Entrepreneurship happens in existing companies too

An entrepreneur finds opportunity and captures what value he can, even if he’s working for an employer.

The entrepreneur must take advantage of his present situation, looking for opportunities and capturing value as he can in the circumstances he finds himself. If he waits for the perfect opportunity, for a time when his time is entirely free for the task, he will wait forever.

Stories of people who drop everything to pursue a million-to-one chance are a favorite of Americans. We revere our entrepreneurial heroes that made empires out of their garages. But these stories exclude the majority of Americans whose commitments heighten risk above what they are prepared to take. A college student may put 80 hours into an idea that produces no capital for months, but the man with a steady job and two children has more to lose than his confidence.

It’s important to recognize that the entrepreneurial venture is not always an out-of-the-blue experience. Minus a few special cases, many discover an opportunity in the midst of work at an everyday job. They investigate whether the opportunity is feasible, and if it’s something people will pay for. Only when they are certain do they risk, and then only where they must.

Were I to believe the entrepreneur must jump before he sees an opportunity, I would experience my work as a hindrance to the principles I’m learning in this course. The disconnect between the day-to-day job and the entrepreneurial venture is not so great as it seems, and many of the skills necessary can be developed in a daily job.

I find myself in a position I’d never expected to be. I have near endless freedom to analyze and improve the processes in my company. My position is relatively fluid, which means I have unexpected freedom to define my work and value by my own terms.

When I consider the precepts of the books and articles we’ve been reading, at times I feel quite discouraged. After all, how can I apply these principles in a mid-size company? There is not sufficient time to work full-time, pursue an MBA, and start a business venture - if I even discovered an opportunity I could be motivated to pursue. What then shall I do?

The answer I believe is to find and capture value right where I am. This insight has less to do with the reading, which is managerial in nature, and more with my own discovery over the course.