Establishing a Recovery Menu to Increase the Resilience of Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Building on the Effort Recovery Model and Conservation of Resources Theory, this study provides new theoretical and empirical insights into how entrepreneurs increase their resilience by engaging in recovery experiences. Employing a longitudinal repeated survey design applied to 346 entrepreneurs, our findings reveal that control is the only recovery experience that directly influences resilience. We also uncover more complex indirect pathways through positive reappraisal and sleep. Overall, the study demonstrates that each recovery experience has a unique relationship with resilience, allowing us to theorize potential underlying mechanisms for how recovery translates into resilience. We offer practical suggestions for effective interventions addressing the recovery paradox in entrepreneurship during times of change and uncertainty.