Reaching out or going it alone? How birth order shapes networking behavior and entrepreneurial action in the face of obstacles

Whether individuals grew up as first-born or later-born siblings in their families can influence their behavior well into adulthood. This study examines the impact of birth order on networking behavior and entrepreneurial action, integrating birth order theory with psychological threat response theories. It suggests that first-born and later-born entrepreneurs inherently differ in their social responses to the uncertainties and threats of entrepreneurship, which affects how intensively they engage in networking behavior and entrepreneurial action. Three empirical studies involving over 900 entrepreneurs were conducted using between-family analysis. The results indicate that later-borns, overall, exhibit more adaptive behavior than first-borns when navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship: Especially when facing severe threatening obstacles, later-born entrepreneurs tend to intensify their efforts to build, seek, and use external networks, which enables them to engage in more entrepreneurial action. This study offers new insights into the relationship between birth order and entrepreneurship, enhancing our understanding of why some individuals may respond more adaptively to threats, network more intensively, and exploit opportunities more actively than others. • Birth order (being first- or later-born) influences adult behavior, including the likelihood of pursuing entrepreneurship. • First- vs. later-borns differ in their entrepreneurial actions because they navigate uncertainties and threats differently. • Later-borns show an overall more adaptive response to entrepreneurial challenges by actively leveraging networks for support. • For first-borns, uncertainties and threats tend to lead them to “go it alone”, which hinders entrepreneurial action.