Veteran entrepreneurship and a sense of purpose: Military identity and entrepreneurial activity

Abstract

Despite its relevance for understanding variation in a range of important individual and societal level outcomes, little is known about the drivers of veterans' post-military entrepreneurial activity. Leveraging goal setting theory, we investigate relationships between veterans’ sense of purpose and their post-service entrepreneurial activity, in consideration of the moderation effects of three facets of military identity. Leveraging a sample of 932 veterans from the Military Health and Well-Being Project, we find that veterans with a sense of purpose are significantly more likely to be involved in entrepreneurial activity. We also find that while idealism (a facet of military identity) amplifies this relationship, professionalism (another facet of military identity) weakens it. Results from a set of qualitative interviews with veteran entrepreneurs substantiate these results. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.