Bridging the entrepreneur–advisor chasm: cognitive distance, trust and network ties

Purpose This paper examines why many nature-based entrepreneurs bypass formal advisors and develops an explanation of how cognitive distance, trust and network ties influence entrepreneurs' engagement with formal advice. Design/methodology/approach Fifty-seven interviews with nature-based entrepreneurs and fourteen with formal business advisors in a regional support system in Mid-Sweden were analyzed thematically to examine how entrepreneurs evaluate advice, how trust forms and how network ties influence those assessments. Findings Entrepreneurs filter advice through cognitive distance and tie strength. Formal advisors typically offer novel knowledge (high distance and weak ties) but struggle to secure trust; informal contacts provide trust (low distance and strong ties) but tend to recycle familiar routines. The analysis identifies an advisory chasm filled only when entrepreneurs encounter a rare professional expert, an individual who unites industry experience with business expertise and operates near the optimum cognitive distance. This finding links ecosystem structure to advisory uptake, an overlooked mechanism in entrepreneurial ecosystem debates. Practical implications Entrepreneurial ecosystem managers should invest in brokerage functions that match entrepreneurs with advisors who balance industry familiarity and business breadth and treat informal strong-tie networks as complements to formal programs. Originality/value The study extends optimal cognitive distance theory from inter-firm collaboration to advisor–entrepreneur relationships, integrates trust and tie strength into this framework and develops a four-part advisor typology that highlights the professional expert role. These contributions help explain why investments in support programs do not always lead to engagement and how they can be redesigned for more efficient knowledge transfer and venture growth.