A dialogue between an Entrepreneur and an Intrapreneur

Intrapreneur: Hello, Nice to meet you. What do you do?

Entrepreneur: I run my own business. How about you?
Intrapreneur: I work for a company.

Entrepreneur: It must be nice getting a paycheck?
Intrapreneur: Yes it is. But I bet you have the freedom to do what you want.

Entrepreneur: I do but there are risks that come with it.
Intrapreneur: Like what?

Entrepreneur: It is true there can be huge monetary upside in your own business but if things don't work out you can lose your shirt.
Intrapreneur: What's your biggest risk and how do you mitigate it?

Entrepreneur: Getting customers to buy my product. I have to make sure that there is demand for my idea and that is why I spend a lot of time interviewing customers to assess if there is a good market fit for what I am doing.
Intrapreneur: Interesting. I spend a lot of time pitching my ideas to management in my organization.

Entrepreneur: But isn't it easy to pitch new ideas to a handful of individuals?
Intrapreneur: It depends on the culture of an organization. You would be surprised how difficult it can be to overcome deeply rooted beliefs, navigate internal politics and work with existing processes. Sometimes you just have to admit that your idea is not going to make it.

Entrepreneur: What do you do then?
Intrapreneur: The innovation bug in me keeps me going in search of the next great idea.

Entrepreneur: I know how you feel. You just have to push past rejection and stay focused.
Intrapreneur: I have always been intrigued by how entrepreneurs raise capital for their business. How do you do it?

Entrepreneur: You have to get creative. I have put my own money in my business. I have also asked help from family and friends. You can crowd-fund your idea or pursue angel investors and venture capitalists (VCs). You fake it until you make it.
Intrapreneur: I say the same to my team. You have to believe in what you are doing. Sometimes you might not have all the ingredients to bring that idea to life but you have to somehow make it work because deep down you know it's going to help the bottom-line of the company.

Entrepreneur: But once your idea is accepted it must be easy for you to get the resources you need from the company?
Intrapreneur: Oh no. It's not that simple. I have to ensure that funds are allocated in the budget for my project. It goes up against other competing projects in the company and I often have to fight to procure the best people and technology resources. I usually have to start with a small team and work towards a minimum viable product (MVP).  Even after that there is always the risk the project might get scrapped due to evolving priorities in the company.

Entrepreneur: Wow! I didn't realize all the challenges an intrapreneur had to face.
Intrepreneur: I guess we both have our challenges cut out for us. It was nice to meet you.

Entrepreneur: Likewise. Here is my business card. If you are ever looking for [my product] please feel free to reach out.
Intrepreneur: Here is mine. If you are ever looking for [my company's service] call me or shoot me an email.