Who Feels No Fear? Exploring the Drivers of Entrepreneurial Fear of Failure among Non-Entrepreneurs in Slovakia

Abstract

Failure is an inseparable part and probably the most likely outcome of entrepreneurial activity. Fear of failure is among the key factors that hinder individual entry to the entrepreneurial path. While entrepreneurship literature mostly deals with its consequences, considerably lower attention has been paid to understanding its drivers. This is especially true in the Central European region, Slovakia not being exempt. Thus, our paper aims to fill this gap by analysing factors driving the entrepreneurial fear of failure among non-entrepreneur individuals in Slovakia. In doing so, we rely on the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data for Slovakia and employ the ordinal logistic regression to test the hypothesised drivers of fear of failure among non-entrepreneur individuals. Our findings suggest that perceived entrepreneurial self-confidence and perceived ease of starting a business significantly reduce fear of failure. These factors are rather of an intrinsic and individual nature (the ‘I can do it’ factors). Further, in the case of non-entrepreneurs, these self-assessments usually result from expectations rather than from their own actual experience. Yet, the expectations themselves seem to be strong enough to affect the perceived level of fear of failure. We attribute this effect to the so-called failure feedback – an indication of a potential failure. Implications for Central European audience: Our study contributes to the debate on drivers of individual involvement in entrepreneurship and their specificity in the Central European context. We shed more light on factors influencing the fear of failure – one of the strongest barriers hindering individuals from starting a business. Despite focusing on Slovakia only, our study brings this topic to the table in the region. We contribute to the body of knowledge by suggesting potential patterns behind the fear of failure formation among the non-entrepreneur population, encouraging further investigation in the region and beyond, and proposing the practical implications for entrepreneurship policy, education, and training.