INTPs are independent people who have the vision and the drive to be successful in their own business. They do struggle in other aspects of this career path though, and usually enjoy working with another person who can cover the parts of the work that they would prefer to avoid.
Vision and Insight
INTPs are great at seeing connections and at connecting ideas in new ways and this usually gives them slightly unusual but insightful ideas about the world. This type of vision can be difficult for others to understand, but it’s also very often correct and drives most INTPs entrepreneurial aspirations. INTPs use this ability to innovate and create, and their ability to anticipate what people will want in the future is second to none. This ability comes from their auxiliary function, extraverted intuition, which is constantly exploring the patterns in the external world and using them to better understand and predict the future. This skill and natural tendency stands them in good stead in their own business and often drives their passion to work on their own.
INTPs often struggle to communicate their vision to others. Although they are good communicators who like to debate things with others, they often find it more difficult to discuss things that they’re passionate about. INTPs are thinkers, which means they often distrust emotions and prefer to keep them buried. This can hinder their attempts at sharing their ideas and make it difficult for them to inspire others. And this is an area that INTPs need to work on if they want to be successful in their own business.
Emotional Strengths and Weaknesses
INTPs are not driven by their emotions. They use introverted thinking as their dominant function, which prefers to make decisions based on pure logic and data. This also means that their inferior function is extraverted feeling. As a result, most INTPs have very little awareness of their own emotions, let alone the emotions of others. And their control over their emotions and access to them is often rudimentary, mostly unconscious, and tenuous. That doesn’t mean that INTPs aren’t passionate in their own way about their projects and entrepreneurship journey. Their passion just looks different because it’s quiet and intellectual. It’s in the challenge, in creating and innovating, and they’ll rarely share it with others, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.
INTPs have a problem with boredom. This type likes to explore the world. Their extraverted intuition auxiliary drives them to explore and seek out new experiences and to see what happens when they make changes to their life and to the world. Unfortunately, this tendency doesn’t make their entrepreneurship journey easy. A lot of INTPs struggle to stay focused on their career for as long as it takes to build a successful and sustainable business because there’s so much else to do and experience. And this will be one of the biggest challenges on this path for this type.
Workplace Strengths
INTPs like to work on their own as often as possible. Their dominant function, which sifts through enormous amounts of data and information, needs this time to understand, innovate and create and without this time alone most INTPs start feeling very restricted and angry. This applies in their own business as well. An INTP will usually choose to work alone, even in their own business, which can be a problem if they have partners or employees who expect differently. But if the INTP wants to be productive and happy in their business, they need to accept and make room for this strong preference. This level of independence can make INTPs seem a little cold and standoffish to anyone in business with them, but it really is the way they prefer to work and the way they work best.
Social Skills and Networking
INTPs are good communicators, but they don’t like to use those skills to network. This type likes to debate ideas. They like to have conversations that can seem confrontational and even angry to other types and discuss abstract concepts and ideas. But they hate small talk and usually struggle to connect emotionally with other people, which can make networking extremely difficult for them. This can create major problems when they’re starting their own business. INTPs often find being around strangers very difficult, and the idea of being at a party or networking event trying to connect with others can seem almost impossible to this type. In fact, this type probably should try to find a partner for their business, someone who can take care of the networking so the INTP can avoid it altogether.
In the Planning Stages
INTPs aren’t good organizers. This type prefers to leave their life and their career open to change and possibility and this can hurt their business very early on in the journey. INTPs are unlikely to set up a long term plan for their business, and will often find the idea of this too constricting. In fact, INTPs dislike rules, schedules and structures in general, and will probably resist planning these things for their business just on principle. As a result, there might be some missed steps or deadlines as the INTP sets up their business. This tendency is likely to continue throughout their entrepreneurship adventure until they give the responsibility of this side of their business to someone else.
Building the Business
INTPs seek innovation and rational, creative thought in their business and will work hard to create this kind of culture. This is the type of environment in which INTPs thrive and do their best work and they’ll be happiest if they can create surroundings that encourage these qualities. To that end, INTPs will encourage a lot of autonomy in the people working with them. This is partly because INTPs strongly dislike rules and structures and partly because they need to be independent themselves. INTPs believe strongly in autonomy and will not tolerate anyone or anything that tries to limit their independent control of their life. As a result, most INTPs businesses will be based on these abstract ideas rather than concepts of routine or ritual. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage for their business, only the INTP and their workers will determine which.
Final Thoughts
INTPs are innovative and creative people who enjoy the path of entrepreneurship. In fact, their natural independence and disdain for the routines and rules of others often drives them down this path.
References
- Irish, Chelsea. “Developing Exploration for INFPs and INTPs“. Jan 19, 2017. (Retrieved May 2018).
- Storm, Susan. “Understanding INTP Thinking“. Feb 27, 2017. (Retrieved May 2018).
- “INTP – The Scientist“.
- “The INTP Career Path“.
- “The INTP in the Workplace“.