How to Earn a Raise by Thinking Like an Entrepreneur

Having a job does not prevent you from thinking like an entrepreneur. In a 2021 live session, I told viewers that an employee can look for ways to create more value inside an organization and ask to be paid for that contribution. The first step is not to demand a new title. It is to understand what the employer needs and ask where you can take on more responsibility.

A job can be the right choice

I left my last job at nineteen to build my own path. I knew the early years could be difficult. I was willing to accept that tradeoff because I wanted greater freedom later. That was my choice; it is not the right choice for everyone.

In the recording I say plainly, It's not a bad thing to have a job. Some people will be happier, and may earn more, working inside an organization or as a contractor than starting a company from scratch. I wanted them to see that they can still look for work in which better results create a path to better compensation.

What I called an entrepreneurial incentive does not have to be a complicated compensation plan. It starts with knowing how the business makes money, what your role contributes, and which result your manager needs most. A pay arrangement tied to performance only helps when the expectations are clear to both sides.

Ask what contribution would justify more pay

I suggested going to a supervisor with questions, not just a number. Ask what else you can do, which responsibilities you could take on, and what result would make it easy for the company to pay you more. I put the question this way in the video:

“What else could I do to earn more? How else could I contribute that it'd be easy for you to pay me more?”

That invites a specific answer. A manager might identify a revenue target, a customer problem, a project, or work a senior teammate needs help with. If they cannot name a path, that is useful information too. You can then decide whether this organization offers the opportunities you want.

I told viewers to let their direct supervisor know they want to advance, and to understand the priorities of the person above that supervisor as well. That does not mean going around someone or assuming extra work will automatically be rewarded. It means learning how your contribution fits the business and making the conversation explicit.

A viewer in another session reported that meeting a revenue goal led to a promotion and higher pay. I use his account in why employees should learn entrepreneurship. His result is his report, not a promise that the same target or approach works everywhere.

Choose the path that fits your goals

Some people want the independence of owning a business; others want to develop inside a company. The answer I gave in 2021 was that either path requires work and a clear idea of what value you are creating. I was describing what I had chosen for myself, not estimating how many other people would succeed or fail at it.

If your goal is a team-lead role, the next conversation is about showing that you can take responsibility before you hold the title. I answered that question in how to show leadership before a promotion. The common thread is to make your contribution visible and ask what matters, rather than wait for someone else to guess what you want.