Do You Think Belief in God Will Make You a Successful Entrepreneur? Sadly Not, Says Study

Admit it.  You've read those books, or watched those shows, that promise if you only believe in yourself (or God), you'll become a billionaire.

 Or something close to that.

 Well, guess what?  A new study says that belief in the "prosperity gospel" will not make you a successful entrepreneur, according to newswise.com.

 Think you already knew that?

 Well, here's the proof.

"Belief in the 'Prosperity Gospel' — that God financially blesses faithful followers — does not turn individuals into successful entrepreneurs. But prosperity beliefs can fuel values linked to entrepreneurial thinking, such as power and achievement, according to a Baylor University study," the web site reports.
However, hate to tell you but researchers found no direct relationship between prosperity beliefs and willingness to take risks, and little connection to recognizing opportunities. 
Guess what are the most typical traits of entrepreneurs?  Risk-taking and identifying opportunities, according to the national study.
Bet you already knew that.
My husband is a (relatively) sucessful dentist who's always hated what he did.  He wanted desperately to be a trader, but failed rather expensively.  (We won't go there.)  His biggest downfall?  He can't take risk.  He would worry and stew over every move instead of just smashing in, as I would, and over-analyze everything.  And you can guess the results.
Now, I don't think I'd make a great trader but I do have the ability to take risks.  Sometimes they work out, and sometimes they don't (the time I took on my client for not paying me landed me the check but lost me the job).  But I'm willing to do it. 
For the study, researchers analyzed data from a nationally representative survey of 1,066 working adults, newswise explains. Their goal was to connect prosperity beliefs, human values, entrepreneurial attitudes and entrepreneurial action. They found that values — both by themselves and in conjunction with religious beliefs — are important predictors of how and whether individuals might launch a business.
Participants responded to a three-item scale to measure beliefs that faith and faithful behavior lead to success at work and in business.
The items included: “God promises that those who live out their faith will receive financial success;” “Believers who succeed in business are evidence of God’s promised blessing;” and “I believe faithful believers in God receive real financial benefits in this life.”
Participants also responded to questions relating to The Theory of Basic Human Values, which recognizes such universal values as openness to change, achievement, security, power and benevolence.
In general, “entrepreneurs tend to think differently than non-entrepreneurs, prizing achievement and self-direction while downplaying tradition and conformity,” the web site quotes co-author Mitchell J. Neubert, Ph.D., professor of management in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business.
Value orientations of self-enhancement and openness to change are associated with recognizing opportunities and taking risks — entrepreneurial behaviors that correlate with creating new businesses. While prosperity beliefs by themselves show little direct impact on entrepreneurship, they do influence the impact of values and attitudes related to creating a business. Prosperity beliefs can strengthen the relationship between self-enhancement values and opportunity recognition, but they seem to reduce the relationship between openness to change and willingness to take risks.
Another significant finding pertains to gender. Men and women who accept prosperity beliefs are no different in their willingness to take risks or start businesses, notes co-author Jerry Z. Park, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. In general, risk-taking and business start-ups are more common among men.
The study also shows that education and experience are key predictors of entrepreneurship, but those resources may be difficult to acquire for some prosperity believers because of social and economic circumstances.
While individuals in that group have hope, it seems contingent on divine action rather than human action, Neubert said.
“Can prosperity preachers Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes save the U.S. economy? Probably not. But nor are they damning it,” Dougherty concludes. “The type of positive, self-help gospel they preach can enhance specific value orientations that are related to entrepreneurial thinking and entrepreneurial behavior.”






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