Searching for role models: The case of Malferida the healthy cola with nothing to hide

Abstract

Gendered barriers that have traditionally impeded entry into entrepreneurship are lessening. Nonetheless, there is still a clear need to further encourage female students into an entrepreneurial career pathway. To do so, traditional classroom discourse that promotes the masculinised concept of the ‘heroic’ entrepreneur who experiences overnight success needs to be challenged. By providing a case study of a young successful female entrepreneur we open a pathway beyond a narrow vision of the homogenous entrepreneur driven by purely profit-seeking motives. It is well recognised that the socialisation process differs between individuals, making it important to consider the lived experiences of a variety of entrepreneurs that can appeal to the idiosyncratic needs of our students. At the same time, to amplify the value of such narratives they need to be connected to what we already know. The overriding aim of this teaching case is to offer a narrative of a successful female entrepreneur that can be used as a tool to stimulate an entrepreneurial mindset in students.