Page - 281 - in Digital Entrepreneurship - Impact on Business and Society

waste time or effort. So, it’s easier and quicker for them to purchase things online, whereas in less individualistic countries or developing counties, people don’tmind andmight even be excited to do things the “physical way.” Internet issues pose challenges to digital entrepreneurship in developing coun- tries. For example, Internet fees inLebanonareveryhighcompared to that inother developed countries. Dr. Diala says, “in Italy, Wi-Fi is even sometimes free in parks, whereas in Lebanon, Internet is expensive and very slow.” Cultural differences among target audiences can play a role in expanding an onlinecompany toother regions.Asour intervieweementions,“youcan’t just scale your online business to another country in the Middle East. Maybe an app in Lebanonmay not be accepted in the gulf area.” Inaddition to thesechallenges, indevelopedcountries, the typesof industriesare wide and diversified, whereas in developing counties, industries are narrower and more limited to specific sectors. 3. NetworkOpportunities: Anetworkcanhave twodimensions:personal andprofessional.Personal links such as familyand friendscanspreadawarenessandshareone’sbusiness throughmedia. Professional connections are crucial, especially in digital entrepreneurship, for they can also providemutual benefit for both parties. AsDr.Dialamentions, “personal connections are important for creating partnerships with other companies in the future, such as alliances or collaborations.” Dr. Diala mentions, “personal con- nections determine the quantity of people in a network, and social capital deter- mines the quality and variety of your connections.”Personal connections can also count as human capital and/or a source of knowledge. Dr. Diala says, “if some of your personal connections have had experience in digital entrepreneurship, then they can give you valuable and useful insight, and share their experiences with you.” The family plays a role in digital entrepreneurship, for it provides financial support, as well as moral support like trust. Families can tolerate and support the trials of their next of kin despite the risk. The family could help in idea generation andmay provide consultation in variousmatters. Dr. Diala mentions, “the family could play an evenmore important role if a member in the family has had expe- rience in thefield of digital entrepreneurship.”Families can also pave theway for various networking opportunities. Increasing one’s social capital, being the number of network relationships among peoplewho live andwork in society, is crucial for the success of a digital company. Thatmeans it is preferable to diversify one’s networks, for instance, by making personal connections in different professional fields to gather a variety of suggestions and ideas. Dr. Diala says, “themore networks you have, themore the possibility to get funded.” 290 G. Samara and J. Terzian