The role of the entrepreneur in small business success: the Entrepreneurship Scan

Abstract

Financiers often wonder whether the person who has written the business plan is also the person who will carry it through. The business plan is relatively easy to analyse, while the entrepreneur is more difficult to see through. The Entrepreneurship Scan ® 97 (E-Scan) was developed specifically to provide an objective measure of the characteristics necessary for successful entrepreneurship. A literature search provided some reasons why people start their own business, and also revealed some differences in personality between the successful and less successful entrepreneurs. This paper presents the E-Scan. It is a practical instrument for use on a personal computer. All the Dutch Chambers of Commerce, a few large banks, and profit-and non-profit organisations that provide guidance to small-and medium-sized enterprises employ the E-Scan. In addition, the E-Scan is providing an enormous database for our ongoing study into the role of the entrepreneurial personality in small business success.