Networks Around Potential and Nascent Entrepreneurs: Examining the Mediating Role of Risk-Taking and Self-Confidence

Abstract

The importance of social network comes not only from the resources to which networks facilitate access but also from the capacity of the network to develop entrepreneurial characteristics in a person. This research focuses on the importance of the entrepreneur’s social network in the pre-start-up phase. It also examines the mediating role of risk-taking and self-confidence as important psychological variables for future entrepreneurs. We undertake this study to better understand the failure at the network level of the future Tunisian entrepreneur while offering solutions to decision-makers in Tunisia. Among the 2,000 adults surveyed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, interest is focused on potential and emerging entrepreneurs. The results of logistic regression modelling show that future Tunisian entrepreneurs often use their emotional support network and neglect other networks which offer practical support at an earlier stage of business creation. Unlike to expectations, risk-taking and self-confidence have not mediated the relationship between the social network and the pre-start-up phase.