How do life partners influence entrepreneurial stress coping mechanisms

Abstract: Stress within the venture creation is a fundamental part of the entrepreneurial journey, if not handled properly, it will have a detrimental impact on entrepreneurial success. Stress coping mechanisms are a well renowned tool to reduce a stressor. Furthermore, life partners play a tremendous role in the life of an entrepreneur, either being supportive or straining. Yet, their influence is underexplored within the field of entrepreneurial research. Wherefor, the aim of this thesis is to understand how life partners may influence entrepreneurial stress coping mechanisms. The dataset consists of 12 cases entailing 24 semi structured conducted interviews with entrepreneurs and their life partners in The Netherlands. The thesis applied an inductive approach, utilizing cross case analysis to identify reoccurring themes and aggregate dimensions. The findings indicate that life partners can provide instrumental and emotional support or be straining. Wherein, instrumental support positively impacts problem focused coping, whereas emotional support enables emotional and meaning focused coping. Additionally, a straining life partner hinders the entrepreneur’s coping capabilities and increases stress. Furthermore, this thesis suggests that emotional and meaning focused coping may lead to problem focused coping. To conclude, this thesis argues that future research on entrepreneurial success (1) should incorporate stress coping capabilities, and (2) should acknowledge the influence of life partners on entrepreneurs.