Prior experience, social network, and levels of entrepreneurial intentions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose two new constructs reflecting different levels of entrepreneurial intentions which precede actual venture creation: impulsive entrepreneurial intention and deliberate entrepreneurial intention. With a large survey database, this research empirically illustrates the importance in differentiating these two constructs and explores factors facilitating entrepreneurial intentions. Specifically, it examines how different types of prior experiences and social networks contribute to these two levels of entrepreneurial intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Data for the analysis come from a survey database on immigrant professionals in Silicon Valley, where 17 key professional associations in Silicon Valley participated (15 of which are Chinese and Indian). The survey was distributed to 10,840 individuals, and 2,273 responses were received. Findings – This research enriches the understanding of a widely‐discussed concept of entrepreneurial intention by introducing two levels of entrepreneurial intentions: impulsive entrepreneurial intention and deliberate entrepreneurial intention. It is shown that personal characteristics and cultural background in general contribute to impulsive entrepreneurial intention, which reflects a person's willingness or desire to start up a new business in the future. On the other hand, for deliberate entrepreneurial intention, different types of prior experiences and active involvement in social network can be more important to potential entrepreneurs through helping them identify and configure various resources needed for subsequent entrepreneurial behaviors. Originality/value – This is an original research. The analysis, discussion and result of the paper have not been published anywhere before submission of the manuscript. The differentiation of impulsive entrepreneurial intention from deliberate entrepreneurial intention in this paper helps understand entrepreneurial behaviors better and improve the predictability of entrepreneurial behaviors in the future.