https://eiexchange.com Improving entrepreneurship effectiveness through research, EIX aims to help professors teach entrepreneurship, students learn entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurs become more effective through relevant articles. en-US Copyright 2026, EIX Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:43:37 -0500 60 https://eiexchange.com/content/what-toy-inventors-can-teach-entrepreneurs-about-innovating-with Tickle Me Elmo, Pound Puppies and other toy hits reveal why human insight, emotion and lived experience still matter in the age of generative AI. Toy invention is a brutal business. On the worst]]> Applied and Practice 10.32617/1479-6aa965ab6277d Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:35:07 -0500 David Wyman https://eiexchange.com/content/what-rural-entrepreneurs-can-learn-from-new-zealands-economic-re New Zealand’s rural communities survived a brutal economic shakeup by adding value, embracing local identity and building businesses around assets they already had. Rural entrepreneurs work from a]]> Applied and Practice 10.32617/1470-6aa3ff9b89e68 Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:18:18 -0500 Jamie D. Collins https://eiexchange.com/content/when-should-you-stop-funding-an-innovation Research on about 1.5 million patent renewal decisions shows how companies can balance current returns, future options, strategic fit, and the cost of keeping ideas alive. If your startup or small]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1471-6aa167309d271 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:03:28 -0500 Jung H. Kwon, Haemin Dennis Park, Shu Deng https://eiexchange.com/content/what-makes-a-great-startup-ecosystem-entrepreneurs-learning-from Two neighboring cities offered entrepreneurs many of the same resources—but produced very different outcomes. The difference may lie in how often founders exchange hard-won lessons, challenge one]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1455-6a98094199971 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:32:16 -0500 Ben Spigel https://eiexchange.com/content/how-cronyism-undermines-innovation-and-entrepreneurial-productiv Favoritism may make it easier to get things done, especially in difficult business environments. But as cronyism increases, productive entrepreneurship falls and profiteering rises. Imagine you are]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1468-6a957e99a6026 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 08:16:09 -0500 Sohrab Soleimanof, G. Tyge Payne, Matt Rutherford, Curt Moore https://eiexchange.com/content/the-cowboy-advantage-what-rural-culture-teaches-entrepreneurs Stephenville, Texas, shows how tight relationships, resource constraints, deep customer knowledge, and a culture of self-reliance can create entrepreneurial strengths that urban founders should]]> Commentary 10.32617/1433-6a901206ea78f Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:31:34 -0500 Jamie D. Collins, Bill Leaverton https://eiexchange.com/content/three-more-strategy-tools-every-small-business-owner-should-know The Value Chain, PESTEL, and Competitive Analysis can help entrepreneurs understand where they create value, anticipate market shifts, and compete more effectively. In a previous EIX article I]]> Practice Insight 10.32617/1483-6a8d82e7d9170 Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:56:23 -0500 Joseph Giglio https://eiexchange.com/content/dont-tell-your-startup-team-to-calm-down Why the strongest startup cultures are not the least emotional ones, but the ones that know how to use emotion well. EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was produced in partnership with Strategic]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1476-6a859dd6f2e88 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 07:13:10 -0500 Marius Jones, Elisabeth Norman, Therese Egeland, Vidar Schei https://eiexchange.com/content/want-more-women-in-entrepreneurship-start-with-female-role-model Working closely with women entrepreneurs increased entrepreneurial confidence in female college students —and made them more likely to begin their careers at young firms. EDITOR'S NOTE: This]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1472-6a80447b3a61c Sat, 15 Aug 2026 05:50:34 -0500 Laura Bechthold, Laura Rosendahl Huber, Kimberly Eddleston https://eiexchange.com/content/the-business-case-for-disability-inclusion-in-small-companies Disability inclusion is more than a legal obligation. Well-designed accommodation systems can strengthen employee trust, reduce costly turnover, and preserve knowledge inside small firms. Workers]]> Commentary 10.32617/1445-6a689c9442c29 Tue, 28 Jul 2026 07:12:04 -0500 Rebecca Davies https://eiexchange.com/content/why-rural-entrepreneurs-need-a-different-business-playbook Business advice designed for urban startups often fails rural entrepreneurs. Here's how educators, mentors, and policymakers can help. There is a quiet assumption embedded in most entrepreneurship]]> Commentary 10.32617/1435-6a5f8d3f878cd Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:16:15 -0500 Jamie D. Collins, Bill Leaverton https://eiexchange.com/content/older-entrepreneurs-may-be-better-at-turning-innovation-into-loc A study of more than 13,000 Italian startups finds that founder experience — not youth or location — may be the key to converting innovation into revenue growth and job creation. Entrepreneurship]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1415-6a4ba2e013ec6 Mon, 06 Jul 2026 07:43:12 -0500 Diego Matricano, Eric Liguori, Grant Alexander Wilson https://eiexchange.com/content/how-social-entrepreneurs-can-protect-their-mission-when-they-ste Social entrepreneurs care more about mission continuity than cashing out. This research-backed framework helps founders prepare successors, reduce founder dependence, and sustain impact. As Sarah sat]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1390-6a44f3174d0c6 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:59:34 -0500 Raja Singaram, Miruna Radu-Lefebvre, William Gartner https://eiexchange.com/content/why-your-first-hire-can-shape-your-startups-culture-for-decades Character, work ethic, and cultural fit matter as much as skill when building a startup team, especially in public-facing businesses. EDITOR’S NOTE: Larry O’Toole is the founder and chairman of]]> Commentary 10.32617/1453-6a43a90f2ee27 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:31:26 -0500 Larry O'Toole https://eiexchange.com/content/sacred-values-may-keep-some-people-from-becoming-entrepreneurs A study of more than 14,000 people across 11 countries finds that people guided by sacred values are less likely to become self-employed, especially in cultures that strongly enforce tradition and]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1426-6a3bcf0b0b3af Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:35:22 -0500 Paul Sanchez, Ileana Maldonado, Peter Klein, Joseph Vaughn https://eiexchange.com/content/how-franchisees-can-grow-by-cooperating-with-competitors Fleet Feet Charleston shows how franchise owners can use “coopetition” — working with suppliers, rivals, franchisors and employees — to build a stronger local business ecosystem. Last in a]]> Applied and Practice 10.32617/1448-6a3292c476916 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:27:48 -0500 Hadi Shaheen, Kamyar Goudarzi https://eiexchange.com/content/when-franchisors-fail-franchisees-pay-the-price Franchising is often sold as a safer path to entrepreneurship. But when franchisors collapse or change direction, franchisees can be left with heavy financial risks, little information, and almost no]]> Applied and Practice 10.32617/1446-6a2fe54e296fa Mon, 15 Jun 2026 06:43:10 -0500 Jenny Buchan, Jennifer Gant https://eiexchange.com/content/how-franchising-helped-chefs-for-seniors-go-national The Wisconsin-based family business providing home-cooked meals for the elderly discovered a nationwide need for their services, and used franchising to expand.  Fourth in a series about]]> Interviews 10.32617/1444-6a29662d91c43 Wed, 10 Jun 2026 08:27:09 -0500 Kimberly Eddleston https://eiexchange.com/content/making-sense-of-the-franchise-disclosure-document Before buying a franchise, learn how to use the FDD to spot risks, costs, churn, and signs of system health. Third in a series about franchising If you're looking into franchising, you've likely seen]]> Applied and Practice 10.32617/1432-6a28012499f11 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:03:47 -0500 Peter Birkeland, John Francis https://eiexchange.com/content/how-social-media-helps-women-entrepreneurs-raise-more-money-thro New research shows that tweets and campaign buzz can significantly increase crowdfunding success for women-led ventures. Women entrepreneurs have long faced a well-documented disadvantage when it]]> Research Insight 10.32617/1398-6a26ac43557c4 Mon, 08 Jun 2026 06:49:22 -0500 Susana C. Santos, Sílvia Costa, Kourosh Shafi, Xaver Neumeyer, Madison Miller