The Interaction of External Facilitators and Internal Motivators in Forming Entrepreneurial Motivation in Business Management Students

To create effective entrepreneurial training programs, we must examine and assess the key internal and external factors influencing undergraduate business students' choices to follow entrepreneurship after graduation. As part of a qualitative multiple case study approach using an interpretivist paradigm, twenty successful business owners from the Dakshina Kannada District were selected through purposive sampling and interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis to identify the primary motivating factors. Entrepreneurial motivation is fuelled by strong internal traits like passion, risk-taking, confidence, creativity, and resilience, as well as external support from peer networks, family support, start-up capital, role models, entrepreneurship education, and the sociocultural environment. These factors enhance students' success and readiness for entrepreneurship when supported by structured training programs. The study contributes to the body of research on entrepreneurial motivation by providing a context-specific conceptual framework that links motivational factors with the creation of training programs for young entrepreneurs.