57 OBRAZOVANJE ZA PODUZETNIŠTVO / EDUCATION FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP VOL8 NR2 (2018) WHAT DRIVES A STUDENT TO START A BUSINESS? EVIDENCE FROM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Mirza Kulenović, MSc, College "Center for Business Studies" Josipa Bana Jelačića bb, Kiseljak, Bosnia and Herzegovina Telephone: +387 33 614 386, e-mail: mirza.kulenovic@ceps.edu.ba Azra Pašić Mesihović, MSc, School of Economics and Business in Sarajevo Trg oslobođenja - Alije Izetbegovića 1, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Telephone: +387 33 564 394, e-mail: azra.pasic@efsa.unsa.ba Ljiljan Veselinović, PhD, School of Economics and Business in Sarajevo Trg oslobođenja - Alije Izetbegovića 1, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Telephone: +387 33 253 766, e-mail: ljiljan.veselinovic@efsa.unsa.ba ABSTRACT The existng literature pays partcular atenton to the investgaton of motves and start-up intentons of potental entrepreneurs, especially investgatng students’ intenton to start a frm afer the completon of studies. The purpose of this paper is to investgate the infuence of ffeen motves and entrepreneurship experience of student’s family on the intenton to start a business. Given the importance of entrepreneurship for the growth of developing countries, this insight from a post- confict, transitonal country such as Bosnia and Herzegovina will provide valuable feedback for policymakers and will deepen our understanding of motves and intenton to start a business. Our research supports existng fndings that growing up in a family where parents are entrepreneurs represents an important predictor of intenton to start a business. These family-related early life experiences play a major role in molding an individual’s beliefs, attudes, personality, and intentons. In additon, our fndings suggest that the following motves have statstcally signifcant efects on the intenton to start a business: two independence motves (opportunity to be your own boss and proving that you can do it), propensity for risk acceptance, opportunity for beter organizaton of work and private tme, and ensuring appropriate care for future generatons. In the context of Bosnia- Herzegovina, a possible explanaton of our results might be that less atractve working conditons in the private companies combined with high unemployment rates infuence the motves of potental entrepreneurs. Their intenton to start a business comes from a perceived opportunity, but taking care of future generatons and being independent can contribute to the explanaton of the intenton to start a business. Bosnia-Herzegovina is considered a collectvistc society, which explains Izvorni znanstveni članak / Original scientfc paper