From intention to start‐up: the effect of professional support

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of professional preparation support on the transformation of nascent ventures into actual start‐ups.

Design/methodology/approach

An intention‐based approach is used. Longitudinal data concerning 228 nascent entrepreneurs are analysed using hierarchical binary logistic regression.

Findings

The positive effect of professional preparation support on start‐up outcomes is apparent in the results. However, self‐selection effects are detected concerning the use of individual preparation support. The results hold after controlling for these selection effects, intention and other project‐ and individual‐level influences.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size limited the number of variables that could be analysed and the operationalisation used for support could be refined. In addition, the macro‐economic context in which the study took place influenced the results. The results concur with those which consider pre‐start‐up preparation support as a valuable tool to help individuals carry their projects through. In addition, they illustrate the relevance of intention‐based entrepreneurship research and show how this approach can be used to study various factors influencing entrepreneurial processes.

Practical implications

The results show that support actors can contribute to start‐up projects getting launched. They also highlight the presence of self‐selection issues that may be important for support networks to take into consideration when designing their programmes.

Originality/value

To the author's knowledge, this is the first application of an intention‐based approach to study the effect of professional support on a group of nascent entrepreneurs identified so early in their preparation.

Citation

Delanoë, S. (2013), "From intention to start‐up: the effect of professional support", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 20 No. 2, pp. 383-398. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626001311326789