The making of a (dis)abled entrepreneur: An entrepreneurial identity perspective

Editors

Yousafzai, Shumaila; Wilson, Ng; Sheikh, Shandana; Coogan, Thomas

Description

This chapter describes the lived experiences of entrepreneurs with a disability. The interview-based study presents three broad findings. First, participants seem to question if they are really an entrepreneur. This is because they see themselves as accidental or forced migrants to entrepreneurship (e.g., given no other employment options) who sometimes curtail venture-growth (e.g., given bodily limitations or to pursue disability-related goals). Second, participants wonder if others think of them as an entrepreneur. This is driven by a perception of uneven support from parents who dissuade participants from entrepreneurship, and by a perceived lack of client faith in participants' entrepreneurial ability. Finally, participants seem to question if being an entrepreneur makes for an inferior self. This is driven by the perception that employees and clients behave as if the entrepreneur's disability matters more than ability. Taken together, the findings indicate that the entrepreneurial journey does not always imply a salient, constant, or a positive entrepreneurial identity for all entrepreneurs. This chapter serves as a nudge to render visible the experiences of entrepreneurial identity-making for those precariously positioned in society with regard to their social status.

Publication Date

1-4-2022

DOI

10.4337/9781789905649.00028

ISBN

978-1789905632; 978-1789905649

Publisher

Edward Elgar Publishing

Keywords

Disabled entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurial identity, India

Source Link URL

https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789905649.00028

discipline

Business; Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Disability Studies

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