There is a lack of qualitative research demonstrating the emotional processes that entrepreneurs experience after they first start their businesses. This dissertation analyzed the emotional processes experienced by ten entrepreneurs during their venture’s start-up phase. A constructivist grounded theory research design was used to collect and analyze data in this investigation. Research findings showed entrepreneurs experienced simultaneous emotions that were of an intense nature during their early stages of business. These emotions included some combination of: excitement, anxiety/fear, disappointment, pressure/self-doubt, isolation, and relief. In addition, entrepreneurs identified entrepreneurial distress related to the constant need for action in their ventures and the use of technology, including cellular phones, email, and social media. Entrepreneurs described a gradual reduction in emotional intensity as they gained experience and learned how to cope. Coping behaviours used by entrepreneurs to counteract the overwhelming nature of emotions were: (a) developing improved entrepreneurial social networks, (b) gaining experience/learning from mistakes, and (c) changing their perspective on life as a whole. Coping behaviours aided in the reduction and fluctuation of entrepreneurial emotions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:668597 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Moffit, Kimberly |
| Publisher | Middlesex University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/18276/ |
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