How knowledge shapes the scope of early business planning

Business planning is one of the most studied topics in management, capturing the interest of researchers focused on new ventures, small enterprises, and large companies alike. However, little research exists that examines the cognitive antecedents of early planning. Analyzing a unique data set that was obtained from 2,535 individuals residing in the Netherlands and that is representative of the whole population of the country, our empirical evidence reveals that individual’s firsthand entrepreneurial experience, education level, general life experience, and exposure to entrepreneurship education influence the scope of early business planning. More generally, our findings advance understanding as to why we see differences in how individuals engage in early business planning, thereby, also providing new insights into the core question of how firm heterogeneity arises. Furthermore, our insights on the effects of formal learning raise important questions about the actual effects of entrepreneurship education.