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Personal finance and money news, analysis and comment | guardian.co.uk

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Getting them on board

Running a micro or small business is a bit like being in a boxing ring. Every minute is demanding, hard graft, occasionally bruising, and always on the edge of success and failure. Where then can anyone find the time to become an Intrapreneur in this environment? The answer is you have to find that time by simply adding to the list of things that must be done.

Remember, as the buisness owner, you're the entrepreneur, I'm talking about the people you employ becoming Intrapreneurs - every one of them. This means they all have to start thinking like you, wondering how to stay afloat, scrathching their combined heads about how they could do things faster and smarter.

Getting anyone other than yourself to care this much of course is a challenge in itself. But their are ways to do this, and I've found them. I was once running a small business with turnover of £7m employing 60 people. I had been brought in at a point when the company was losing money and in danger of collapse. My role was to try and turn it around; quickly. I was faced with mostly dispirited people amongst only a few who thought it could be saved. What to do?

I did lots of small things, and made a couple of bigger changes (that's all for another time) but the single most important thing I did from the employee's perspective was to give them visible and regular recognition for any good thing they did anytime they did it. This didn't involve 'employee of the month' award ceremonies - I didn't have time for pomp and circumstance - it was simply a 'well done' or 'that was a good decision' or ' you've turned that around, good job' right in front of their co-workers. Praise in front of others; the simplest and cheapest tool you'll ever have to get people caring the way you do about your business.

Think long and hard.