Different shades of learning after entrepreneurial failure among Ghanaian micro women entrepreneurs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the learning effects of entrepreneurial failure (EF) among micro-women entrepreneurship in Accra. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative research method, purposive sampling was used to identify 64 micro-women entrepreneurs, and data was collected using interviews. Findings Linked to the experiential learning theory, the study found that consequences of EF provide an entrepreneurial learning platform that influences micro-women entrepreneurs to acquire new skills and knowledge for their entrepreneurial development, incurred costs that negatively affect operations, acquired no knowledge or take a decision to opt-out of entrepreneurship as a carrier. Research limitations/implications The study was based on a relatively small sample size of 64 participants which made it difficult to generalize the findings despite the benefits of the research methods adopted in the study. Originality/value The study contributed to the EF literature with micro-women entrepreneurs in an African context. It highlights the possible additional learning consequences of EF which are being scared of entrepreneurial venturing as a result of their failure. This negatively impacts the desire to engage in entrepreneurship as a future career. The identification of irrelevant learning consequences of EF, suggests that the existing experiential learning theory may need to be revised to further enhance its applicability in micro-women entrepreneurship in different cultural contexts, as not all experiences result in learning.