"Is the Entrepreneurial Spirit Contagious?" w/ Prof Melanie Wallskog

A casual conversation about a coworker's side business could be the spark that launches your own entrepreneurial journey. But whether that inspiration leads to action depends on factors you might not expect—including your race, gender, and workplace environment.

In this episode, Professor Melanie Wallskog shares insights from her research into how workplace exposure to entrepreneurial coworkers affects an individual’s likelihood of launching a new venture. Her work sheds light on how “entrepreneurial spillovers” occur—when simply working with someone who has previously started a business can increase your own chance of doing so.

Yet, this inspiration isn’t evenly distributed. Wallskog finds that white and Asian men are far more likely to benefit from these spillovers than women or Black workers. Women tend to be positively influenced only when the entrepreneurial coworker is also a woman. Black employees face compounded disadvantages: they’re less likely to work in entrepreneur-rich environments and less likely to be influenced even when they do.

Her findings are especially relevant for “everyday entrepreneurship”—small businesses like local stores or services, not venture-backed tech startups. These enterprises make up a large share of the U.S. economy and are often launched with personal savings. Wallskog argues that understanding the social dynamics behind who starts these businesses can help policymakers build a more inclusive entrepreneurial economy.

Companies also have a role to play. Rather than suppress entrepreneurial drive to retain talent, Wallskog suggests supporting internal innovation through flexible time, collaboration, and space to explore ideas. For aspiring entrepreneurs, the key takeaway is: learn from your peers but remember their experiences may not be your own.

Duke Fuqua Insights features digestible conversations with our faculty about the most impactful research from their careers, including studies they teach in Fuqua classes. New episodes every other week in season.

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