Entrepreneur as trust-builder: interaction frequency and relationship duration as moderators of the factors of perceived trustworthiness

Trust is considered essential for effective relationships both in the context of new venture creation and outside the entrepreneur's workshop. With interpersonal trust, dyadic relationships prosper even amidst contextual pressures of uncertainty and risk. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of empirical support for how interpersonal trust is developed between an entrepreneur and the various stakeholders and resource providers in the creation of a new venture. This research examines this development by proposing the impact of time as a moderator on the antecedents of trust, as perceived by key stakeholders (i.e., customers, suppliers, investors, cofounders, employees) in the early history of a new venture. Specifically, this research includes frequency of interaction and relationship duration as two variables of time. In earlier proposed models of interpersonal trust development, time has either been left out entirely or innocently subsumed in other factors. The propositions and research implications from this conceptual study offer a new lens to investigate the process by which trust is developed in and by an entrepreneur.