Hate your job? Feel like you're being pushed around, undervalued, or stuck in a toxic environment? Quitting might seem like the only way out, but there’s another option—shifting your mindset. Thinking like an entrepreneur, even while working for someone else, can help you take back control, make your job more bearable (or even better), and open doors to new opportunities.
What Does It Mean to Think Like an Entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurs don’t wait around for things to change—they make things happen. They take ownership, solve problems, and find ways to grow, even when things aren’t ideal. But there’s a big difference between an employer asking for an "entrepreneurial spirit" and you taking it on for yourself.
When a boss says they want an entrepreneurial employee, what they usually mean is: "Work as hard as I do so that you can make me more money." They want you to treat their business like it’s your own, but let’s be real—who benefits from that? Not you.
What I’m talking about is treating your job as your business. Let’s say you’re a customer service rep for a software company. Your official role is to help customers so the company can sell more products. But is that your business? No. Your business is building skills, making connections, and positioning yourself for better opportunities—whether inside or outside your current company. You're a master of customer service. You're there to up their game. This company is your client. Treat them like one.
So if you feel undervalued and underappreciated, are you going to double your efforts just to pad your employer’s bottom line? Probably not. But you can put in effort where it benefits you, not just them.
How to Build an Entrepreneurial Mindset at Work
2. Own Your Work—For Yourself Let's be clear: if a company doesn’t give you what you need, then you effectively work for yourself. Think about that. When you work for yourself, you take your own achievements, you get the reward. You’re not just an employee—you’re running your own business, and their business becomes your client. Your skills, your experience, and your growth belong to you, not them. Approach your work with that mindset. What can you improve that benefits you? Where can you take initiative that builds your skills? The more you own what you do, the more control you’ll feel over your career.
2. Solve Problems That Benefit You It’s easy to get caught up in complaining about bad management, inefficient systems, or annoying coworkers. But instead of focusing on what you can’t change, focus on what you can. How can you develop problem-solving skills that will serve you in the future? The people who solve problems—especially for themselves—create opportunities
Part of this is about learning how to do it and developing the confidence to stand by your ideas. Work problems aren’t going away, so you have to pay close attention to your own achievements—no matter how small they might be. Small victories highlight where you excel. They show you what you’re good at, what you can improve, and where you have the power to make an impact.
It also starts to change the narrative. No matter how stupid, pointless, or incompetent the world is around you, you become an expert at navigating it. At making things happen. And when you build that ability, you stop feeling powerless— you are the one in control of your own path.
3. Build Connections—For Your Future Successful entrepreneurs know relationships are everything. Get to know people in your company, connect with decision-makers, and build relationships that will help you long-term. You’re not just networking for this job—you’re building your next opportunity.
But connections aren’t just about meeting people—they’re about showing them who you are. How will they know what you stand for if you don’t tell them? If you want to be seen as someone who is capable, resourceful, and solution-oriented, you have to communicate that clearly through your actions and words.
First of all—ditch the naysayers. The ones who spend all day complaining about the job, the boss, or the company? Let them have that. You don’t work for them. You work for you. And that means positioning yourself as an agent of positivity, the person who celebrates victories, the one who sees solutions instead of just problems.
When a coworker does something good, tell them. And frame it in a way that doesn’t touch the negative. Instead of saying, "Wow, you handled that customer way better than our useless manager would have," say, "That was impressive—you kept that conversation on track really well." If they blow you off, you remind then what you liked, and walk away. You’re teaching people how to talk to you, how to see you, and ultimately, how to remember you. The network you build will be one of positivity. Your support system will start to build you up, rather than tear you down.
4. Take Smart Risks Don’t wait for permission to grow. Speak up with ideas, take on projects that challenge you, and push yourself beyond your comfort zone. Not because it helps your employer, but because it helps you.
Why would you do this? Because staying in your comfort zone doesn’t actually mean you’re happy—it just means you’re in familiar territory. If you want to move forward—whether in this job or the next—you need to take control of your own progress. Taking smart risks isn’t about reckless moves; it’s about calculated steps that build your confidence, expand your skill set, and open new doors.
How do you measure success for yourself? Your employer isn't going to hand you a gold star for stepping up. In fact, they might not even notice—or they might be outright hostile to it. So you have to define success on your own terms. Did you learn something new? Did you handle a challenge better than before? Did you make a connection that could help you down the road? These are the wins that matter, and they’re yours to keep.
You’re not taking risks for your employer’s benefit. You’re taking them because they move you forward.
Don’t wait for permission to grow. Speak up with ideas, take on projects that challenge you, and push yourself beyond your comfort zone. Not because it helps your employer, but because it helps you.
5. Think Ahead Rejecting the negative can be a lonely place to be. You’re setting yourself apart from the pack. Let’s be honest—complaining feels good sometimes. It’s cathartic. But you have to remember who you’re working for. By thinking like an entrepreneur, you’re demonstrating that you’re a positive leader who works for real growth in your own life. Entrepreneurs are always looking to the future. Even if you know this job isn’t forever, what can you take from it?
Your attitude and your network have to start reflecting that. Surround yourself with solution-oriented people. Many of those negative coworkers? Some of them will come around. They’ll see what you’re doing and want in—because they want something better just as much as you do. And when they do, you’ll be the one leading the way... and guess what, you've earned yourself another win.
Take Back Control of Your Career
When you start thinking like an entrepreneur for yourself, you stop feeling stuck. Its hard work, but for once the reward for hard work isn't more hard work. You stop waiting for things to get better and start making them better. And whether that means improving your current job or setting yourself up for something new, you’ll be in a much stronger position to make it happen. Your career coach is here to help!
Feeling stuck? Maybe it’s not about leaving—it’s about changing how you show up for yourself.
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