Purpose - The purpose of this research is to examine the activities and behaviours of potential entrepreneurs as they move towards engagement in business start-up. Design/methodology/approach - Based on in-depth engagement with seven founders of new businesses, and informed by a review of the relevant literature. Findings - A series of transitions towards business start-up re identified, which in turn produced a five-step framework for examining and understanding the "pre-start" phase of preparation for entrepreneurship. Research limitations/implications - The case-based approach provided detailed and contextualised insight into how a small group of founders prepared for business start-up. There may be a need to test the framework with a larger group of business founders to assess its wider relevance and applicability. Practical implications - The pre-start framework identifies how individuals progress towards start-up, and so could be used as the basis for a programme to encourage individuals to move through each step towards engagement in business start-up. The movement from step to step can also be used to assess overall levels of preparation for entrepreneurship within the wider population, and so has the potential to be a useful indicator of overall levels of entrepreneurial orientation. Originality/value - The paper presents a process-focused model of the pre-start dynamic.