Emotional skills for entrepreneurial success: the promise of entrepreneurship education and policy

Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship policies have a common goal—to spur entrepreneurial activity and its impact on individuals, organizations, regions and countries. Despite the efforts of education and policy in equipping entrepreneurs with the skills, resources and competencies they need to thrive, rich and poignant research in the entrepreneurship literature highlights the daunting emotional challenges confronting entrepreneurs as they traverse the entrepreneurial journey. However, the insights, findings and conclusions from this literature have yet to find their way into providing entrepreneurs with the requisite emotional skills and tools needed to harness the opportunities afforded from entrepreneurship rather than succumb as a victim. This paper analyzes the potential for translational research to develop educational and policy approaches, along with clinical tools, methods and strategies to provide entrepreneurs with the skills and competencies for resilience in an entrepreneurial journey fraught with emotional landmines and challenges.