Almost two years ago to this date I had my first desire to write about Innerpreneurs. And, at the time, the only place I had ever heard of Innerpreneurs was in the cultural marketing book Karma Queens, Geek Gods and Innerpreneurs by Ron Rentel. Thus, I credited Ron for the creation of the word in my first article on the topic, Are You An Innerpreneur?.
It Ain’t So
Now that I am older and wiser, I’ve discovered that Rentel was actually the 3rd author, to my knowledge, to use the term. The 1st person to write about Innerpreneurs was Rebecca Maddox in 1996 with her guide on how to Inc. Your Dreams, and then there was Phillip Dignan in 2007 with his examination of true wealth in Secrets of the Wealthy Mind.
Both authors, like Rentel, use the term Innerpreneur to describe a person shaping their business around their passions and values. Interestingly, none of the authors mention each others work. So whether they were inspired by each other or by Someone Else, I do not know. Either way, it seems Innerpreneuring was an idea destined to spread.
