Relationship between personality of owner-managers and performance of internet cafes in Free State, South Africa

Abstract

Background: Although small businesses, including internet cafes, contribute to the country’s economy, the majority of internet cafes fail to survive for more than 2 years after their first year of operation.Aim: The main aim of this article was to promote the growth and survival of small businesses in the telecommunication industry through profiling owner–managers and the business performance of internet cafés in the Free State province, South Africa.Setting: The study focuses on the relationship between the personality of owner–managers and the performance of internet cafés.Methods: This study draws on a quantitative approach in line with the positivist paradigm, with a participation of 88 owner–managers who completed the questionnaires.Results: The findings of the study showed that conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness to experience traits are positively related to the performance of internet cafes.Conclusion: Despite most studies investigating the relationship between the performance of internet cafes and the personality traits of owner–managers, this study concludes that there is a relationship between the two variables. This informs institutions that provide funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to encourage people with conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness to experience personality traits to pursue businesses in the technology industry.