Will My Start-up Survive? The Effect of Entrepreneurs’ Manipulative Narcissism and Cultural Factors on Start-ups’ Survival

Start-ups in countries increase people’s well-being and help solve social and environmental issues. However, these firms need to grow and survive to produce these advantages. Entrepreneurs sometimes underestimate the difficulty of creating and running start-ups, even if their personality traits can help or harm them in managing start-ups. This article aims to explore the impact of entrepreneurs’ manipulative narcissism on start-ups’ survival and whether the impact of some cultural factors (i.e., uncertainty avoidance and indulgence) can moderate the relationship between entrepreneurs’ manipulative narcissism and the survival of start-ups. The article analyses 343 start-up entrepreneurs located in Italy, France, China, the United States and Denmark using a stepwise ordinary least squares method. Results show that entrepreneurs’ manipulative narcissism negatively affects start-ups’ survival and that uncertainty avoidance acts as a moderator in the above relationship. The article makes important theoretical contributions to the literature on entrepreneurship and cultural dimensions, highlighting even practical contributions for entrepreneurs and policymakers.