Profiles of Success: Mexican Textile Handcraft Entrepreneurs and Their Businesses

Abstract

In Oaxaca, Mexico, some Indian villages have long-established weaving tradi tions. Originally, craftspersons wove textiles for their own use or for local trade. These textiles were replaced by commercially produced items. To survive in a changing world, some entrepreneurial weavers turned to production for tourist and export markets. Craftspersons, based in home workshops in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, provided examples of entrepreneurs who developed tourist and export markets. These entrepreneurs were studied to understand how production and marketing were adapted to these new clients. Entrepreneur profiles were developed from case studies (N = 27) that used in-depth interviews and partic ipant observation in home workshops and markets for data collection. The pro files were based on personal background, production methods, marketing tech niques, and business practices salient to each group. The four entrepreneur pro files identified were Externally Oriented, Mass-Production Entrepreneurs; Internally Oriented, Local Showroom Entrepreneurs; Outdoor Market Entrepre neurs; and Design Entrepreneurs. The profiles are discussed in relation to profiles of midwestern U.S. manufacturing entrepreneurs. Findings serve as examples of possible roles for handcraft producers who are developing export and tourist markets.