Entrepreneurial Success: Exploring the Significance of Social Skills and Social Capital

Abstract

What explains the differences in entrepreneurial success among individuals? In an effort to answer this question, numerous initiatives have sought to identify and evaluate the factors shaping such success. These initiatives have primarily focused either on the entrepreneur, examining personal traits, human capital, motivation, and social skills, or on external factors such as support structures, environmental context, and social capital. In this regard, entrepreneurship research has highlighted that entrepreneurs’ social skills influence the development of their social capital and, subsequently, their entrepreneurial success.

The objective of our study is to contribute to the existing literature on social skills and social capital in the field of entrepreneurship by examining the role of entrepreneurs’ social skills and social capital in their entrepreneurial success. To achieve this, we conducted a qualitative survey among a sample of ten entrepreneurs from the Fès-Meknès region. This investigation allowed us to reassess the most relevant categories of socio-relational abilities that play a key role in leveraging favorable social capital and, consequently, increase the chances of entrepreneurial success.

JEL classification: L26

Paper type: Empirical Research