At The Podium of Enterprise Development Exploring the Cooperation Experiences between Publicly Funded Small Enterprises and Financial Advisors

In this explorative study, we contribute to the entrepreneurial networking literature by applying researchbased trust to a model of entrepreneurial willingness to cooperate with financial advisors in terms of pursuing a firm’s growth and development. Using our 2014 survey data from EU-funded rural firms in Central Finland, we address the limited focus on publicly funded rural firms that have used corporate financial advice and their willingness to develop their business activities with financial advisors. Our study revealed that trust between entrepreneurs and advisors is a more valuable aspect of the advising process than expertise. We found that an attitudinal proxy antecedent, such as trusting financial advice, differs for entrepreneurs who use financial advice and entrepreneurs who do not use financial advice. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.