Title: External financing perceptions by Sub-Saharan entrepreneurs: a qualitative approach

Authors: Eric Braune; Jean-Michel Sahut; Lubica Hikkerova

Addresses: INSEEC Business School, 25 Rue de l'Université, 69007 Lyon, France ' IDRAC Business School, 47 Rue du Sergent Michel Berthet, 69009 Lyon, France ' IPAG Business School, 184 Boulevard Saint-Germain 75006 Paris, France

Abstract: Based on the interviews of 18 Cameroonian entrepreneurs, we study how the entrepreneur's locus of control and motivations influence their perception of bank loans. Also, we evaluate the mediating roles of the managerial team and the entrepreneur's social network in this relation. Our results are manifold. First, we show that venture creation was not the initial professional choice of most of the entrepreneurs in our sample. Then, we distinguish three classes of entrepreneurs according to their professionalisation process. Finally, we shed light on the relationships between entrepreneurs' motivational trajectories and their acceptance to meet bank requirements.

Keywords: entrepreneur; social network; financing; motivation; growth; bank.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2020.109431

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2020 Vol.41 No.1, pp.58 - 73

Received: 26 Jan 2018
Accepted: 28 Jun 2018
Published online: 09 Sep 2020 *

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