Abstract
Cacciotti, Hayton, and Mitchell reconceptualise fear of failure in entrepreneurship as a dynamic, multi-source experience across the venture process — not a one-item “barrier” that simply blocks start-up.
Cacciotti, G., Hayton, J. C., & Mitchell, J. R. (2016). A reconceptualization of fear of failure in entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 31(3), 302–325. DOI
Key findings
- Not one barrier item — Single-item “fear of failure would prevent me from starting” measures miss how fear moves across stages of the entrepreneurial process.
- Distributed over time — Fear is socially situated and temporally extended — cognitive beliefs about aversive consequences shift with context, not a fixed trait stamp.
Application
When you list silk fibers under sales or delivery (closer margin, post-sale obligation, polishing as comfort), treat each fiber as a situated fear-of-failure cue — name the aversive consequence precisely, then cut one fiber this week (Silk-fiber glass ceiling · Business is a spiritual game).