Access to resources and entrepreneurial well-being: A self-efficacy approach

In this study, we examine an important predictor and outcome associated with well-being for entrepreneurs: access to resources and persistence. Drawing on social-cognitive theory, we contend that access to resources helps people feel confidence in abilities to be successful entrepreneurs, resulting in greater well-being during venture development. We push the model further by hypothesizing that well-being is positively related to persistence in venture creation activities. Employing an experimental, vignette-based approach, we test the model by asking 258 subjects to consider how prospective entrepreneurs respond to varying contexts of resource accessibility (low vs. high) in terms of their self-efficacy, well-being, and persistence. Results of serial mediator regression analysis support the hypothesized model such that greater access to resources is associated with higher levels of multiple indicators of well-being such as happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being through a self-efficacy mechanism. We also find that entrepreneurial persistence increases through this mechanism.