Abstract
Entrepreneurship research typically emphasizes firm-level outcomes such as growth and performance.However, people pursue entrepreneurship for deeply personal, idiosyncratic reasons.Therefore, as in other self-organized human pursuits, how entrepreneurship relates to fulfillmentand well-being is of utmost importance. In this paper, we provide an overview of the well-beingconcept, related research, and its connection to entrepreneurship. We define entrepreneurialwell-being as the experience of satisfaction, positive affect, infrequent negative affect, and psychologicalfunctioning in relation to developing, starting, growing, and running an entrepreneurialventure. We explain this definition of entrepreneurial well-being and review significantdevelopments in our field and the broader field of well-being. Highlights of social,technological and institutional trends illustrate key areas for future research that can enhance ourunderstanding of these phenomena. The eight papers in this special issue focus on entrepreneurialwell-being each offering a specific perspective on how scholars can theorize andstudy the antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurship related to well-being.