Seven ages of entrepreneurship

Current government policy is to encourage more businesses to grow. Access to resources – financial, human and physical – are often cited as the principal barriers to the growth of small firms. The attitudes of owner‐managers, however, are equally important, with many owner‐managers deliberately avoiding growing their businesses beyond their capacity personally to manage the business. Attitudes change as businesses develop; a skilled consultant can act as catalyst to overcome cultural barriers and, consequently, to the growth of businesses. This paper examines the cultural barriers which might inhibit the growth and development of a new enterprise and offers a model to show how those barriers separate seven stages of entrepreneurial development. It highlights the role of the consultant in moving through the stages.