Are you an entrepreneur, or intrapreneur?

It's very common for ADHDers to become entrepreneurs, in fact we are 3x more likely to start our own businesses compared to the general population.

From time to time I come across a concept that I think about for weeks...and so I was fascinated to hear the term 'intrapreneur' in relation to ADHDers.

Entrepreneur vs intrapreneur

An entrepreneur is someone who creates and owns business, taking on all the rewards and risks that come with it.

An intrapreneur is an individual with entrepreneurial talents, who uses their skills within an existing organisation that they do not own.

And for some ADHDers, intrapreneurship might actually be better suited to them.

ADHD's natural entrepreneurial side

Forbes estimates that up to 29% to 35% of all entrepreneurs exhibit ADHD traits, compared to roughly 4% of the general adult population. Isn't that fascinating..? And yet also instantly recognisable.

Here are some obvious reasons why entrepreneurship appeals to us ADHDers:

• We have more autonomy (sometimes a little too much, if you what I mean)

• You can pursue ideas that interest you, without having to get them approved.

• You get to build ALL OF THE THINGS.

• You can solve problems creatively.

• You can potentially structure your work around how your brain functions, rather than what time the office opens (who on earth decided that 9am is a ‘reasonable’ time to start working)

But there's also a downright maddening side to entrepreneurship that we don't talk about quite as enthusiastically…because it really sucks.

Running a business also requires a LOT of executive functioning.

Or ridiculously great systems - which take executive functioning to design and maintain.

Admin. Invoicing. Planning. Following up. Marketing. Bookkeeping. Prioritising. Doing boring things repeatedly when absolutely nobody is making you do them.

There can also be financial uncertainty, social isolation and an enormous amount of responsibility.

The accidental intrapreneur

I suspect quite a few ADHDers have already been intrapreneurs without ever having the word for it.

You might be one if you’re the person who repeatedly:

• spots inefficient systems and immediately wants to rebuild them;

• starts projects that technically aren’t your responsibility;

• gets far more excited by solving a new problem than maintaining the solution afterwards;

• learns new tools ridiculously quickly when there’s an actual reason to use them;

• connects ideas across completely different parts of an organisation;

• becomes unusually productive when someone gives you a goal rather than a set of instructions.

You might even have a slightly confusing CV.

You joined to do Job A.

Six months later you were somehow doing A, C, half of F and running a project (or new department, just me?) nobody had originally planned to create.

Then somebody tried to make you go back to doing A all day….and you wanted to crawl out of your own skin.

That doesn’t automatically mean you’re incapable of consistency or employment.

It might tell you about the conditions under which you best engage with work.

Entrepreneurship isn’t necessarily the final destination

There’s a cultural story around ADHD that can go something like:

Traditional employment doesn’t suit you → therefore ADHDers should work for ourselves.

But those aren’t the only two options.

Self-employment is wonderful at times. But the extra freedom doesn’t magically remove executive dysfunction.

For some ADHDers, it’s absolutely worth it. Some of us thrive when we have complete ownership….plus all the responsibility that comes with it.

For others, the sweet spot might be somewhere in the middle:

Enough structure that you don’t have to hold everything yourself.

Enough freedom that your brain has room to move.

And that is why I find the idea of the ADHD intrapreneur so interesting.

Some people who have spent years thinking they’re “bad employees” aren’t.

It’s possible they’re builders struggling in jobs designed for maintainers.

Perhaps you most thrive when you’re trusted with problems, rather than simply handed routine tasks.

So if you’ve always felt that pull towards entrepreneurship, it might be worth asking yourself this question first:

Do I actually want to own a business?

Or do I want autonomy, creativity, ownership, novelty and interesting problems to solve?