A narrative analysis on how women entrepreneurs overcome barriers and create opportunities in international entrepreneurship

Abstract

The principal objective of the study is to investigate how female migrant entrepreneurs engage in entrepreneurial activities adapting with different challenges. The study deeply explores entrepreneurial journeys of female migrant entrepreneurs with challenges. Currently, Europe is a significant destination for increased migrant flows, making it an especially intriguing backdrop for researching the various aspects of this extremely relevant subject. The study employs the interpretive research paradigm using a qualitative research design to interpret findings. Under this paradigm, the narrative method of qualitative research design has been employed in the study to narrate the story of international female migrant’s entrepreneurial journey with challenges that impact entrepreneurial journey. By using the purposive sampling approach, four international female migrant entrepreneurs engaging in entrepreneurial activities were selected in European countries. The study has presented how the six principal challenges impact on female migrant entrepreneurs and their businesses: financial access, foreignness, gender, origin, newness, and smallness. The study has also revealed how female migrant entrepreneurs create entrepreneurial opportunities dealing with challenges in order to obtain legitimacy.