The processes of opportunity recognition and opportunity exploitation have traditionally been viewed as intertwined and inseparable. This study examines the emergence of specialized entrepreneurial roles in opportunity markets by examining “ideapreneurs,” individuals who focus on creating and selling business opportunities rather than carrying them out. Leveraging behavioural learning theory and imprinting theory, we investigate how prior experiences, and specifically success versus failure, shape ideapreneurs’ subsequent market participation and performance. Drawing on data from a digital marketplace that tracks ideapreneurs’ behaviour and performance across multiple business opportunities, we reveal several intriguing findings. Counterintuitively , we find that latest success reduces the likelihood of future attempts. We also find that initial market experiences exert lasting imprints on later outcomes: those who succeed on their first attempt are more likely to try again following future successes, whereas those who fail initially tend to exit once they do achieve success. Finally, success exhibits distinct temporal effects on performance: latest success (isolated) undermines future performance, whereas accumulated successes enhances future performance. Our findings underscore the heterogeneous effect of success on motivation and future performance.
