Entrepreneurial commitment competency and human capital as drivers of business performance: the mediating role of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition across street food entrepreneurial stages

Purpose This study examines how entrepreneurial commitment competency and human capital influence street food entrepreneurs' business performance and investigates the mediating role of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition across entrepreneurial stages. Design/methodology/approach An explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data from 340 street food entrepreneurs in Phuket, Thailand, were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling and permutation-based multi-group analysis (MGA). Qualitative data from 14 in-depth interviews were thematically analyzed to explain the quantitative findings. Findings Entrepreneurial commitment competency and human capital positively influenced business performance directly and indirectly through entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. The MGA showed no statistically significant differences between entrepreneurial stages. Nevertheless, the qualitative findings revealed different patterns of resource mobilization. Early-stage entrepreneurs emphasized opportunity exploration and adaptive learning, whereas established entrepreneurs relied more on accumulated experience and operational routines. Research limitations/implications This study integrates the resource-based view with entrepreneurial cognition theory to explain how entrepreneur-embedded resources are cognitively activated in a resource-constrained Asian micro-enterprise context. Practical implications Entrepreneurial support should address developmental needs by strengthening entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and experimentation among early-stage entrepreneurs, while supporting capability scaling and operational standardization among established entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study conceptualizes entrepreneurial opportunity recognition as a cognitive resource-activation mechanism linking entrepreneur-embedded resources to business performance and examines how this mechanism manifests across entrepreneurial stages.