S. Leonelli, F. Masciarelli, Entrepreneurial Personality and Small Business Management. Is there a Narcissist in Every Successful Entrepreneur?, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham: UK, 2020.

Abstract

Can entrepreneurial personality traits affect small business management and outcomes? If so, how and why? Leonelli and Masciarelli’s book answers these questions by offering an engaging, wide-ranging and comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon with a particular focus on entrepreneur narcissism and how it influences the various phases of small business life. Specifically, the authors analyse how “bright” and “dark” sides of entrepreneurial personality traits affect small businesses’ entrepreneurial orientation (i.e., innovativeness, risk-taking and proactiveness), innovation outcomes (product/service or process innovations) and financing (by business angels and venture capitalists). They also examine how entrepreneurial personality traits impact serial entrepreneurial behaviour (i.e., the entrepreneur’s decision to create value by founding more than one firm). Finally, implications for theory and practices are discussed.