The entrepreneur must be aware of these laws and be ready to develop the soft skills needed in this area in a continuous and conscious way. However, this alone is not sufficient if one of the most important of these skills, the managerial approach, does not underpin this whole process and if it does not receive sufficient attention and energy to nurture and strengthen it.

It is worth taking a critical look at aspects and content of the classic literature on managerial thinking, as user habits and customer expectations have changed in recent years, both in terms of the social image of service providers and their social responsibility.

A central idea of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior is the distinction between intention and action. A serious entrepreneurial intention does not imply that the action will actually take place, i.e. that the start-up will take place. Intention is a function of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Without serious intention, no actual action can be expected. However, actual action is influenced by objectively available factors such as access to the necessary resources, opportunities (money, time, etc.) required to achieve the intention.

There is a positive correlation between the attitude towards entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial intention. The more favourable an individual’s attitude towards entrepreneurship, the higher his/her intention to start a business is likely to be. A supportive social environment and social norms can also have a positive impact on the intention to start a business. The more an individual perceives that his/her environment is positive towards his/her start-up ideas, the more likely he/she is to show the intention to start his/her own business.

Training exercise: What was the moment, the motivation that made them think they would invest time, energy and money in this. Make them aware that it will be important to recall these thoughts and feelings in future challenges, because they will help them overcome the difficulties. This exercise is the first step to practising presenting their thoughts, preparing them for the challenges of presenting a pitch.  

Tools for the exercise: Flip-Chart, Post-it – 4 colors, Blue Tech, Markers, DIXIT game cards

The power of social media to shape opinion and the proliferation of dynamic communication tools, the dramatic rise of smart devices has changed the way entrepreneurs think about customers and buyers. People don’t just buy things and services, it is increasingly important to think about and check other people’s opinions, experiences, possible social and environmental implications before doing so. Today, when an entrepreneur starts a business or project, he or she needs to be aware that customers want to know that they can trust the company that makes the products and the people behind the processes. If you want your start-up to be successful, you need to make sure that you create a relationship between you and your customers based on a viable, people-centred, socially responsible approach. Don’t make the mistake of thinking of your customers as just a network you’ve created, they’re not a faceless mass. As customer habits and needs change, the role of communities has become stronger and the entrepreneur who fails to keep up with this trend will be left behind in terms of market trends.