Exploring the Influence of Potential Entrepreneurs’ Personality Traits on Small Venture Creation: The Case of Saudi Arabia

This study examined the impact of selected personality traits-innovativeness, internal locus of control, need for achievement and propensity to take risks-on the entrepreneurial intention of Saudi students (young entrepreneurs). The study sample included 165 students from an applied college affiliated with King Faisal University. The participants completed an online self-administered questionnaire, the data from which were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. The findings revealed that the characteristics of innovativeness, internal locus of control and propensity to take risks had a positive relationship with entrepreneurial intention. However, the need for achievement had no relationship with entrepreneurial intention. The study model predicted approximately 25% of the total variance in entrepreneurial intention. It is recommended that in future studies, the sample size should be increased and the scope of the study should be broadened.