Critical success factors of successful Indian entrepreneurs in the Tshwane metropolitan area

This work seeks to explore the critical success factors that influence the success ofIndian small business owners in the Tshwane area. To achieve this, the objective of thestudy is to confirm whether there are significant differences between a successful andless successful group of business owners in terms of general management skills,personal characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation and financing of the business.Through an analysis of theoretical information and empirical results it is possible tofacilitate a better understanding of how Indian entrepreneurs operating in small andmedium enterprises sustain success, thus enabling learnings that contribute to the bodyof knowledge relating to entrepreneurship development in South Africa. From the literature it became clear that cultural dimensions have an impact on theentrepreneurial process. The arrival of Indians to South Africa has also contributed to theIndian culture. The characteristics that describe ethnic entrepreneurs and successfactors attributed to their success is described. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)are crucial for the development of any country as they offer benefits of economic growthand employment generation. The success factors to sustain SMEs are also described. Data was collected from respondents by means of a convenience sample using astructured questionnaire consisting of 28 questions. A total of 106 useablequestionnaires were returned, which were then classified into a successful and lesssuccessful group, based on the criteria of annual turnover and employment growth. Theclassification process resulted in the successful group containing 38 respondents whilethe less successful group contained 49 respondents. The findings of the study indicate that there are no significant differences between thecomparable groups in relation to management skills and finance factors. There are,however, significant differences relating to personal factors, such as the level ofeducation, family support and experience. Finally, an important learning is that the Indian entrepreneurs in this study are similar toethnic entrepreneurs reviewed in literature. Copyright © 2010, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Govindasamy, T 2010, Critical success factors of successful Indianentrepreneurs in the Tshwane metropolitan area, MBA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-04032011-154248/ > F11/98/ag