Entrepreneurship by franchising: differentiating franchisees from independent entrepreneurs by selected personality traits

This article explores the notion that different types of entrepreneurs exist, distinguishable not only by the types of business activities undertaken, but also by certain personality traits they possess. Selected personality traits of franchised entrepreneurs are compared to those of independent entrepreneurs using empirical data from 127 franchised owner-managers from ten restaurant franchises. The study findings suggest that, while high need for achievement motivates entrepreneurial endeavours of various types, the distinctive conditions of franchising mean that franchisees neither possess, nor require, such high degrees of internal locus of control and ambiguity tolerance as do independent entrepreneurs.