The relationship between entrepreneurial intention (EI) and entrepreneurial action (EA) is widely studied in entrepreneurship research. Many countries, including South Africa (SA), face the challenge of high entrepreneurial intention levels but low corresponding entrepreneurial action levels. This study examines the impact of EI on the three stages of EA using a process approach. Data collected from 597 entrepreneurs in South Africa is analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that EI has a statistically significant and strong relationship with the stages of entrepreneurial opportunity discovery and evaluation, and a moderate relationship with entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation. Effective training interventions are needed to bridge the gap between EI and the EOEX stage of EA.

Image courtesy of interviewee. December 11, 2023