Being alert to new opportunities: It is a matter of time

Abstract

Time perspective (TP) has been shown to influence individual behavior and decision-making. Although rarely addressed, we suggest that bringing TP into entrepreneurship is important because of its impact on the search, connection, and evaluation of information surrounding potential opportunities (i.e., entrepreneurial alertness). Employing data collected with Iranian entrepreneurs, we find that entrepreneurs’ future positive TP has a significant positive impact on all three alertness dimensions. This research suggests that entrepreneurs’ psychological time provides an important window into understanding how they function.