Parental attitudes and entrepreneurial success

Abstract

For many years, researchers have been interested in learning about factors that influence the accomplishment of entrepreneurial success. Thus far, their attention has been directed towards organizational and psychological factors, whereas family factors have been given little consideration. The objective of this study is to verify the influence of family factors, understood as parental attitudes and the structure of one’s family of origin, on the achievement of entrepreneurial success. Research has been conducted on a group of 64 entrepreneurs who have run successful businesses in Poland. The following tools were used: the Questionnaire of Entrepreneurial Success, the Questionnaire of the Retrospective Assessment of Parental Attitudes, the Flexibility and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, and a personal details datasheet. Negative correlations have been identified among various parental attitudes, such as excessive demands and inconsistency and entrepreneurial success. Furthermore, the manner of communication among the members of the family of origin and the degree of satisfaction with family life have emerged as important factors in entrepreneurial success. However, no significant correlations have been found between entrepreneurial success and parental attitudes (i.e., acceptance, autonomy) or dimensions of family structure (cohesion and flexibility).