Empirical Assessment of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Start-Up Performance in Nigeria

Several motivating factors have been attributed to starting a business and start-up performance. Likewise, many scholars have linked entrepreneurial orientation with business performance. However, little or nothing is known about how entrepreneurial orientation stimulates start-up performance using different performance indicators among selected faith-based organisations' trainees’ start-ups. Thus, this study investigates the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on start-up performance indicators. Data were collected from six hundred and forty-three (643) graduates, and 620 copies of the questionnaire were found useful. Stratified and convenience sampling techniques were used to select the respondents who took part in the survey. Similarly, Smart Partial Least Squares was used for hypothesis testing as depicted in the research model. The results reveal that entrepreneurial orientation significantly influenced start-up performance (new product developments, perceived customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, productivity, and competitive positioning). This study contributes to the existing knowledge on entrepreneurship stimulation and start-ups in the faith-based organisation in Nigeria context. The study concludes that entrepreneurial orientation can be used as a platform that can be employed to improve start-up performance. Consequently, the study recommended that graduates of faith-based entrepreneurship programmes in Nigeria should not relent in their drive towards anticipating customers' needs for new product development, satisfaction, and operational efficiency.

competitive positioning, customer satisfaction, entrepreneurial orientation, new product development, productivity, start-ups.

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