Using an experimental approach, we examine how gender and feminine adornments impact stakeholders’ spontaneous perceptions of entrepreneurs. Although previous research shows that female entrepreneurs face negative stereotypes and prejudice, we find that compared to their male counterparts, female entrepreneurs and their ventures are no longer viewed less favourably and are even generating more positive perceptions...

Despite scholarly interest in how emotional and instrumental place attachments motivate entrepreneurship, the influences on embeddedness remain underexplored. Building on the notion that entrepreneurship becomes embedded in a locality, we argue that this process is packed with place-based interpretations of the material and imagined reality. Engaging with the empirical setting of Chile, the world’s largest...

Family businesses are rich in stories and narratives and offer a fertile ground to explore ‘everyday life of family businesses’ that ‘may be difficult to access through other forms of empirical material’ (Nordqvist and Gartner 2020, 122–123). In this paper, we use Helen (Tse’s 2007) biography Sweet Mandarin to explore the complex dynamics of gender,...

Existing research highlights the confident, heroic founder figure as a gendered norm in entrepreneurship. Moreover, confident behaviours and powerful speeches have been presented as key factors in delivering successful pitches. This study applies a dramaturgical approach to explore how pitch-training sessions as a backstage context reinforce the gendered ways of displaying confidence and how different...

Public support for enterprises contributes to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. The impact evaluation is a relevant and complex topic that still receives relatively limited scholarly attention. The study consists of an integrative review of a systematic selection of 60 articles published between 1998 and 2023 on public financial and non-financial support and firm performance outcomes....

This study uses a narrative approach to explore how role modelling unfolds throughout the start-up process. Drawing on the experiences of 25 nascent and novice entrepreneurs, we illustrate how attributes of role models, role modelling outcomes, and related mechanisms change for entrepreneurs over time. Our emerging theoretical model highlights three distinctive role modelling narratives: ‘Taking...

Collaborative spaces such as fab labs, incubators, and coworking spaces have become a worldwide phenomenon based on their promise of fostering creativity and entrepreneurship. Mature, large organizations have also tried to benefit from this by creating such spaces in-house. This paper studies a failed attempt to create one such space in a large bureaucratic organization....

The importance of home and hometown for entrepreneurs has significant implications for entrepreneurial identities, venture success, and broader contextual dynamics. Traditionally, the concept of home in entrepreneurship literature is viewed instrumentally, largely focusing on the unit of dwelling (i.e. premises/house/apartment), the implications of location choices, and their effects on performance. We employ a mobilities lens,...

This study investigates the interplay among parental support, familial legitimacy, and next-generation succession intentions in family businesses in different societal contexts. Building on attachment theory and insights from family business literature, the study underscores the influence of family at both the parental and societal levels in creating a nurturing environment that supports succession intentions. Using...

ntrepreneurship is growing in popularity as a tool to combat the challenges of unemployment and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. A host of training programme offerings have emerged to mitigate the challenges of starting and sustaining a business in this context. Non-formal trainings (educational activities outside formal places of learning such as universities or schools)...