Exploring the effects of infidelity on entrepreneurial success among South African start-up entrepreneurs

This study investigates the underappreciated relationship between the success of start-up businesses in South Africa and personal relational crises, particularly romantic infidelity. The psychological and emotional experiences that influence entrepreneurial outcomes are frequently overlooked by traditional entrepreneurship research, which places a higher priority on innovation, market strategies, and capital access. This study, which uses a qualitative, multiple case study approach and is based on behavioural entrepreneurship and life-domain conflict theory, involves 20 start-up entrepreneurs from Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Mpumalanga provinces who experienced infidelity either as perpetrators or victims, during pivotal stages of their company's growth. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, and thematic analysis was used for analysis. The results show that infidelity seriously impairs interpersonal decision-making, cognitive function, and emotional equilibrium, which results in decreased business performance, poor strategic focus, and impaired leadership. With differing effects on company productivity, entrepreneurs used a variety of coping strategies, such as emotional detachment, intense concentration on work, or brief resignation from leadership positions. In certain instances, participants used work as a coping mechanism to channel their emotional distress. The significance of psychological health and emotional resilience in entrepreneurial ecosystems is emphasized by this study. It demands that programs, incubators, and policy frameworks for entrepreneurship development incorporate support for mental wellness. The study adds to the expanding corpus of work supporting a more comprehensive theory of entrepreneurial success that takes into account the entrepreneur's emotional, relational, and personal aspects.