Exploring entrepreneurial personality traits, motivation, and entrepreneurial success in the urban poor community

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of entrepreneurial personality traits on the entrepreneurial success of entrepreneurs from underprivileged communities in Malaysia. The poor from the underprivileged community were encouraged to be self-employed as they are marginalized in terms of employability. In this study, a quantitative approach to the face-to-face survey was administered using a simple random sampling method among entrepreneurs from the urban poor community. A total of ninety-four usable questionnaires were then used for data analysis. A partial least square structural equation modeling technique was used to investigate the relationship between entrepreneurial personality traits and entrepreneurial success. The findings revealed that entrepreneurial personality traits positively affected entrepreneurial success, where entrepreneurial motivation prevailed as a vital mediator in the relationship. Interestingly, opportunity motivation positively impacted entrepreneurial success compared to necessity motivation. Based on these findings, entrepreneurial personality traits are important to ensure the success of any business venture. On top of it, the urban poor entrepreneurs are embarking on business because of opportunity, which would help them to be more resilient, innovative, and creative to create sustainable business ventures. This study contributes to the literature by growing understanding of entrepreneurship in different groups of society. The study offers insights into how relevant government agencies can develop suitable entrepreneurial training and assistance that support and encourage urban poor entrepreneurship for these entrepreneurs to remain sustainable and successful.