The motivational drivers underlying for-profit venture creation: Comparing social and commercial entrepreneurs

Abstract

Despite the increase in scholarship on social entrepreneurship over the years, there is a lack of large-scale empirical research from which generalizations about social entrepreneurs can be made. As such, our understanding of these individuals is limited. In particular, we know little about the drivers motivating social entrepreneurs in their quest to create for-profit ventures and whether they differ from those of commercial entrepreneurs. In response to a call to investigate the possibility of such differences, we analyse data from Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II (PSED II) and find evidence to suggest that nascent entrepreneurs seeking to create for-profit social ventures have higher levels of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and more ambitious goals than their commercial counterparts. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for academics and practitioners.