Opportunity Finding by Nascent Entrepreneurs: Accidental or Purposeful?

PURPOSE: This research studies an important, but relatively unexplored entrepreneurial aspect: motivation and aspiration on opportunity finding/discovery. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This study surveyed 230 nascent entrepreneurs on their opportunity finding behavior. A poisson regression and a logistic analysis were conducted to discover the relationship between motivation/aspiration and opportunity search behavior. FINDINGS: Motivation and aspiration interact to influence active search in a positive way. However, only willingness to become an entrepreneur is found to search for opportunities purposefully. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Participants of the research are from a Midwest state in United States. Future research may collect sample from more and larger areas. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Bankers may use entrepreneurial opportunity search behavior as one criterion determining if to fund a person or not. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This article answers the call to study motivation/aspiration on opportunity finding (Yitshaki and Kropp, 2018; Murnieks et al., 2020). It is one of the first studies to explore the above relationship.