Entrepreneur Cooperation Network Development to Provide Coaching and Mentoring for New Generation Entrepreneurs

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to 1) investigate the components and development process of an entrepreneurial collaboration network, 2) develop a model for the entrepreneurial collaboration network, and 3) implement and evaluate the developed model. The research instruments included questionnaires, interview guidelines, and a model quality assessment form. The study participants consisted of 1) 50 student volunteers, organized into 12 groups across 6 networks, 2) 6 mentor enterprises, and 3) 6 faculty advisors. The findings identify three fundamental components in the development of the entrepreneurial collaboration network. Component 1: Input Factors, comprised of 1) entrepreneurs, 2) learning resources, 3) advisors/mentors, 4) entrepreneurial skills, and 5) network management. Component 2: Network Driving Processes, consisted of 1) network formation, 2) internal network activities, 3) business planning and development, 4) implementation of business plans, 5) performance monitoring, and 6) business plan review. Component 3: Network Governance and Monitoring included 1) monthly knowledge-sharing sessions and 2) quarterly performance reporting. The expert evaluation of the model indicates that its overall quality is at the highest level (= 4.54, SD = 0.46).