Beyond profit: the influence of entrepreneurship training on the well-being and venture progress of rural entrepreneurs

Purpose The well-being of entrepreneurs has attracted growing attention in entrepreneurship research. The purpose of this study is to examine whether entrepreneurship training enhances the well-being of potential entrepreneurs in rural areas and whether enhanced well-being is associated with subsequent entrepreneurial actions over time. Design/methodology/approach Using a randomized controlled trial with four waves of data collected over one year, the study examined the causal relationships among training interventions, well-being and venture progress, operationalized as the number of entrepreneurial actions undertaken by potential entrepreneurs. A total of 100 potential entrepreneurs were randomly assigned to the treatment group and received the training, while 95 participants who were not selected served as the control group. A cross-lagged panel model was used to examine how the training intervention produced these effects. Findings The findings show that targeted entrepreneurship training can improve the well-being of potential entrepreneurs in rural areas. Enhanced well-being, in turn, helps sustain the positive long-term effects of entrepreneurship training on entrepreneurial actions. Research limitations/implications This study extends research on rural entrepreneurship by examining the antecedents and outcomes of well-being among potential rural entrepreneurs. It also contributes to Conservation of Resources theory by showing how entrepreneurship training functions as an external resource that activates resource caravans and how well-being subsequently operates as a psychological resource that supports a positive resource gain spiral. As one of the few intervention studies on potential rural entrepreneurs’ well-being, this study provides causal evidence for developing effective interventions. It also fills an important gap in existing evaluations of entrepreneurship training and has implications for the development of equitable entrepreneurship policies. Practical implications The study encourages a shift in policy thinking about rural entrepreneurship training. Specifically, training programs should not only aim to improve entrepreneurial skills and economic outcomes but also enhance potential rural entrepreneurs’ well-being. Entrepreneurship training policy should move beyond traditional economic performance indicators and include improvements in well-being as an important criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of training programs in rural areas. Originality/value This study identifies an important means of enhancing the well-being of potential rural entrepreneurs and reveals the long-term benefits of entrepreneurship training. It develops and tests an intervention-based explanation of changes in potential rural entrepreneurs’ well-being and establishes a causal relationship between entrepreneurship training and well-being, moving beyond the traditional descriptive focus on the characteristics of well-being.