All posts tagged: entrepreneurship

No More SBA Loans for Non-Citizens

No More SBA Loans for Non-Citizens

Published by Sam Flores

Green-card holders no longer qualify for loans from the Small Business Administration, eliminating a longtime source of financing for immigrants that advocates say will discourage job creation and harm the economy. The SBA limited access to its loans to U.S. citizens and nationals only starting in March, and expanded that policy to SBA-backed loans beginning in April. On top of that, any business that’s even partly owned by a permanent legal resident with a green card is no longer eligible for the loans. California — which has the most small businesses and the largest immigrant population in the nation — could be most affected. SBA loans have been important to immigrant entrepreneurs because they typically are low-interest and available to those without an established credit history. The agency has also backed loans by private funders, providing a government guarantee for people banks may deem riskier. Now, all those loans are off the table for owners and would-be owners of restaurants, bake shops, law practices, medical clinics, taxi medallions, nail salons and more who hold green …

AI is changing how entrepreneurs think, not just how they work

AI is changing how entrepreneurs think, not just how they work

Published by Jenni Sidey

According to new research led by scholars from the School of Business at the University of East London, in collaboration with the University of Benin and the LAPO Institute in Nigeria, the use of artificial intelligence is changing how entrepreneurs make decisions, take risks, and adapt to changing situations. The researchers concluded that the role of AI is not just to speed up work, but is actually changing the way entrepreneurs think. The research was conducted by Dr. Jamiu Odugbesan from the University of East London, along with co-authors Dr. Andrew Tafameland of the University of Benin, Nigeria, and Dr. Dennis Akrawah of the LAPO Institute, Nigeria. The three researchers worked together to explore the effect of regular exposure to AI and digital tools on entrepreneurs working in high-pressure business environments. The researchers determined that rather than seeing AI as a tool to automate tasks, as many people have seen it, the constant use of intelligent digital tools fosters business owners to develop a more strategic mindset. Entrepreneurs who are aware of and actively utilize …

New Harry Potter study links Gryffindor and Slytherin personalities to heightened entrepreneurship

New Harry Potter study links Gryffindor and Slytherin personalities to heightened entrepreneurship

Published by José Betancourt

New research utilizing a massive dataset derived from the Harry Potter fandom suggests that specific fictional personality profiles align with real-world entrepreneurial potential. The study indicates that individuals who identify with the traits of Gryffindor and Slytherin houses are more likely to exhibit entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors compared to others. These findings were published in the journal Small Business Economics. Economists and psychologists have frequently associated starting a business with a certain level of non-conformity. An entrepreneur often needs to challenge existing conventions and break rules to create new value. This requires a psychological makeup that tolerates risk and embraces disruption. The authors of the current study, led by Professor Martin Obschonka of the University of Amsterdam, aimed to understand how different character profiles contribute to this necessary rule-breaking behavior. They sought to distinguish between prosocial forms of deviance and more self-serving, strategic forms. To capture these complex personality configurations, the researchers adopted a person-oriented approach rather than looking at isolated traits. They looked to the personality typology found in the Harry Potter saga as …

Can entrepreneurship be taught? Here’s the neuroscience

Can entrepreneurship be taught? Here’s the neuroscience

Published by skeptic

Despite countless programmes and initiatives, rates of entrepreneurial intention — a marker of how willing people are to start new ventures — remains stagnant. But what if the secrets to entrepreneurial success lie not in textbooks but within the brain itself? Imagine an approach that doesn’t just teach the mechanics of entrepreneurship but actively enhances the skills that make aspiring entrepreneurs successful? We know these include focus, creativity, resilience, cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation and an ability to make decisions under uncertainty. And what if these critical abilities of the entrepreneurial mindset could be nurtured through neuroscience? This concept is at the core of a shift proposed in my recent book Entrepreneurship and neuroscience: researching brain-driven entrepreneurship. By integrating advanced neuro-technologies into the research, teaching and practice of entrepreneurship, our work presents an alternative framework for fostering entrepreneurial behaviour from the ground up. Entrepreneurship research has evolved through several distinct phases. The economic era (1870–1940) examined how entrepreneurs influenced markets. Meanwhile, the social and psychological era (1940–1970) focused on uncovering the traits and motivations that drive …