Entrepreneurial dynamics in small business service firms

Abstract

This paper examines the nature of entrepreneurial dynamics in small business service firms. The past decade has seen a rapid growth in the number of small business service firms, with a corresponding increase in their importance in terms of employment and income generation. Despite the growing body of research on the impact that the entrepreneur has on the performance of small firms, very little of this research has focused on small business service firms. This paper reports findings from a study of the entrepreneurship process in a sample of 20 small business service firms based in the west of Scotland. Using a qualitative research design, evidence is found that entrepreneurs revise their motivations, objectives and strategies over time as a result of changes in market conditions or their own expectations. The most prevalent new objective is found to be business growth which was pursued as a means of increasing profitability, which in turn satisfies both pecuniary and non‐pecuniary intrinsic motivations.

Citation

Glancey, K., Greig, M. and Pettigrew, M. (1998), "Entrepreneurial dynamics in small business service firms", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 249-268. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552559810235547