A new study highlighted by the wonderful Harvard Business Review (my favourite geek read) found that young adults who grew up in entrepreneurial households were affected by the performance of the family business and this would, in turn, influence their likelihood of starting a business in the future.
Understandably, those from backgrounds where the business did badly were less likely to go into business. My own anecdotal experience would agree with this study. I have grown up in a positive and ambitious entrepreneurial environment and now have my own business but a close friend is very reluctant to start her own business as her parents struggled with their business and it finally ended in bankruptcy. Even though she has a keen eye for trends and gaps in the market she has the ghost of the bankruptcy and her very real mother reminding her of their past business failure and not to risk setting up her own business. My friend also vividly recalls the stress and strain on her family (her parents divorced soon after the business closed).
I wonder if I would be as confident as I am if I had experienced a different business environment.
Bubbly
