It’s no secret that being an entrepreneur, an intrapreneur or just dabbling in either as a side hustle changes how you operate as a person & professional. I know that being the voice behind Youth Beyond Enterprises definitely has changed my life. I wear so many different hats in my life, from HR professional to CIC Officer to this, that I feel like Wonder Woman or Supergirl every time I unveil a little bit of what else I do to people who only know me within one of these above mentioned realms. But at my core, I’m just Rachael Tracey- passionate HR professional, youth advocate and community engager. Not sure what words other people have used to describe me over the years, but that’s what I use in my elevator pitch!
That being said, there’s no way that I personally would have been able to say all of that without a background in business & entre/intrapreneurship. It’s taught me how to stand up for myself and take charge of my own destiny. YBE exists solely because of the work I put into it. If I don’t put the work into it that I need to, it stagnates and goes unnoticed, as I am the only person behind this screen (at least until I can convert to a full non-profit like the one I have goals of achieving). It’s also up to me to know what is on-trend for business and entrepreneurship so that I don’t go stale. I believe that’s true of all entrepreneurs when they are operating at all stages and intrapreneurs too when they are building their plans within an organization. You reap what you sow and provide to your customers!
That’s really indicative of the rest of my life too, because there is no one else that exists inside my head and knows my vision for the rest of my life. I can say out loud that I want to be the ED of a non-profit, Mayor of a small town where I grew up, CO of a Cadet Unit and higher up the Chain of Command at my current employer, but no one knows my game plan or how I intend to set those wheels in motion but me. Being at the head of my own blog/online organization/thing that keeps my passion for youth and community ignited (I call it different things depending on my mood or who I’m talking to) has taught me so much about myself and what I’m capable of.
I’m the author of my own story, just like the one I’m telling now. It twists and turns as I want it to, and will stop when I’m good & ready (no, that’s not a macabre euphemism). It’s on me to succeed and utilize the resources I have at hand, or create the ones that are needed but don’t exist yet (like Youth Beyond Enterprises). I’m my own advocate for achieving my goals and promoting myself. Business, intrapreneurship and side hustling taught me that. It also taught me to ask for help when I needed it and build a team that’s smarter than me, because even though I’m the holder of the plan, I need to be wise enough to surround myself with those that can help me bring it to reality. This can come in the form of having a great assistant to having colleagues I can ask questions to and all the way to building a Board full of SMEs to tackle every aspect of the non-profit.
What has business, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship or side hustling taught you about yourself and other aspects of your life?