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Three keys to entrepreneurial success: curiosity, creativity, and commitment

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Abstract

Why are some entrepreneurs more successful than others? This question is foundational to entrepreneurial education but answers remain elusive. It is argued here that three Cs in part hold the key: curiosity, creativity, and commitment. The world’s most successful entrepreneurs are curious about improving society, they are creative in developing innovative ideas, and they are committed to their task. This commentary develops an initial model of how basic personality traits lead to these three core characteristics which in turn can help lay the foundation for entrepreneurial success. Theoretical perspectives and empirical findings are integrated to provide proof of concept for this entrepreneurial model. Educational programs that can enhance curiosity, creativity, and commitment in the context of business learning and practice are outlined. Limitations in the degree of support for this model are outlined, together with directions for future research. A major gap in our understanding of entrepreneurial success which needs to be addressed consists of the need for experimental research to demonstrate causality in both research and educational contexts. From an educational standpoint, development of training programs to operationalize success by enhancing these core characteristics will be critical for developing a new cadre of successful entrepreneurs.

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Acknowledgements

Andrew Raine is fellow of Knowledge@Wharton High School, University of Pennsylvania. This paper was developed under the mentorship of Mr. Mukul Pandya. Thanks are extended to the Global Young Leaders Academy at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Character Lab, Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, for training in positive psychology and entrepreneurship, and Dr. Jianbo Shi from GRASP Lab for his Curiosity Camp which provides the foundations for this manuscript. Special thanks are given to Ms. Diana Lasseter-Drake from the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Ping Wang from the University of Maryland for their critical review and feedback.

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  1. Knowledge@Wharton High School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Andrew Lawrence Raine & Mukul Pandya

  2. Friends Select School, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Andrew Lawrence Raine

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  1. Andrew Lawrence Raine
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  2. Mukul Pandya
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Correspondence to Andrew Lawrence Raine.

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Raine, A.L., Pandya, M. Three keys to entrepreneurial success: curiosity, creativity, and commitment. Entrep Educ 2, 189–198 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41959-019-00019-y

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