How To Build A Business Where Everyone Is Entrepreneurial Building a culture that inspires the employee to innovate and engage has long-term benefits for the business.

By Nicholas Bell

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur South Africa, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Bigstock

Mastering a culture of innovation and inspiration sounds easier than it is to implement. Having people who see themselves as intrapreneurs makes for a dynamic and innovative business, but the entrepreneur has to foster this way of thinking by building a space that allows for diverse thought and opportunity.

Intrapreneurship is about applying the principles of the entrepreneur – dream, act, do, invent – to a permanent role within the business and to nurture this, the entrepreneur should focus on the following:

1. A sense of purpose

Many employees don't know what your overall business purpose is – its reason for being and its mission. They often don't understand why it is moving in a certain direction or how it plans to achieve its company vision and goals.

Paint a very clear picture of your company's purpose that outlines what it hopes to achieve, how it plans to engage with customers, and its overarching ethos.

Related: 4 Ways To Turn Normal Employees Into Super-Engaged Team Members

2. A sense of belonging

When people feel like they fit in, that they belong to a company or a space, then they are more inclined to be passionate about it and want to become a part of its future.

Create a sense of belonging by first ensuring everyone understands the business purpose and second by making sure that this purpose is something that they can believe in and value.

When you get this right, people are no longer working just for the sake of working, they are working to achieve a mission. You have created importance for them.

3. A sense of ownership

People will always engage more freely if they feel their voice matters and that they can impact and contribute to the success of the organization .

Related: 7 Team Building Ideas To Create An Engaged Team

This will not only see them become even more engaged with the company as a whole, but they will become part of the problem-solving process.

When employees come to you with solutions, you know you're on the right track as they've developed a sense of ownership in the company.

4. A sense of place

People working together build friendships and connections and many of them would not have come together if not for the company. Connections with people are a large part of creating engaged and inspired employees.

By allowing people to connect and providing opportunities for them to connect, the business can create a sense of place.

These opportunities can be team building, volunteer programmes as part of the CSI platform, new team development, innovation hubs and so much more.

Related: How to Build Employees That Will Drive Company Growth

Nicholas Bell

CEO of Decision Inc.

As CEO of Decision Inc. I am responsible for building a global Data, Digital and Performance Analytics company. With 270 staff across Australia and South Africa we help over 500 clients around the world to Unleash the Potential in their business by bringing strategy, technology and knowledge together.

Our focus is on local excellence and global scale which allows Decision Inc. to provide its clients with best of breed technology solutions whilst leveraging global research and innovation teams to accelerate the time to insight. 

Growing a Business

I'm an SEO Expert — Here Are 6 Content Tips to Stand Out in Any Saturated Market

Learn how SEO-driven content marketing strategies can help your business thrive in a saturated market.

Entrepreneurs

26 Of The Richest People in South Africa

Here are 26 of South Africa's richest people, but how did they achieve this level of wealth? Find out here.

Business News

'They Need to Expand': Tesla's Annual Sales Declined For the First Time in 2024. Here's Why.

The electric carmaker sold fewer vehicles in 2024 than it delivered in 2023.

Science & Technology

From Silicon Valley to Everywhere — How AI Is Democratizing Innovation and Entrepreneurship

AI is no longer just a tool for big corporations — it's a global equalizer, empowering entrepreneurs from every corner of the world to innovate, scale and compete like never before.