Fifty shades of success: the perception of entrepreneurial success and its evolution among young entrepreneurs
The literature shows that the perception of entrepreneurial success is multidimensional (encompassing personal and business criteria) and potentially variable, depending, for example, on the public’s gender, nationality, or age. The volatility of this perception over the course of the entrepreneurial adventure remains largely unexplored to date as the concept has mainly been investigated using a statical approach. In the present research, we adopt a dynamic perspective which focuses on the public of young entrepreneurs. We ask to what extent their definition of entrepreneurial success and the criteria they associate with it evolve as the entrepreneurial experience unfolds. To answer this question, we conducted a qualitative longitudinal analysis of seven young entrepreneurs’ trajectories involving six collection phases spread over 30 months. The empirical data collected and analyzed using the “Gioia” methodology confirms the coexistence of personal and business criteria in young entrepreneurs’ perceptions of entrepreneurial success and, above all, determines success criteria specific to this young public. Our research underscores the evolving nature of these criteria, identifying mechanisms that reinforce and weaken the perception of entrepreneurial success.