Collaborating to Identify the Personal and Business Dilemmas of Successful Women Entrepreneurs

Although female entrepreneurship is more frequently considered a key driver in economic growth and development, there is a gap in our understanding of the actual challenges and dilemmas that are faced and overcome by successful women entrepreneurs. Research in this field is lacking, often highly academic and does not contribute to practical/systemic or policy changes to support women’s entrepreneurship development. The purpose of this paper is to provide preliminary findings from a pilot study exploring the critical dilemmas and enablers for success faced by women entrepreneurs. Using a dilemma theory orientation, entrepreneurial success was investigated in terms of how respondents reconcile the competing demands between core stakeholders. Through our collaborative approach to the research, we were able to test existing models of entrepreneurship and also generate new insights for further investigation. It seems that women have a ‘gestalt’ view on the world, which enables them to identify opportunities in the environment through a values-based, socially responsible approach, which is aimed at generating greater gains than pure financial turnover in the long run.