Who Wants to Become an Entrepreneur in Brunei Darussalam?
Prof. Dr. Kim Cheng Patrick Low, Mohan N. Sajnani

Abstract
Brunei, a Sultanate producing oil and gas for over 80 years, faces the need to boost entrepreneurship to diversify the country’s economy and to increase its non-oil or gas dependent income/revenue. Such economic diversification can have key benefits for the country, both economically and socially when the finite fossil fuels run out. Young Bruneians will be the future business leaders and decision makers, and accordingly, the qualitative research is interested in investigating the attitudes/ opinions of the young Bruneians towards entrepreneurship and the factors influencing the development of entrepreneurial qualities. Thus, the research study is targeted at members of the younger generation (age from 18 to 23 years old) of Brunei from the secondary school students and the university undergraduates. The authors also interviewed several expatriates (employers and employees), seven of them, residing in the Sultanate to elicit their views. The authors analysed, interpreted and discussed on the findings, and subsequently highlight the key obstacles to entrepreneurial thinking in Brunei. The practitioner-authors also recommend ways that the government can view and implement to get their people to being more entrepreneurial. This incorporates promoting an entrepreneurial growth; they need to be open minded yet having PHDs, the latter are the ingredients and requirements. Indeed, they must seriously want to overcome Poverty (their being Poor) and Hunger (their being Hungry) and be Desperate or Daring to venture and do business. This research study demonstrates the importance of an individual’s personal attributes and values such as psychological and demographic factors, which when combined with environmental factors would reassure and promote entrepreneurship.

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