ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET AND PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES IN MAKURDI METROPOLIS, BENUE STATE-NIGERIA

Many studies indicates that entrepreneurial mindset is a critical factor in the accumulation, evaluation and selection of the knowledge which can lead an individual into potential business opportunities thereby enhancing entrepreneurial outcomes such as firm performance. This study examined the effect of entrepreneurial mindset on the performance of small and medium scale enterprises in Benue State. The focus of the research was to measure the entrepreneurs' mindset exhibited through innovativeness, creativity, business alertness and risk taking and how these attributes contributed to the performance of SMEs. The research focused on a population of 650 small and medium scale enterprises based in Makurdi metropolis. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 250 SMEs in Makurdi metropolis which were selected through stratified random sampling method. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Correlation and multiple regression analysis were employed to analyse the data and test the hypotheses. The study revealed that innovativeness, creativity, business alertness and risk taking were significant in affecting performance of SMEs. The study concluded that entrepreneurial mindset or lack of it has a major effect on SMEs performance and if any economy is bended towards development and growth, it would have to embrace this concept. It recommended that all the policy makers and all stake holders should re-strategize and create forums that can promote entrepreneurial mindset among the existing and potential entrepreneurs.