How Growth Motives of Entrepreneurs Differ from Start-up Motives?

Findings revealed that unlike business start-up motives, the growth was motivated by only
“pull” motives. Need for achievement (63.3percent), the identification of the opportunity
(46.7percent), and desire for wealth (46.7percent) were identified by most of the entrepreneurs
as growth motives.

One of the entrepreneurs stated;

“I started a „Data communication‟ business with 3 other employees. The size was not
changed for about 3 years. After this period, I realised that a higher level of success could be
achieved through expanding it and was able to identify a number of opportunities to develop
the business. My need to achieve the success of the business resulted in me capitalising these
perceived opportunities and developing it to a technology based company which is now
operating with more than 1000 employees.

I really enjoyed seeing the progress of the business and decided to diversify the venture. Accordingly, I realised the ability of moving into training and other related businesses attached to flights. As a result, I invested on this business and it has also achieved a very high level of growth and currently it employs 60 employees. The need and my desire for achieving business success was the major driving force for me in deciding to grow the business”

Accordingly, it is clear that growth motives for him are “pull”. However, the same entrepreneur stated that his start-up motives are the dissatisfaction with the salaried job, the need for achieving a reasonable living and the identification of opportunity to start a data communication business. Accordingly, it is clear that even though start-up motives were a
combination of “pull” and “push” motives, growth was mainly driven by “pull” motives.

It should also be noted that need for self-esteem (start-up – 6.7percent, growth – 33.4percent), affiliation motive (start-up – 4percent, growth – 33.4percent), and need for achievement (start-up –26.7percent, growth – 63.3percent) had also been seen as motivations for growing the business than that of forming the business.