Start-up entrepreneurs’ personality traits and entrepreneurial resilience: the moderating role of prior experience

Purpose: Over the last years, there has been a growing interest in interdisciplinary studies with the aim to understand particular shades in management research fields. Our work is consistent with the United Nations’ published 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Focusing on the sustainable development goal (SDG) n. 8 (e.g. promoting entrepreneurship, creating small-medium enterprises, etc.), it is oriented toward stimulating enduring economic growth. In accordance with Dynamic Capability Theory (DCT), this paper investigated how the Big Five personality traits - namely extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness to experience - influence entrepreneurial resilience, by verifying whether and to what extent there is a moderation effect due to the prior experience in entrepreneurship. Methodology: Using a sample of 141 Italian start-up entrepreneurs, we carried out a cross-sectional analysis, considering that the sample is based on just the fiscal year 2022. Findings: The findings displayed that two (i.e. conscientiousness and openness to experience) out of the Big Five personality traits are correlated with entrepreneurial resilience, whilst the remaining (i.e. extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability) fail to be associated with it. Managerial implications: The empirical evidence hinted implications for scholars and practitioners, as personality traits and previous experience play a significant role in the process of identifying entrepreneurial opportunities, by enhancing firm’s survival. Research limitations: Some limitations mark out our study. Firstly, the focus on just one fiscal year (i.e. 2022). Second, our data are collected at an individual level, therefore they might be affected by subjectivity. Lastly, the focus on a single country (i.e. Italy), indeed, a wider geographical scope allows broader generalizability of the result. Originality: The existing literature especially focused on the relationship between resilience and entrepreneurial intention. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is a void concerning the antecedents of resilience. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap by delving into the interplay between personality traits and entrepreneurial resilience in the start-up setting, thereby contributing to the extant body of knowledge in this field.