From entrepreneurial passion to persistence: an analysis of the role of spiritual attitude, religious support and family cohesion

Entrepreneurial passion is recognized as a significant driver of entrepreneurial persistence. However, how spiritual, religious, and family factors affect the association between entrepreneurial passion and persistence remains underexplored. This study analyzes how entrepreneurial persistence in founding a business, as a phenomenon, is triggered by a complex mechanism involving spiritual attitude toward entrepreneurship, religious support, family cohesion, and entrepreneurial passion. Based on two-wave empirical data collected in the underexplored emerging economy setting of Bangladesh, we specifically explore a moderated mediation mechanism through which the entrepreneurial persistence of aspiring entrepreneurs can be predicted. We find that spiritual attitude toward entrepreneurship alone does not have any influence on entrepreneurial passion or persistence, either directly or indirectly. However, religious support and family cohesion play a vital role in this context and moderate the relationship between spiritual attitude toward entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial passion, subsequently impacting entrepreneurial persistence. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature by exploring the limitations of spiritual attitude toward entrepreneurship in relatively volatile and high-risk emerging economy contexts and establishing the critical role of religious support and family cohesion in fostering entrepreneurial passion and persistence.