Leveraging the 'E' in entrepreneurship: test of an integrative model of e-commerce new venture growth

The technological and strategic framework that entrepreneurial firms use to plan and achieve firm growth is often seen as the integration and alignment of external market opportunities with internal management competencies. Results from 131 entrepreneurs of c-commerce firms revealed that the building of technology infrastructure functions as a critical antecedent to how these firms developed innovations related to internal management practices, new marketing strategies, and new product, service, and business improvements. Additionally, these innovations not only facilitated the entrepreneur's ability to grow; they also allowed the firm to attain effectiveness in the areas of creating value for customers, insulating the business from competition, and enhancing the overall value of the firm. From these findings, implications for how entrepreneurs leverage their technology towards developing and implementing new innovations and growth initiatives are discussed.