Bridging aspiration and experience: Contrasting entrepreneurial aspirations and real-world experience through a semiotic method

By bridging the gap between entrepreneurial dreams and business realities, this study contrasts the mindset of future entrepreneurs still in the classroom with those actively running their own companies. The aim is to investigate the intention to be self-employed and the determinants that foster entrepreneurship. To this end, a study was carried out on a total sample of 101 individuals, of whom 20 % are entrepreneurs and the remaining 80 % are young students who intend to become entrepreneurs in the near future. This paper uses a methodological tool based on semiotics. A survey was used to assess the importance of certain factors (administrative, previous approach to entrepreneurship, management knowledge, communication and leadership skills, among others) for entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial success. The results show that there is a confrontation between the actual experience of professionals and the perception and theoretical knowledge acquired by young students studying to become entrepreneurs. As a theoretical implication, this study identifies two very different entrepreneurial mindsets, but with a high correlation between them. As a practical implication, this study helps to contrast the thinking of young people who will be future entrepreneurs with the experience of entrepreneurs who are already entrepreneurs, thus being able to compare both realities. In short, this study can be interesting for business schools to detect whether their subjects are going in the right direction and are close to the reality of the labour market.