Fostering Future Entrepreneurs: The Impact of Education, Self-Efficacy, and Financial Support on Entrepreneurial Intentions
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)s are highly significant to most economies, especially in emerging nations. Opening a business might be challenging for entrepreneurs, especially in maintaining the company's performance to prevent the industry from termination. Various factors can contribute to the decline in performance and eventual business closure. The most challenging factor is the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many sectors in Malaysia. The business sector is included in experiencing changes due to the restrictions set by the government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. A movement control order (MCO) has been implemented to reduce the impact of mortality during Covid-19. This study aims to determine the factors influencing the performance of small enterprises after MCO. With a sample size of 381 enterprises from various sectors composed of manufacturing, services, agriculture, mining and quarrying in Negeri Sembilan, the questionnaires for this study were distributed physically and digitally to respondents. The findings reveal a positive association between access to financing, supply chain, and social networking and the performance of small enterprises after the MCO in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Studies indicate that COVID-19 significantly negatively impacts financial stability, operations, the economy, and access to financing. According to the study, outside funding assistance has been more crucial to SMEs' ability to persevere and thrive through technological innovation than their actual output. SMEs, governments, and legislators must understand the consequences of the study's findings.