How Intrapreneurial Instincts Can Lead to Entrepreneurial Success

Brian Hart

The concept of intrapreneurship has risen in popularity since the Great Recession, with many would-be entrepreneurs preferring to exercise their leadership and innovation traits within the security of stable employment.

My path coming out of college was a little bit different. I thought maybe one day I could strike off on my own, but at the time it felt like a distant pipe dream. My priority was to go into the workforce, build relationships, gain experience, develop my skill set and advance my career.

Early in that process, I found myself gravitating toward intrapreneurship by naturally taking initiative and building my brand. As a result, just two years removed from college, I made the leap to entrepreneurship. Here are some key takeaways from my swift transition from intrapreneur to entrepreneur.

Show Initiative

I graduated from college ready to begin a career in public relations. Unfortunately, with the economy slowly on the rebound, entry-level public relations positions were difficult to find. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t even get an interview with a Philadelphia public relations agency, much less a job offer. I needed a job, so I expanded my search into sales positions.

Eventually, I was able to land a corporate retirement sales position with a small financial services firm located outside of Philadelphia. Within a couple of months, I earned a lateral promotion into their employee benefits division in an administrative capacity.

Fresh off of a public relations education, it bugged me that the firm had an inactive blog and virtually no social media presence, so I took it upon myself to bring both elements to life. Also, in addition to my regular job responsibilities, I took on a lead role in event planning and public relations. Essentially, I took a non-public relations job and turned it into one in just a few months.

The key point is that I didn’t ask for permission; I saw glaring needs within the company and took it upon myself to address them. When management caught onto what I was up to, they were impressed by my initiative and made it part of my job.

Instead of asking for permission or waiting around for someone to offer you an opportunity, take stock of the environment and show some initiative. Find areas where you can help the company function better, particularly areas where your skill set can be strengthened and utilized.

Build Your Brand

During my time with the financial services firm, I built an impressive public relations resume and portfolio. Using what I gained by my own initiative, I earned a job with a New York public relations agency specializing in finance campaigns. I saw this as a major break in my career – and also an amazing opportunity to further build my personal brand.

As with my prior position, I took it upon myself to regularly contribute articles to the company blog. This turned heads at all levels of the organization. Before I started contributing, the account teams were largely uninvolved with the company blog because it was perceived to be the responsibility of the content team.

Eventually, I helped to drive a major culture shift, motivating others on the account team to begin contributing to the company blog. Also, following my lead, the account team began to actively engage with the firm’s social media efforts as well as those of our clients. My intrapreneurial focus led me to look at what was lacking within the agency and how I could contribute. I built both my brand and my repertoire by focusing on what I could add.

Social media has popularized the idea of personal branding, but in the workplace, it involves far more than seeking “likes”. Building your personal brand establishes who you are and what you have to offer. To build your brand as an employee, seek opportunities to contribute to the company blog, author white papers, appear on video, talk to the media and speak in front of large groups. Also, network beyond what your job duties require. Create an identity for yourself as both a representative of the company brand but also an industry thought leader and subject matter expert.

Take the Leap

In addition to media relations, I took on a lead role in building out digital offerings for the agency. I joined the marketing committee and stepped in as interim social media manager, even taking on writing responsibilities when the content team was short-staffed. Those roles were on top of my account duties.

Using my previous experience, I assisted with business development and even helped them select new health insurance plans. At one point, I realized I had my hands in nearly every aspect of the business. That’s when I began conceptualizing my own agency vision.

At first, I would have to keep a pen and paper next to me as I slept, as I would constantly wake up during the night to jot down ideas. After compiling a notebook full of ideas, I decided to translate my scattered thoughts into a business plan.

After sitting on my business plan for about three months, I received a huge opportunity. A wealth management firm in Los Angeles found me via LinkedIn and told me they were looking for new public relations representation. On the phone call, we clicked, and within a few days I quit my job, signed the client and my agency Flackable was born.

The key to taking the leap is trusting your intuition and sense of timing. For me, the decision was easy. At that point, I knew the temporary pain of failure would be nothing compared to the lasting regret had I not seized the opportunity in front of me. In the end, I went from not being able to get an interview with a Philadelphia public relations agency to owning one, and it was my experience as an intrapreneur that made the leap possible.