Blog Post: 4 Ways to Be an Entrepreneur at Work

One of the things Zach and I talk about in our speeches is the need to take an entrepreneurial approach to work, no matter what the job may be.  I’ve identified four ways that you can be entrepreneurial in the job you currently have, and if you’re currently out of work, you can certainly apply these tips to your job search as well.  

1)  Find out what pisses you off, and fix it.  The entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed have identified what makes them angry, and they’ve developed plans around how to fix that problem with a business idea.  

The same thing applies to individual roles at work.  Simply ask the question, ‘What can be done better?’  

2)  Identify areas in your job that could possibly bring in money.  Then, develop a plan and present it.  Companies need any additional ways to make money right now, and if you’re not thinking about how you could make money in your role, or save money for the company you work for, I’d say you’re at risk of being let go.  

Employees have to think like they’re self employed within their roles.  They have to ask themselves that if they were doing the same thing independently, would it make sense to do it the way they’re actually doing it?

The list could go on and on here of ways to bring in or save money.  For penny pinching, identify what costs you currently have and think of ways to cut costs.  For generating revenues, challenge yourself to think both in traditional and non-traditional ways.

3)  Expand your network.  Every entrepreneur I know has a strong social network that has helped them get to where they are today.  If you have relationships that could potentially benefit the company, then those connections count towards the value you have as an employee.  

I would suggest that you get on Linkedin, Facebook, and/or Twitter if you’re not already.  You’d be surprised at what opportunities will come from those social networking tools.  And to get started, you can add me as a connection in all three places by clicking on the links above. 

4) Do informational interviews. Last week we launched the first ever Pursue the Passion Entrepreneurship Conference to drive home the point to be entrepreneurial in work to hundreds of FBLA high school students.  Every student who attended the conference conducted their own informational interview with a professional who works a job they're interested in.  The student's reward was a ticket to a conference filled with engaging speakers and workshops, and of course, a ticket to that night's Suns game.  Your reward for doing an informational interview could be a client, a connection, or some new insight that would allow you to be more creative in work.       

If you’re looking for more advice than these four ways, here's a video featuring the Pursue the Passion conference speakers and the advice they had for the students who attended.  Remember, be entrepreneurial!    

Pursue the Passion brings you one career interview every week to expose you to career possibilities. For a complete list of interviews, visit www.pursuethepassion.com, and to sign up for the newsletter, click here. You can also add Brett on Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter.