A study of the entrepreneurial process of tourist small enterprise owners: A life course viewpoint
Siyu Long
Western Sydney University
Zhixian Zhong
anning Institute of Digital Science and Technology
Julie JieWen
Western Sydney University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/bam.v6i4.8382
Keywords: Small tourism enterprise; Entrepreneurship process; Life course; Small entrepreneurs
Abstract
Tourism small enterprise is the most dynamic, inventive, and segment-creating force in destinations, and they may operate as direct destination attractors. Based on in-depth interviews with 15 small tourist entrepreneurs and a fieldwork of 37 small enterprises, this article attempts to investigate the link between the small tourism entrepreneurs’ course of life and the entrepreneur process. The research found that the life course of small tourism entrepreneur is closely tied to the entrepreneur process, and that the majority of small tourism entrepreneurs gained job experience before starting their firm endeavor. Life experiences may exert impact in the form of a chain of influence, interaction influence, or accumulation influence. The development and alteration of life events in various situations might define the entrepreneurial process of a small tourist entrepreneur. These life events serve as watershed moments for small business entrepreneurs.
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