The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of how collective lending strategies leverage social capital to improve firm performance. Drawing on economic and sociological perspectives and fieldwork in Bulgaria, I argue that social capital may enhance the effects of financial capital...

We explore the transition from paid work to self-employment using three explanatory variables: paid income, predicted income, and income for ability. We find no linear relationship between the three variables and the self-employment transition. We then test for curvilinear relationships. We find...

We use a simple model to analyze the founding stage of new firms. Our goal is to characterize the directional causality between the expected rewards from entrepreneurship and the length of prior labor market experience that entrepreneurs possess. We test predictions about the timing of the...

In this research we provide evidence on small firm owners' attitudes and approaches to capital acquisition. The most surprising finding is their general dissatisfaction with the capital acquisition process. Yet we found no evidence that this dissatisfaction translates into poor performance. Our...

We empirically examine a sample of over 350 entrepreneurial firms that successfully receive an SBA guaranteed loan. The first portion of the paper contains descriptive statistics that lend anecdotal evidence concerning the organization type of borrowers, the incidence of collateral, the reasons...

We examine the relationship between the small business loan guarantee and the agency problem of small firms. We then recommend financial instruments or financial contracts that can minimize of eliminate the moral hazard problem.

Although the national media has given increased attention to the venture capital process, misconceptions continue to proliferate. One often hears about the incredible capital gains of IPO share prices. This paper refutes the myth that investors demand very high rates of return to compensate for...

The nature and role of early stage equity financing in the development of emerging entrepreneurial ventures in the software industry is examined. To provide an understanding of the relationship between the suppliers of capital and the ventures they bankroll, issues concerning equity positions...

The close link between the personal financial affairs of a small business owner and his or her firm has been noted in prior research. This article compares attitudes toward risk on the part of small business owners (SBOs) and non-small business owners (NSBOs). In addition, it compares the...

This paper contains a review of issues pertaining to the valuation of privately held businesses, noting significant inconsistencies in the rationale and approaches taken in the valuation process. In addition to suggesting that appraisers stay with the "tried and true" rather than testing the...