From Intention to Action: Exploring the Path to Sustainable Entrepreneurship Among Women Entrepreneurs

The objective of this paper is to examine the influence of attitude towards sustainability (ATS), entrepreneurial self‐efficacy (ESE), perceived social support (PSS) and knowledge of sustainable development goals (KSDGs) in relation to the realisation of sustainability‐oriented entrepreneurial intention (SOEI) phenomena as well as their effect on sustainable entrepreneurial behaviour (SEB). The technique of structural equation modelling using SmartPLS 4.0 was applied to study the effect of sustainability‐oriented intentions on sustained entrepreneurial action. This research represents a sample of 369 rural women entrepreneurs in Bihar, India. A well‐structured questionnaire was used for data collection, and it adapted a five‐point likert scale. The findings show that the majority of antecedents, such as PSS, sustainability attitudes, knowledge about sustainable development goals (SDG) and ESE were important to explain an increase in intention to promote or engage in start‐up with business orientation based on sustainability goals. SOEI plays a mediating role in the relationship between these variables and continued entrepreneurial activity. The results have significant implications with regard to the particular incentives that drive women entrepreneurship in rural India. Such perspectives can be utilised by entrepreneurs and policymakers to develop programs aimed at promoting sustainable entrepreneurship among rural Indian women.