefulness.
Benefits

Intrapreneurs

  • Stability: Intrapreneurs often enjoy established companies' consistency and job security.
  • Pay: Regular paychecks allow intrapreneurs to innovate without taking significant financial risks.
  • Built-in network: Exhibiting leadership within a company can allow you to gain prominence and grow your professional network.

Entrepreneurs

  • Freedom: Many entrepreneurs want the freedom to try new ideas, implement their own policies, and work however they prefer.
  • Flexibility: Entrepreneurs often enjoy flexible work schedules, locations, and processes.
  • Personal fulfillment: Entrepreneurs are passionate about their work and may feel more fulfilled when their ideas succeed.
Drawbacks

Intrapreneurs

  • Lack of personal fulfillment: Intrapreneurs may not be passionate about their employer's mission, which may limit their level of dedication.
  • Organizational limitations: "Red tape" like budget restrictions, different priorities, stakeholder wishes, and executive pushback can limit an intrapreneur's impact and agency.
  • Partial credit: The ideas and innovations intrapreneurs generate often ultimately belong to and benefit the company.

Entrepreneurs

  • Financial risk: Entrepreneurs sometimes invest in a venture without knowing whether it will succeed long-term.
  • Work-life imbalance: Since entrepreneurs tend to be very passionate about their work, they may accidentally blur the line between their work and personal lives and potentially overwork themselves.
  • Instability: An entrepreneur's goals, strategies, and processes may need to change suddenly due to market conditions or unsuccessful ideas.

Entrepreneur and intrapreneur examples

Intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs are all around us! If you work at a corporation, your coworker may have pitched and implemented a process that everyone now uses. Your neighbor may run a pet-sitting business, and your friend might make money creating content for a specific social media niche.

Here are some intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs you may know:

  • Entrepreneur Reshma Saujani created Girls Who Code to provide girls with the skills they need to occupy the computer science space.
  • While working at W.L Gore, Dave Myers and John Spencer used their intrapreneurial skills to create and test ELIXIR Guitar Strings, which are now top-selling acoustic guitar strings.
  • Henry Ford brought his Model T automobile and mass production strategy to the forefront of American life as an entrepreneur.
  • James Gosling and his intrapreneurial team at Sun Microsystems created Java, a programming language meant to be more universal and adaptable than C/C++.
  • Anne Wojcicki made genetic testing more accessible, interactive, and affordable with her entrepreneurial venture, 23andMe.

How to develop intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship skills

Whether you aspire to innovate while working nine-to-five at an established company or dream up a business idea centered around your passion, you can develop the skills you need to succeed. Here are some ways you can start developing intrapreneurial or entrepreneurial skills.

Education opportunities

Enroll in a course

Want to expand your business knowledge without earning another degree? Consider taking a course in entrepreneurship, innovation, or business skills. An introductory course can help you learn or build upon key skills that entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs use daily to advance their careers. Courses generally require around four to eight weeks of part-time study that you can incorporate into your busy schedule.

Earn your bachelor's or master's degree

If you're exploring future career paths or want to switch careers, earning a bachelor's degree in business, business administration, or entrepreneurship can equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to get started in business — whether you want to join a thriving company or create your own.

If you already have a bachelor's degree and want to maximize your business potential, consider earning a master's in business administration (MBA). Earning an MBA can help you increase your earning potential, qualify for higher-level leadership roles, and develop a niche.

Useful practices

Incorporating intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial skills into your routine without earning a certificate or degree is also possible. Make it a habit to:

  • Maintain your network: Staying connected with professionals in your network is a great way to increase your online visibility as an entrepreneur or intrapreneur.
  • Mentor others: Stepping up to lead by example in your community or workplace shows leadership.
  • Take on a passion project: Working on something you care about can help you stand out — or even discover a new business idea.
  • Join a group or club: Being part of a dynamic group can inspire you to brainstorm and propose new ideas.
  • Share your ideas: Take the initiative to share your ideas in meetings. They may just become your company's next big project.

Frequently asked questions about intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship

Who are famous intrapreneurs?

Some famous intrapreneurs include:

  • Paul Buchheit, creator of Gmail at Google
  • Ken Kutaragi, creator of the Sony PlayStation
  • Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, creator of the U-2 spy plane at Lockheed Martin
  • Spencer Silver and Art Fry, creators of the Post-It Note at 3M
  • Stéphanie Daru, creator of the Soothe 'N' Chew teething stick at Gerber
  • Bob Bernstein, creator of the Happy Meal at McDonald's
How can I get started as an entrepreneur?

The following are steps many may find helpful toward becoming an entrepreneur:

  1. Brainstorm and select a business idea based on your unique skill set or interests
  2. Take a course relevant to your entrepreneurial interests
  3. Obtain a business license to operate in your state, city, and/or county
  4. Set up an in-person or online office/store/location
  5. Promote your new business on social media and optimize for search engines

The process of becoming an entrepreneur is seldom linear. Business owners often revisit the above steps at various points in their entrepreneurial journey.

Additionally, each type of business requires a different startup process. For example, opening a restaurant generally requires more licenses, inspections, and training than opening an online shop.

What are some examples of successful intrapreneurship projects?

Some successful projects led by intrapreneurs include:

  • The Apple Macintosh computer, created by Steve Jobs and his team of engineers
  • Southwest Airlines' humorous safety announcements, pioneered by flight attendant Martha Cobbs
  • Amazon Prime, created by Charlie Ward and Greg Greeley at Amazon
  • The "Slide to Unlock" feature of the Apple iPhone, pioneered by Freddy Anzures and Imran Chaudhri

While these projects are some of the most famous examples, intrapreneurship can — and does — occur at companies of all sizes.

Should I pursue entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship?

Whether you should pursue entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship depends on several personal factors, including:

  • Your employment status: Are you working full-time or seeking new opportunities?
  • Your values: Do you prefer working independently or as part of a team? Are you OK with potential pushback on your ideas? Is creative freedom more important than a consistent paycheck?
  • Your goals: Can you achieve your career goals while working at an existing company? Do you want to advance your career by moving up at a company — or do you want to carve your own path?
  • Your risk tolerance: Entrepreneurship is financially riskier than intrapreneurship, but it can sometimes result in larger financial gains.
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