Abstract
Traditional measures of entrepreneurial performance emphasize financial outcomes while overlooking the broader dimensions that shape success. As a result, no integrated measurement framework exists to capture entrepreneurial performance holistically. Yet, in today's polycrisis; marked by climate risk, inequality, burnout, and technological disruption, measuring performance beyond profit is vital for resilience, legitimacy, and long-term advantage. To address this gap, this study introduces the Holistic Entrepreneurial Performance (HEP) Scale, a multidimensional framework integrating personal, communal, environmental, and transcendental dimensions to comprehensively assess entrepreneurship. The scale development followed rigorous qualitative and quantitative procedures. Based on the Spiritual Well-Being (SWB) framework, the construct was refined through conceptual analysis and interviews with 25 entrepreneurs, producing an initial 32-item pool. After pre-testing and surveying 468 Spanish, Greek and English-speaking entrepreneurs, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a final 20 item model across four factors: Personal & Interpersonal Growth, Economic Impact, Environmental Commitment, and Spiritual Purpose. The findings highlight the need to broaden conceptions of entrepreneurial success by integrating spirituality, well-being, and sustainability with economic performance. The HEP scale offers researchers, educators, and entrepreneurs a holistic tool to better assess outcomes and uncover deeper drivers behind venture failure or flourishing. Future research should examine its relationship with other variables and its potential to nurture and promote sustainable, values-driven entrepreneurship. By reimagining how performance is conceived, the HEP scale advances the emerging whole-person entrepreneurship paradigm.
•Traditional metrics overlook holistic dimensions of entrepreneurial success•Polycrisis demands measuring performance beyond profit and growth•HEP Scale integrates personal, environmental, and spiritual dimensions•Validated 20-item model reveals four holistic performance factors•Advances the whole-person entrepreneurship paradigm