The x-factors of women intrapreneurs

Over the last decade, women have made significant strides in the field of consumer product innovation. From developing groundbreaking new products to launching successful startups, women have proven themselves to be formidable forces in this industry.

Most of are familiar with the public success stories such as Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx and Jessica Alba, founder of The Honest Company. But there is a quiet yet formidable force of women leading innovation from inside Fortune 500 consumer products -also known as intrapreneurs, that are helping to change the landscape of consumer products.

What is an Intrapreneur?

Someone who acts like an entrepreneur but does it within the four walls of a large organization. On paper, they are given the freedom to innovate and develop new ideas within and for their organizations. The are told to take risks and they will have resources and the support of the entire company.

Sounds easy right?

I can tell you firsthand, it’s not. Our clients, most of whom are women in innovation roles at major CPG companies such as Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, PepsiCo have enormous responsibility. They appear to be well-funded and heavily resourced. Yet, they experience unique challenges within their roles that rival entrepreneurs starting their business from scratch.

I have the privilege of working with many of these amazing women, and have come to notice six common threads, or X factors, among successful women intrapreneurs.

1.    Lead with their hearts and their heads.

2.    Make decisions quickly and confidently.

3.    Elevate multi-tasking with multifunctional teams an art form.

4.    Highly skilled at enrolling management and key stakeholders throughout the process.

5.    Know how to balance rigor vs risk.

6.    Think strategically and act tactically simultaneously.

Women in these roles have traditionally come from managing a brand, responsible for continuing the success of an existing brand. As a product innovator, they must develop new brands and new products from scratch, but are often handcuffed with their companies legacy manufacturing capabilities, legal requirements, QA standards and velocity thresholds that very few new brands can hope to achieve, especially in the first couple of years. Being able to work closely and collaboratively with all the different partners takes a lot of finesse.

Developing new products takes patience. We all know there are multiple, yet critical steps that need to be done to get it right.  All the while, the clock is ticking. Senior management wants the next silver bullet that will help increase revenue quickly.  

Recently, our client, a powerhouse team led by two women, came to us with a “superstar” BASES tested concept, but it was only on paper. Working with us, they developed 3 formulas in 2 weeks, completed packaging design in 3 weeks, aligned to co man recommendations within a month (vs. standard +6 month process), engaged their media and sales teams so we could organize an in-market test within 1 week. In less than 10 weeks, we executed an in-market test. They were able to gain proof of concept within real market conditions. They acted quickly, kept the entire multi-functional team on their aggressive timeline, and delivered new innovation for the company. Because of their leadership, the new product is ready to launch less than a year from when it all began.

So, on this International Women’s Day, my hat is off to all the great women intrapreneurs in this industry. The industry needs your passion and commitment, and I look forward to continuing to work and learn from these great women.