The cognitive–digital pathway to sustainable entrepreneurship: examining entrepreneurial mindfulness, digital adaptability and sustainable growth aspirations

Purpose This study examines how entrepreneurial mindfulness and digital adaptability capability jointly influence opportunity recognition and sustainable growth aspirations. Grounded in Cognitive Appraisal Theory and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, it explores how entrepreneurs' cognitive awareness and adaptive digital capabilities interact to shape long-term growth aspirations in increasingly uncertain and digitally evolving business environments. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional design using survey data from 238 respondents (N = 238) engaged in digitally enabled entrepreneurial activities. Established measurement scales were used to measure the study constructs, and the hypothesized relationships were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. Findings The findings indicate that all hypotheses were supported. Entrepreneurial Mindfulness significantly influenced Opportunity Recognition (β = 0.566, t = 4.609, p < 0.001) and Sustainable Growth Aspiration (β = 0.400, t = 5.363, p < 0.001). Digital Adaptability Capability positively influenced Opportunity Recognition (β = 0.334, t = 2.560, p = 0.010) and Sustainable Growth Aspiration (β = 0.299, t = 3.689, p < 0.001). Opportunity Recognition also positively affected Sustainable Growth Aspiration (β = 0.317, t = 4.744, p < 0.001). Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design limits causal inference, while the use of self-reported data and a sample of digitally active entrepreneurs in Indonesia may constrain generalizability. Future research should employ longitudinal or multi-source designs and examine the proposed relationships across diverse national and digital contexts. Practical implications The findings emphasize that sustainable entrepreneurial growth requires the simultaneous development of cognitive and digital capabilities. Entrepreneurship education, incubators, and business support programs should therefore integrate mindfulness-based decision-making with digital capability development to strengthen opportunity recognition, strategic adaptability, and long-term business sustainability. Originality/value This study provides a conceptually integrated perspective on sustainable entrepreneurial growth by examining the complementary roles of entrepreneurial mindfulness and digital adaptability capability through opportunity recognition. Rather than introducing a new theoretical model, it extends existing entrepreneurship literature by demonstrating how Cognitive Appraisal Theory and Dynamic Capabilities Theory can be jointly applied to explain the cognitive and technological foundations of entrepreneurs' sustainable growth aspirations in digitally transforming business contexts.