While the motivational phase of the entrepreneurial process is now well understood, its volitional phase–during which nascent entrepreneurs exert willpower to achieve their goals–remains largely overlooked. Few studies have investigated the conditions of long term persistence among nascent entrepreneurs. To fill the research gap, data from a longitudinal study with an 18-month time lag were analyzed using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis approach to identify the conditions leading to long-term persistence. The study reveals two different pathways explaining persistence: one in which affective commitment is the core condition, and continuance commitment and risk-taking are peripheral conditions, and the other in which normative commitment alone is the core condition. The findings also indicate four different pathways leading to a lack of persistence, wherein the absence of affective commitment alone, in combination with the continuance and normative commitment, or risk-taking are key conditions. This research has significant implications for understanding the complex mechanisms that drive the volitional phase of the entrepreneurial process.