NEW VENTURES AS SUPPLIERS: THE BUILDING OF TRUST WITH INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMERS
In: Journal of enterprising culture: JEC, Band 6, Heft 4, S. 369-390
ISSN: 0218-4958
The new venture starts in an equivocal situation. To use and build trusted relationships with external actors, notably customers in spe, is an important way for the entrepreneur to establish business. In an inductive in-depth case study between entrepreneurs and customers, trust was studied. For two business start-ups the entrepreneurs' building and use of trust in action processes between the new ventures and some of their customers was investigated covering 5 years. Using a frame of reference concerning new business trust, trustbuilding in action processes is identified in interviews. Patterns of trustbuilding are summarised, conclusions concerning trustbuilding in the cases are presented and discussed. Some possible contributions for practice and theory are outlined.