The Effects of Finance and Knowledge on Entrepreneurship Development: An Empirical Study from Bangladesh

Over the past decades, Bangladesh has fought poverty via labor-intensive industry and inclusive financing. The techniques assist underprivileged women in achieving self-sufficiency and encourage them to pursue independent endeavors. However, the majority of female entrepreneurs focused on four key company types: parlor, boutique, clothes, and fashion, all of which have limited access to financing. It was feared that their shortage of finance was hindering the growth of their company. The study’s goal is to assess the effects of financial availability and knowledge on women’s entrepreneurship development in Bangladesh via the lens of transformational leadership practices. A sample of 580 SMEs was considered for data collection with a structured questionnaire: a five-point Likert scale for getting responses from SMEs. The model coefficients with structural equation modeling revealed that financial accessibility plays a positive and statistically significant role in women’s entrepreneurship development. Moreover, knowledge level established positive interlinkage with women’s entrepreneurship development. Transformational leadership, which plays a mediating role in leadership practices, has been linked to the development of women’s entrepreneurship indirectly and positively. As a result, support for knowledge creation and external financing must evolve and be made available to ensure women’s sustainable development through entrepreneurial activities.